JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia will be the 2016 Official Portrait Country at the upcoming Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) exhibition that is going to take place in Atlanta Georgia, the United States (US), on the 14-17 April 2016. As the portrait country, Indonesia will take center of attention and gain exposure from all the participants of the event and all the coffee loving community from all over the world.
“This is a rare opportunity that can be used as a great momentum for Indonesia to establish itself as the coffee heaven of the world,” asserted the Director General of National Export Development, Nus Nuzulia Ishak, in Jakarta on Wednesday (10/2).
Director General Nus added that the US coffee consumption trend in the US continues to increase. As one of the largest coffee producers in the world, Indonesia must be able to play a big role in the US market.
As the portrait country at the SCAA 2016, Indonesian coffee will be the main focus of more than 12 thousand visitors dominated by millennials (18-40 years of age) and business stakeholders including roasters, importers, coffee retailers, distributors, growers, wholesalers, and culinary professionals.
“The SCAA Exhibition is the perfect moment to solidify the branding of Indonesian coffee because this event is the largest event in the US, even the world,” said Nus.
Promotional events for coffee this year, particularly in the US, will be intensified so that Indonesian coffee can win the hearts of the coffee community in the US and the entire world.
The Indonesian Pavilion will place at the front and center the branding ‘Remarkable Indonesian Coffee-Home of World’s Finest Coffee’ and showcase the finest specialty coffee from all of Indonesia’s coffee producing regions from Aceh to Papua. These coffees have been selected based on standards set by the SCAA.
The Ministry of Trade has asked all coffee associations in Indonesia, namely the Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association (ICEA), the Specialty Coffee Association of Indonesia (SCAI), the Association of Indonesia Coffee Exporters (AICE), and the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Indonesia (SCOPI) to send samples of their best specialty coffees.
These samples will then be examined and 20 will be selected to represent coffees from regions with Geographical Indications (GI) and coffee from non-GI regions.
“The coffees that will be showcased must meet the specialty coffee standards of the SCAA because this involves the branding of Indonesian coffee. The Government is committed to maintaining the image and quality of Indonesian coffee,” Nus asserted.
The Trade Minister is scheduled to make the opening remarks at the opening of the SCAA exhibition. Following that, an inspirational video about the profile of Indonesian coffee complete with testimonials from importers and US coffee figures about Indonesian coffee.
Meanwhile, during the exhibition there will be a cupping session, a coffee auction, a barista demo, and coffee sampling and serving of Indonesia’s finest coffees to visitors at the Indonesian Pavilion.
“Besides that, we will also bring other coffee products such as coffee snacks, coffee cups, coconut sugar, and other products to the SCAA 2016 because we see huge potential in the US coffee market, and they are not only interested in coffee beans but also other products as part of consuming coffee that are involved in the development of the American lifestyle,” said Nus.
Based on data from UN Comtrade, in 2014, the US imported USD 5.88 billion worth of coffee which is equivalent to 18.9% of the total world imports. This value was an increase of 10.48% compared to the previous year. Of this value, 81.23% were coffee, not roasted, not decaffeinated (HS 090111); 10.15% were coffee, roasted, not decaffeinated (HS 090121); and 7.66% were coffee, not roasted, decaffeinated (HS 090112).
The value of US coffee imports from Indonesia in 2014 reached USD 323.22 million, an increase of 11.33% compared to 2013. Indonesian exports to the US were dominated by coffee, not roasted, not decaffeinated (99.97%) while exports of coffee, roasted, not decaffeinated to the US was only 0.03% (HS 090121). Indonesia currently holds 5.5% of the coffee market share in the US, which is 6th place below Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, Canada, and Guatemala.
In 2015 (January – November), the export value of Indonesian coffee to the world was recorded at USD 1.12 billion, an increase of 19.4% over the same period in 2014. From that value, the US still ranked first as the export destination country for Indonesian coffee with USD 255.76 million (22.85%), Japan ranked second with USD 98.2 million (8.7%), followed by Germany with USD 84.9 million (7,6%), then Italy with USD 78.8 million (7%), and Malaysia with USD 67.2 million (6%).
“The value of US coffee imports is a challenge and an opportunity for all countries including Indonesia. We must use this SCAA event to increase exports of Indonesian coffee to the US, not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of the quality of coffee that we export, which includes roasted beans,” asserted Nus.
According to the International Coffee Organization, Indonesia was the 4th largest coffee producing country in the world in 2014 with an estimated production of 622 thousand metric tonnes per year. Indonesian Arabica coffee is well known throughout the world, making it the 2nd largest Arabica specialty coffee exporter in the world with export volume reaching 150 thousand tonnes per year.
Indonesia is also known for having the most variants of coffee with almost 100 variants of the Arabica coffee whose coffee production in Indonesia began in 1699. Several well-known types of coffee include the Sumatera Lintong, Sumatera Solok Minang, Java Preanger, Java Estate, Sulawesi Toraja, Papua Wamena, and so on.
“There are still many Indonesian coffee variants that need to be introduced such as coffees from Papua, Flores, and Bali. Indonesia will serve these coffee variants at the SCAA exhibition,” said Nus.
