Opening Coffee Shops in the Middle of Kampongs

Aware of their being blessed with a wonderful natural environment, the children of the coffee farmers of Mount Kelir in Semarang, Central Java, have stopped dreaming and started doing. They have opened coffee shops in their kampong on the slopes of the mountain. Apart from boosting the kampong’s economy, the coffee shops have turned drinking high-quality coffee into a viral culture.

Rosyid Muhlasin, 32, politely offered the blended coffee made by a kampong barista to customers of the Doesoen Kopi Sirap coffee shop, located around 2 kilometers from the main road between Ambarawa and Magelang. In the cool mountain breeze and amid a scene lush with coffee trees, the customers sipped their coffee. The atmosphere was truly serene.

“The Rp 150 million (US$11,093.45) budget to set up the coffee shop came from local farmers’ savings. Although we are located far from the main road, we’re receiving more and more customers by the day,” said Muhlasin on Sunday (1/10/2017) in Jambu district. Muhlasin also serves in the marketing unit of the Association of Mt Kelir Farmers Groups.