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anzaspotlight - sponsor look
Coffee: The Elixir of Life Interview with Arlini Evans, Co-Founder, Merdeka Coffee Photos by Emmaleen Murray A cup of freshly brewed coffee is one of life's simple pleasures. At ANZA we serve up hundreds of cups a year, thanks to our house sponsors, Merdeka Coffee. Learn more about their ethos and the love they pour into delivering the best of Indonesian coffee. Tell us a little bit about Merdeka Coffee and how it was established. Merdeka Coffee is a boutique coffee company dedicated to sourcing and roasting a selection of the best Indonesian coffees. My Kiwi husband, Alun and I established the company in 2001 as a micro-roasting company focused on the array of wonderful Arabica coffees that are available across Indonesia. We felt that our initial clientele in Jakarta were missing out on the best beans in the world, from their own backyard. These days we do not only roast, but also export green beans around the world. We consider ourselves champions for the small coffee shop and home roasters all over the globe. With access to such a wide range of unique beans we take great pride in promoting what we consider to be the best that Indonesia has to offer.
What is a point of difference about your company? We are a family-run company and are very passionate about encouraging economic and social development of our partner communities through fair and equitable trade. We believe in buying directly from the estates and the small holders we deal with. This helps ensure they receive a fair price for their beans and we can benefit from having a consultative role in the quality of the green beans we purchase. We have travelled across Indonesia in search of the best and most flavoursome cherries. From North Sumatra and Java through Flores and East Timor and across to Irian Jaya and continue to visit our partners on a regular basis. Indonesia is known for Robusta and Arabica coffee. What is the difference? There are four main sub-types of Arabica found in Indonesia. The differences between these sub-varietals are mostly in the yields on the tree and sometimes in the size of the cherry. Robusta is a hardier tree. The beans from Robusta plant have a higher level of caffeine than the Arabica plants and are often used in instant coffee. Robusta makes up the bulk of coffee exported from Indonesia, but it is the regional Arabicas that make the archipalego famous. We only use Arabica beans, although we use a small amount of high quality local washed Robusta in our Espresso blend.
