INDONESIA – Reviving Toraja coffee through farmers’ cooperation

In the highlands of Toraja, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, coffee farming has long been part of the region’s heritage. Yet in many villages, aging coffee trees and limited technical knowledge have reduced productivity and made it difficult for farmers to sustain their livelihoods.

“On average, the coffee plants in Toraja are already very old, which results in suboptimal yields. At the same time, many farmers still have limited knowledge about producing high-quality coffee,” says Thomas Upping, head of Koperasi Petani PPKT (Perhimpunan Petani Kopi Toraja).

To address these challenges, the Koptan PPKT has been working closely with farmers, providing training, guidance, and support to improve cultivation practices and strengthen the local coffee sector.

In 2022, the cooperative received USD 82,063 in funding support from the APFP‑FO4A program to strengthen its coffee processing operations. This support has helped the cooperative improve post-harvest processing, packaging, and market access, allowing farmers to obtain better value for their coffee.

One of the farmers benefiting from this support is Semuel Salu, a 44-year-old coffee farmer from Bangkelekila District.

“In this village, one of our biggest challenges is the lack of labor,” Samuel says. “If someone is not a civil servant, farmers are often less respected in the community. Many men migrate elsewhere for work, which makes it difficult to regenerate the next generation of coffee farmers. Sometimes, only my wife helps me in the coffee fields.”

Despite these challenges, Samuel refused to give up on his coffee plantation.
What was once a neglected plot of land has now grown into a thriving four-hectare coffee farm.

“I wanted to learn how to become an agricultural entrepreneur,” Samuel recalls. “Fortunately, I met Mr. Thomas, who was teaching coffee cultivation in a neighboring village. I joined his training in 2017 and started planting 103 coffee trees. Slowly, it grew, and today I have around 4,500 trees.”

Samuel’s coffee plants now range from newly planted seedlings to six-year-old trees that are already producing.

“Last year, I harvested around 2,000 liters of green coffee beans and sold them to the cooperative,” he says. “This year, the weather has been favorable with less rainfall, so I expect the harvest to be even better.”

For Samuel, joining the cooperative has been a turning point.

“If I had not joined the cooperative, my coffee plantation might not have developed like it has today. It might have remained the same or never improved.”

Through regular visits and technical support, the cooperative continues to help farmers strengthen their skills.

“They come once a month to teach us how to plant coffee, apply fertilizer, prune the trees, and harvest properly,” Samuel explains. “Sometimes they also provide coffee seedlings. Along the way, I’ve made many new friends—from Japan, Jakarta, and Bali. If we encounter any problems, we can always ask our PPKT friends for help.”

Coffee beans collected from farmers are further processed and packaged by the cooperative before reaching consumers, helping farmers access better markets and improve their incomes.

But for Thomas Upping, the journey is far from over. “We are only halfway through this journey,” he says.

Samuel shares the same determination for the future.

“My hope is to become a successful farmer. From the beginning, my dream has not just been to farm, but to become an agricultural entrepreneur. I hope Toraja coffee will be widely recognized for its unique taste and aroma.”