Sumatra Wet Hulled Pak James

Many Sumatra farmers have been gravely affected by the recent typhoons, isolated in rural areas without critical supplies, like food, water, and fuel. Read more about the current efforts to fly in aid here, where you can also donate to help bring supplies to Sumatran coffee communities.

This coffee comes from Pak James, in Lintong Nihuta area. "Pak" is a kinship term used to indicate "father", or an elder. Pak James is a coffee collector, a middle-person in the coffee trade in Sumatra, and instrumental in the quality of the coffee that results from the supply chain. Aside from cooperative coffees and a few large farms, all the coffee in Indonesia passes through the hands of collectors, who provide ready cash to the small farmers who want immediate payment on a weekly basis. In other words, you can't work directly with the small farmers in Sumatra, nor do they want to work direct with a buyer because they are looking for cash that can be put to immediate use. The collectors provide this function and because of the competition among collectors, the price paid to farmers remains high, even when the global market dips. It's all about local relationships. We've bought a few lots from Pak James through the years, and our relationship with his grandmother goes back more than 10 years.