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Connecting People, Innovation, and Coffee for a Sustainable Future
Connecting People, Innovation, and Coffee for a Sustainable Future
Indonesia is one of the world’s largest producers of specialty coffee, endowed with a rich diversity of varieties, flavors, and ecosystems. However, the specialty coffee value chain in Indonesia continues to face significant challenges: post-harvest practices are not yet fully environmentally friendly, hazardous compounds such as acrylamide are still found at high levels during roasting, and weak traceability systems from upstream to downstream limit Indonesia’s access to premium global markets. At the same time, circular economy approaches—emphasizing resource efficiency, waste reduction, and renewable biomaterial innovation—have not been systematically adopted in the coffee production system, particularly among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
To address these challenges, research-driven innovation is needed to transform Indonesia’s specialty coffee value chain into a system that is environmentally sustainable, low in contaminant risks, and capable of ensuring digital transparency across processes. This research aims to advance a circular economy-based transformation of the specialty coffee value chain through eco-friendly post-harvest innovations, acrylamide mitigation technologies, and the strengthening of blockchain-based digital traceability systems. The innovations are directed toward producing specialty coffee that is not only of high sensory quality and safe for consumption but also environmentally responsible and transparent to global consumers.
CircularTrace is a digital platform born from this research initiative, established through a national consortium coordinated by Universitas Andalas in collaboration with Universitas Jember, Universitas Brawijaya Malang, and industry partners. These include PT Alko Sumatra Kopi, a pioneer of coffee traceability in Indonesia; PT SAS Coffee Roaster, a producer of post-harvest equipment for SMEs; UD Zhibond Coffee; and PT Mina Agro Smart Sejahtera, a specialty coffee producer. Together, this consortium is committed to reshaping Indonesia’s specialty coffee industry into a model of sustainability, safety, and transparency.
Empowering farmers, protecting nature, and ensuring transparency from bean to cup.
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