Indonesian Public Diplomacy : Coffee Diplomacy
- Ms. Aulia Asri
- Oct 2, 2020
- 7 min read
October 1st is commemorated as the international coffee day. Meanwhile in Indonesia, it is celebrated every September 29th. Many businessmen in the coffee sector and coffee lovers used this celebration to promote coffee and celebrate coffee as the beverage. Frankly, I admit that coffee has a special fragrance and calls me to drink it. Unfortunately, my belly can't tolerate any kind of caffeine. Every time I have catch-up time with my close friends in the coffee shop, indeed I always order non-coffee beverages such as tea or milk. Coffee is like an eyewitness when people share their stories through chit chat with their dearest ones in both happiness and grieving also it is like a reconciliation glue for those who currently fighting and separated.
Coffee drinking now is a part of the lifestyle, particularly for young people. Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world. Throughout the world, coffee drinkers consume more than 160 million bags of coffee in recent years with over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily. Coffee is widely consumed for its great taste and therapeutic properties. A cup of coffee can either keep people energized or relaxed. The caffeinated coffee tends to keep people energized, decaffeinated coffee is known to relax the senses and calms the nerves.
Coffee can help people feel less tired and increase energy levels. Coffee contains several important nutrients, including riboflavin, pantothenic acid, manganese, potassium, magnesium, and niacin. Studies show that coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of several serious diseases. Another Harvard study of over 50,000 women found that depression risk decreased as caffeinated coffee consumption increased. Coffee beans are rich in antioxidants and consuming coffee each cup per day can decrease type 2 diabetes by 6%. Coffee drinkers have a much lower risk of various diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson, cirrhosis, liver and colorectal cancers, and heart disease.
Furthermore, coffee has also been noted for the benefits for the skin. While drinking a cup of coffee can get the internal boost, rubbing your skin with a soap/cream that contains coffee also bringing bunch of benefits. It is a rich source of antioxidants that can be responsible for skin cell energy preservation due to its free-radical properties. Coffee can protect the skin from harsh sun rays particularly UVB that may lead to more complicated and life-threatening skin diseases. Coffee also plays a crucial role in regulating cell re-growth and increasing both collagen and skin elasticity.
As a part of the lifestyle, most of society recently (particularly young people) love to spend their time in the coffee shop while having chitchat with their dearest ones. More and more coffee shops have been opened and many of these shops choose to use Indonesian coffee beans. According to the Coffee-Statistics, Coffee shops have a 7% annual growth rate and this growth rate makes coffee shops one of the fastest-growing segments of the restaurant industry. This has undoubtedly boosted the popularity of Indonesian coffee, both in Indonesia and abroad.
Coffee was introduced to the archipelago by the Dutch who initially planted coffee trees around their stronghold of Batavia but quickly expanded coffee production to the Bogor and Sukabumi regions in West Java in the 17th and 18th century. Indonesia proved to have a near-ideal climate for coffee production, hence plantations were soon established on other parts of Java and on the islands of Sumatra and Sulawesi. Today, Indonesia's coffee plantations cover a total area of approximately 1.24 million hectares, 933 hectares of robusta plantations, and 307 hectares of arabica plantations. More than 90 percent of total plantations are cultivated by small-scale growers who own relatively small plantations of about 1-2 hectares, each.
Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association (AEKI) Vice-Chair Pranoto Soenarto said that 8% more coffee is planted every year. Minister of Research and Technology/Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency, Bambang Brodjonegoro, said currently Indonesia’s average coffee production reaches 600,000 tons per year, which is generated from 1.3 million hectares of land.
Indonesia is the world’s fourth-largest coffee producer. Producing 642,000 metric tons (1,415,000,000 pounds) of coffee and Indonesia accounts for 6% of the world’s coffee. 91% of the production is robusta, with the remaining 9% being arabica. Interestingly, Indonesia has the most expensive coffee in the world that we known as kopi luwak or civet coffee. It is brewed from beans that have passed through the digestive system of the Asian palm civet (catlike animal). Due to this special fermentation process inside the animal (and due to the fact that the civet is able to select the juiciest coffee cherries) this coffee is believed to have a richer taste. Its labor-intensive production process and scarcity on the international market cause its expensive price. The best Indonesian coffee beans such as:
· Sumatra Gayo: with the exotic and earthy scent of this Sumatra Gayo coffee is sure to grab the attention of anyone and everyone nearby. This Indonesian coffee is low in acidity, rich in flavor, and finishes nice and clean.
· Toraja: a large island, formerly and sometimes still referred to as Celebes is one of the several renowned coffee producing of Indonesia. These premium coffee beans, grown rich volcanic soil at high altitudes make for a complex cup with a wonderful and varied taste profile. As is typical of many Indonesian coffees, the acidity here is very low.
· Bali blue moon: the fine representation of Bali contains a complex array of flavor notes that work together to produce a spicy, chocolate delight. This Bali coffee background the earthy character that is typical of Indonesia coffee and instead centers around a spiced dark chocolate flavor.
· Sulawesi Kalossi: The Sulawesi coffee is very low in acidity. Exotic scents of earth and berries set the stage for this treat. The dark roast perfectly accentuates the notes of earth and berries and brings out a pleasantly rustic sweetness. This full-bodied, silky smooth Sulawesi Coffee is completed by a nice smooth finish.
Coffee is one of the commodities used to promote Indonesian culture abroad while at the same time has a potential value to support the nation's economy. Coffee diplomacy will be a new tool to strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and various countries. This shows the great potential of Indonesia to use coffee as a tool of cultural and economic diplomacy. Drinking coffee culture in Indonesia is the closeness of Indonesian people, which is associated with values of tolerance and peaceful problem-solving mechanism. Both diplomacies aim to form a positive national image of Indonesian culture, while at the same time create opportunities for economic cooperation to improve the welfare of Indonesian society.
Coffee diplomacy presented a non-formal atmosphere: relaxing, yet beneficial for the people of Indonesia. Both bilateral and multilateral approaches are still being used to promote Indonesia's values through coffee, as well as to generate more economic impact. Both bilateral and multilateral approaches are still relevant to Indonesia's coffee diplomacy. Both cultural and economic diplomacy through coffee will strengthen Indonesia’s positive image, as well as improve its prosperity. A multilateral approach for Indonesia’s coffee diplomacy through several activities conducted by the government in multilateral settings, such as in ASEAN, the European Union, and the United Nations. Meanwhile, the bilateral approach to expand coffee diplomacy to other countries is often conducted by the Embassies or Consulates General of Indonesia abroad. Following example for bilateral approach with various countries such as:
a. New Zealand
Indonesian President Mr. Jokowi conducted coffee diplomacy during a state visit to New Zealand in 2018 that also marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and New Zealand. It is expected to intensify bilateral relations between Indonesia and New Zealand.
b. Malaysia
The Ministry of Tourism featured the country's specialty coffee at the Indonesia-Sarawak Coffee Festival in Kuching, Malaysia, on July 28-30 2017. The event was a diplomatic effort to promote Indonesian culture, tradition, and tourism. The Indonesia-Sarawak Coffee Festival is expected to become a regular event for promoting Indonesian coffee, as the two countries share a similar coffee-drinking culture. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that Malaysia imported 106,555 tons of Indonesian coffee in 2015. The festival, themed "A Blend of Coffee, Culture, and Friendship," presented Indonesian coffee beans from the country's best producers to visitors who could taste and purchase their favorite coffee at special prices. The country's culinary sector, which grows at 4.5 percent annually, has contributed Rp 208.6 trillion ($15.6 billion) to the national economy last year. It also created 3.7 million jobs.
c. Uzbekistan
Indonesian Coffee Day 2019 organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Tashkent will contribute to the awareness of Indonesian coffee potential as well as enhancement of bilateral relations and the increase of trade cooperation between Uzbekistan and Indonesia.
With the shift in the culture of tea drinking to coffee drinking in Uzbekistan, Indonesia was strategically positioned to enter the coffee market, especially specialty coffee.
d. United Kingdom
Indonesian Coffee Day 2018 in London involved 10 coffee industry players from Indonesia, including millennials. Present as a speaker at the business forum was the Coffee Supply Chain Manager Fairtrade, Anna Pierides. Anna highlighted Fairtrade’s certification role in helping Indonesian coffee farmers. “What’s interesting about Fairtrade coffee is that almost all Fairtrade coffee production is organic and that the participation of Indonesian farmers in Fairtrade has generated a premium of $ 4.8 million.
e. Vietnam
Indonesia`s coffee was promoted during the 2018 Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) held at the Hanoi International Center for Exhibition. Indonesia`s coffee stands always become an attraction for visitors, in addition to a replica of the Pinisi Nusantara boat displayed in front of Indonesia`s pavilion Indonesian barista Grammy Marella Averil of Home Coffee Roastery in Solo served coffee up to 300 visitors per day during the Vietnam Travel Mart. The 29-year old Averil offered four kinds of coffee - Aceh Gayo, Toraja, Mandailing, and Sidikalang, to coffee lovers in Hanoi.
f. Russia
Indonesian coffee is increasingly popular in Russia. This can be seen from the holding of the Indonesian Coffee Festival in Moscow which took place on October 11, 2019. The festival was attended by Russian businesspeople in the coffee sector. The festival which is divided into workshop sessions and business mixers introduces a variety of Indonesian coffees, especially specialty coffee, coffee cupping, and coffee roasting. The potential of the Russian market for Indonesian coffee is huge. In 2018 Indonesia was the 11th largest coffee exporter for Russia with 3,628 tons with transactions worth USD 9.1 million USD.
Source :
- Anak Agung Mia Intentilia from the journal “Coffee Diplomacy in Jokowi’s Era: the Strategy Of Cultural And Economic Diplomacy Of Indonesia’s Foreign Policy”
What a beautiful reflection on coffee’s role in bringing people together! Even though you can’t enjoy caffeine, it’s clear that coffee holds a special place in your heart and in social connections. I’d love to try some Indonesian coffee, and PNG Coffee sounds like it would be a perfect choice for such meaningful moments!