15. Orangutan Sumatra Project – Indonesia Espresso

The Orangutan Project supports farmers and Orangutans in the Sumatran rainforest, helping to preserve their habitat. Through sustainable coffee farming practices, the Project ensures the rainforest doesn't shrink any further, enabling farmers to earn a living in the region without threatening the unique and important ecosystem and its habitants.

Here, the project looks at once to the social and environmental concerns in the region. Small holding farmers, each with no more than a couple of hectares of land, have come together to secure their livelihoods in the face of the pressing need to protect this important trove of biodiversity in the face of global heating and climate change. They've developed the following principles with which they ensure their sustainable farming practice is upheld:
- No use of agricultural chemicals such as artificial fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides.
- Agree not to clear any rainforest in order to expand their farmland.
- Agree not to hunt, trap or trade in any protected plants or animals.

Coffee has been grown in Indonesia since the 16th century. The first coffee plants were allegedly to be a gift from the Dutch governor of Malabar to the governor of Jakarta, but the ship sadly sunk on its voyage from India to Jakarta in 1696. It took a second shipment in 1699 for the coffee to finally make it to Indonesia.

Coffee from Indonesia has a huge diversity of different flavour profiles, with the tricky growing conditions meaning many farmers choose to grow the hardier Robusta variety over the more delicate Arabica. Most coffees are semi-washed, giving a heavier, less acidic cup of coffee.

Relationship: Several years
Producer: Orangutan Project
Type of farm: Project / Small holders

Region, Country: Sumatra, Indonesia
Altitude: 1500 masl
Soil type: Fertile soils
Fertilisation method: organic
Shade type: Jungle-grown
Processing location: On the farm
Number of varieties: Various
Harvest season: Sept-Dec