Sulawesi Dry Process Desa Topidi

Desa Topidi ("desa" means "village") is in the Gowa Regency of South Sulawesi, and home to the coffee processing operation where this particular dry process lot is from. Daen Balenkang and his family operate a small farm and coffee processing site in Topidi, buying coffee from neighbors, as well as milling the coffee from his own farm. Daeng first started coffee farming 50 years ago, planting a small amount of Typica near his home (apparently only 7 seedlings, a very small amount!). Since then, he's gone from selling to traders to becoming a trader himself, becoming somewhat of a representative for the coffee of his village. Most of the surrounding farms are planted in Typica, and the locals look to Daeng and his family for a more direct connection to the global market where they receive a better price for their coffee. Daeng does different types of processes, this being a traditional dry process ("natural") lot, exemplary of the more fruit-forward cup that comes from this process method. There's approximately 2000 hectares of coffee planted in the villages that surround Topidi, with an altitude range of 1300 to 1500 meters above sea level. It's worth noting that while they are not certified, organic coffee farming is the default practice in this area.