Aroma Of Authentic Indonesian Coffee In Los Angeles

DOC Consulate General of Indonesia Los Angeles

JAKARTA - Consulate General of The Republic of Los Angeles in collaboration with Indonesia Trade Promotion Center Los Angeles (ITPC-LC) held a Hybrid Coffee Business Matching and Cupping themed 'A Cup of Java the Original Taste of Indonesian Coffee.

Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Los Angeles, Saud P. Krisnawan, explained "the term A cup of Java is synonymous with 'cup of coffee' which has the historical roots of the coffee trade in the Java archipelago in the 16th century. It is important to remind again about the quality of Indonesian coffee that has been worldwide for a long time"

The statement was echoed by Kasan, Director General of National Export Development, Ministry of Trade. In a virtual speech said "Specialty Arabica Coffee Indonesia" where most already have geographical indication certification and is very popular in the international market, including the U.S. as one of the main export destinations of Indonesian coffee.

This hybrid event combines virtual participation with in-person participation while promoting health and social distancing protocols.

The goal is to promote Indonesian coffee ore to the owners of coffee shops and coffee roasters around the city of Los Angeles by presenting samples of Indonesian coffee beans and serving coffee cupping directly to prospective buyers.

Therefore, five SME coffee suppliers from Indonesia participated in this event, either directly, namely, Opal Coffee and Red Goni Inc, or virtually, namely PT. Two Tigers, Ephraim Coffee, and Kalyan Coffee.

From the results of the Coffee Cupping session, several coffee samples were a favorite of the participants, including Java Pineapple, Bondowoso, and Wahana Longberry Washed. From the results of the activity has been obtained a commitment to purchase coffee estimated to be worth about USD 100,000.

The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted Indonesia's coffee exports to the US, where there was a decrease of -22.1 percent from USD 307.8 million in 2019 to USD 239.9 million in 2020. However, judging from the value of imports of U.S. coffee products from the world which in 2020 reached USD 5.7 billion.

Consulate General of Indonesia in Los Angeles

There was a decrease of -2.8 percent year-on-year. This indicates that in 2020, demand for coffee products in the US will also decline.

With the increasing number of vaccinations and a decrease in the number of cases per day of COVID-19 especially in the state of California, it is projected that the business sector will soon return to normal in the middle of this summer. Therefore, today is a good opportunity to continue to encourage the promotion of Indonesian coffee to the owners of cafes and coffee roasters in California who are preparing to reopen their business.

With the implementation of this Coffee Cupping activity, it is expected that coffee products from Indonesia can be more exposed and well known in the U.S. market, where the export performance of coffee products from Indonesia to the U.S. can also be encouraged.