Sumatra Coffee farm Trip

Earthlings' latest coffee farm trip together with David from Inch Coffee has been the most adventurous so far. We touched down in Medan airport and hit the road to Samosir Island, Lake Toba (world largest lake formed by supervolcano), in order to catch a local coffee festival the next day.

The long and bumpy ride there was all worth it after having stayed on the beautiful volcanic island for two nights, and visited two nearby coffee farms by the invitations of local farmer: Tony and Slamat, connected to us through Ibu Anna and her family — whom we had the pleasure of meeting at the Indonesia-Sarawak Coffee Festival we co-organised last month. Thanks to them, we had the locals at our aid when travelling to and back from the farms through incredibly harsh road and weather conditions.

Upon our return to Medan, we were greeted warmly by our partner Ronnie’s cousin Amizal — who happens to be the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan — and his family. After a lavish dinner and warm hospitality, we set out to hunt for more coffee related expeditions in the city full of green coffee suppliers. Good connections have never been so vital, we had a chance to visit three separate coffee sorting plants, warehouses, and workshops.

Big thanks to our recently made friends; also from the coffee festival: Jonsen, Taking, Fadlan, and Micheal for the eye-opening tours and hospitality. Last but not the least, we are grateful to Ibu Ringgi and Bak Alex from the Consulate General of Indonesia in Kuching for their company and support throughout the journey. This trip would not have been the same without all these wonderful people!