ALTITUDE - 1500 MASL // REGION - NORTH SUMATRA // PROCESS - ANAEROBIC NATURAL // VARIETY - TIM TIM & GAYO 1

Indonesia Avotara Anaerobic Natural 100% Arabica Speciality Grade Coffee

The journey of Hendra’s anaerobic natural coffee begins with a meticulous selection process. Only the ripest, highest-quality coffee cherries are hand-picked by skilled farmers located at high altitudes around Hendra’s farm. These farmers are paid a premium for their excellent selection practices, ensuring a foundation of quality from the very start.

Anaerobic Fermentation: A Controlled and Innovative Approach

Once harvested, the cherries are placed into airtight plastic bags where oxygen is carefully removed to create an anaerobic environment. The cherries are then fermented for 48 hours in this controlled atmosphere. This method enhances the coffee’s complexity and flavour profile, setting it apart from conventional processing techniques.

After fermentation, the cherries are transferred to raised drying beds for 20–25 days. These beds are located inside drying tents, where temperature and humidity are closely monitored. Regular turning ensures even drying, which is essential for achieving speciality-grade coffee.

Rigorous Sorting and Quality Assurance

Before final packaging, the coffee undergoes a double pass through a density table to remove any immature beans. It is then hand-sorted twice to ensure only the highest quality beans make it through. This rigorous process guarantees the coffee meets strict speciality standards.

Hendra’s washing station is a standout in the Pegasing sub-district, an area traditionally dominated by wet-hulled coffee. His father, Hamdan, originally from Banda Aceh, moved to the area in 2006 and began cultivating coffee. Inspired by his father, Hendra joined him in 2010 and soon began experimenting with alternative processing methods after studying historical literature and collaborating with like-minded producers across Indonesia.

Investment in Innovation and Sustainability

Over the years, Hendra and his family have made significant investments in post-harvest processing facilities. With external support, they built a small wet mill equipped with two pulpers, gravitational washing channels, and poly-tunnel drying beds. This infrastructure allows for greater experimentation and quality control.

Diverse Processing Techniques and Community Impact

Today, Hendra produces 8–10 unique processing styles and manages a washing station capable of producing up to 40 tonnes of green coffee per year. He works with around 70 local farmers, encouraging them to harvest only ripe cherries. These farmers are rewarded for quality and compensated extra if they travel longer distances to deliver their coffee.