Indonesia Flores Island Grade 1 - Green Coffee

About the Flores Watujaji Coop

(as told by Gilles Raymond, founder of the Otonomi Program)

"Flores Arabica coffee offers more than just a great cup. Its aroma carries the spirit of democracy and freedom.

Living in the shadow of Mount Inerie, across a chain of villages nestled along the mountainside, the farmers of Flores have walked a remarkable path. Over the last 20 years, they’ve journeyed from three decades of forced submission under dictatorship toward a new sense of purpose — taking their development into their own hands.

The year 2000 marked a turning point. Before they could even think of coffee plantations, there was a more urgent need: water. Without it, development was impossible. Through the Otonomi Program, our team of volunteers began bringing fresh water to 40 remote communities. That first victory over the harshness of daily life sparked something greater. After all, poverty is a curable evil.Where there was no school, we built one. Where there was only a narrow mountain trail, we opened a road.

Water became the lifeline that awakened a new hope. The farmers quickly saw that the water flowing into their villages wasn’t just for drinking or washing. It meant they could grow coffee trees. The volcanic soil, high altitudes, and ideal climate were all already there — all that was missing was opportunity. And so, with the essentials finally in place, they began to cultivate a coffee unlike any other.

Working from sunrise to sunset, thirty families from the village of Watujaji came together and formed a cooperative. They named it Sinar Tani — “rays of the farm.” But it wasn’t without resistance. Some figures tied to the old regime tried to force the sale of their Arabica coffee to a captive market — an Indonesian company claiming monopoly rights. Yet this small co-op stood firm. They protected their harvest, their freedom, and their future.

With the support of Terra Coffee and Tea Ltd and its HumaniTerra Foundation — and thanks to people like you, across the ocean — this tiny group of farmers dared to think differently. They forged a new path, not just for themselves, but for the entire island of Flores. And now, their beans have made it all the way to your home. It’s worth mentioning that life in this part of Flores is deeply shaped by ancestral wisdom. The culture is matrilineal — property, including the land and coffee farms, belongs to women and is passed down from mother to daughter. So these small plantations are more than farms — they are legacies. "

Cup Profile

Intense body, notes of blueberry, plum, pepper and curry.

Additional Information

• Region: Flores Bajawa
• Altitude: 1100-1600 meters above sea level
• Cultivar: S795, Typica, Catimor, Timor Hybrid
• Process: Full Washed
• Screen Size: 18+