Fairtrade Fortnight 2016 Spotlight: PPKGO
The second post of our Fairtrade Fortnight Spotlight series is on the brilliant Gayo Organic Coffee Farming Association, better known to you and me as the PPKGO Cooperative.
This small group, based in Aceh, Indonesia, has done some amazing work over the years and supply the beans used in our Fairtrade and Organic certified single-origin Java.
Aceh
At the northern tip of Sumatra lies the province of Aceh, one of the most important and diverse regions of Indonesia.
For centuries, Aceh has been a province to behold. Separated from Malaysia and Thailand by the Malacca Strait, the region has welcomed visitors from far and wide to its shore and has become an exciting melting pot that draws its inspiration from a variety of different cultures.
At one time, the Sultanate of Aceh was one of the most prosperous and cultivated states in all of South East Asia.
During the region’s golden era in the 17th Century, its territory and influence reached from the capital of Banda Aceh in the north right the way through to Satun in southern Thailand and the Malaysian state of Johor.
Today, however, the region is mostly famous for its coffee.
Because of colonisation, coffee plantations popped up across the island of Sumatra.
With plenty of high-altitude plantations and a climate that is perfect for growing coffee, Aceh is home to some of the most respected farmers and cooperatives in all of Indonesia.
In 1997, a number of independent, small-scale coffee farmers joined a fledgling project that aimed to promote ethically certified products from Aceh. That project was entitled the Gayo Organic Coffee Farming Association – or PPKGO as it more commonly known.
Rebuilding Communities
What set the PPKGO apart from many other cooperatives and farming initiatives is that it sets about to be as inclusive as possible.
In a region that is home to numerous indigenous ethnic groups, the PPKGO has a membership base that contains people from Gayo, Javanese, Acehnese, and Padang and Batak heritage.
On top of this, at least twenty per cent of the member base is female.
Aside from providing a home to a wide range of people native to Aceh, the cooperative has also made a concerted effort to be a safe refuge for those fleeing violence and persecution elsewhere.
In a region that has been torn apart by war and insurgency, the PPKGO has used its Fairtrade premiums to help others and rebuild broken communities.
More recently, the association played a crucial role in helping Aceh overcome the terrible events of Boxing Day 2004.
Using the Fairtrade premiums that they received, money was channelled into the relief effort. The PPKGO alone repaired homes and set up funds to help support orphanages.
The cooperative is about so much more than coffee; it is about community, inclusivity and caring. They are a truly brilliant group.
Fairtrade Farming
Aside from their exemplary humanitarian efforts, the PPKGO has used their Fairtrade revenue to improve their facilities.
In 2000, the cooperative constructed a modern cupping lab at its export base in Medan and a few years later, they invested in five processing plants to benefit members of the rural communities.
This commitment to improvement has not been limited to bricks and mortar projects.
The group funds educational programs that promote ecological farming techniques such as the use of organic fertilizers and non-chemical pesticides.
Fairtrade (& Organic) Java
Shade-grown underneath a mixture of natural and man-made canopies, our Fairtrade Organic Java is our most popular single-origin coffee.
This arabica has a wonderful and complex flavour profile that can be hard to pin down. On one hand, it exhibits many of the tendencies of a traditional ‘Java’. Yet on the other, it is incredibly fruity.
The result is a mouth-watering coffee that deep, bold and comparable to a fruity, slightly spicy red wine.
Get 20% off Fairtrade & Organic Java and all our other Fairtrade-certified products during Fairtrade Fortnight.
