history of indonesia
and neighboring southeast asian nations
Image source: Royal Coffee
Coffee arrived in Indonesia with the Dutch East India Company in the late 17th century after Dutch spies stole a viable plant in 1616 from Mocha, a port city at the center of coffee trading in Yemen. This trading company was after some of the profit that the increasingly popular coffee products yielded, and they believed Indonesia would be a good location for coffee cultivation.
Indonesia is made up of many islands with climates suitable for coffee growth. The first plantations that the Dutch created were located in Java, and as these plantations showed prosperity, coffee spread throughout the Indonesian islands over the next century.
In this region, profit was the main concern around the cultivation of coffee, but it was the Dutch East India company who gained the benefits of the coffee revenue. In 1830, the Dutch implemented a series of policies in the region called “cultuurstelsel,” which maximized profits for the Dutch government at the expense of the native population. The indigenous peoples of Indonesia were subjected to forced cultivation of coffee and made to hand over one fifth of the harvest for a fixed cash compensation or provide 60 days per year of unpaid labor on public projects.
In 1870, many people within the Dutch leadership were showing objections to the way the Indonesian natives had been treated, so reforms were introduced, alleviating some of the strain on the indigenous farmers.
Coffee cultivation was greatly affected in 1880 by the spread of Coffee Leaf Rust in the region, which is a disease that affects the plants and spreads rapidly. When the disease wiped out much of the Arabica strain of coffee in Indonesia, the region turned to the Robusta strain, which became the primary export.
Following colonization, native governors divided the plantations among the laborers, and today 90% of the coffee grown in Indonesia is by small-scale farmers.
Image source: Royal Coffee
sumatra
Coffee in Sumatra progressed in a similar way to the rest of Indonesia, for Sumatra was a primary target for exploitation by the Dutch East India Trading Company.
The natives of Sumatra were subjected to poor working conditions, harsh treatment, and minimal compensation as they were forced to cultivate coffee. Abuse and oppression plagued the Sumatrans for years, but today, small landholders produce coffee at their own will.
Now, the island of Sumatra is responsible for nearly 75% of all coffee production in Indonesia and 95% of Indonesia’s coffee plantations are owned by small landholders.
Bali
Unlike many regions of Indonesia, coffee in Bali did not begin with the Dutch. Coffee came to Bali early in the 20th century when Lombok traders brought coffee plants to the island. The Lombok came from a neighboring island, and they brought coffee plants of the Robusta strain to set up their plantations.
Coffee cultivation spread rapidly, and many small operations appeared. Today, cooperatives of small farmers produce the majority of coffee in Bali, including both Robusta and Arabica species.
Image source: Royal Coffee
Image source: Royal Coffee
timor
The island of Timor is divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste on the eastern side of the island and Indonesia on the western side. Coffee was introduced to the island by the Portuguese in the 1860s. At the time, Timor was a Portuguese colony that was primarily used for trading sandalwood, but with declining forests, the Portuguese had to turn to a new source of revenue.
When the colony began exporting the coffee that it produced, it accounted for nearly 50% of its exports. Although the natives were hired by the Portuguese to work on their plantations, they did not share in the wealth that their homeland generated, and majority of the revenue went to a small group of Portuguese landowners.
Following its occupation, Timor finally gained control over its own coffee production, and today coffee accounts for 80% of its exports.
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