These beans are sourced from small scale producers associated with the Sara Ate Cooperative which was founded in 2011. Members of Sara Ate cooperative come from villages near Takengon, a well-known coffee town in the province of Aceh located at the northern end of Sumatra. The cooperative currently has approximately 517 small coffee producing members. The typical processing method used by Sara Ate coffee producers is called “Giling Gasah” in the Bahasa language. This processing method starts with a locally made pulping machine called a “luwak” that removes the outer skin from the coffee cherries which are left to ferment for up to a day. Then the coffee is washed to remove the rest of the cherry and dried in parchment until the moisture content is reduced to 30% to 35%. Finally the parchment is removed from the bean while in this semi-wet state which gives the beans their unique bluish-green appearance.
