Origins: Sulawesi


Overview

COUNTRY PROFILE


Size - 180,681 sq km

Capital City - The six provinces of Sulawesi each have their own capital city, including Makassar South Sulawesi) and Palu (Central Sulawesi)

Population - 18,455,058 (estimated 2014)

Language/s Spoken - Sunda-Sulawesi (official)


PRODUCER PROFILE


Typical Farm Size - 1 hectare

Bags Exported Annually - 12,000–15,000 bags


COFFEE PROFILE


Growing Regions - Enrekang, Gowa, Mamasa, Sinjai, Tana Toraja

Common Varieties - Jember, Typica, S795

Processing Methods - Washed, some Wet-Hull

Bag Size - 60 kg

Harvest Period - May–November

Typical Arrival - September–December

CAFE IMPORTS + SULAWESI 

While Sumatra processes the majority of its coffee in a Wet-Hull manner, our partners in Sulawesi, the exporter PT TOARCO, encourages a more traditional Washing from the producers from whom we jointly source. Fermentation is still sometimes a part of the post-harvest processing, but increasingly mechanical demucilaging is more common, and the coffee is typically dried on heavy tarps. The profile of these coffees tends to be more acidic and fruity, with clarity and creamy body: That profile, the additional labor necessary in production, and the lower availability of the top lots of these coffees can make them pricier than other offerings from Indonesia, but we find that the remarkable cups are truly worth it.

HISTORY

Formerly known as Celebes, Sulawesi along with the rest of Indonesia was under Dutch control from the early 1600s until World War II, and coffee production was introduced and dictated by the Dutch East India Company. In 1750, the first Typica plants arrived, as they had begun to spread around the other islands of Java and Sumatra. For more detailed information about the history of coffee in Indonesia, visit our Sumatra Origin Page.