Seasongot Natural, Indonesia

Aulia Kahfi was born among coffee trees, in the humid, green hills of Bebesen, Aceh, in northern Sumatra. Rakyat Farm, which he now manages with complete dedication, is part of his family heritage—a small plot full of history, where coffee has always been more a way of life than a crop. As a teenager, however, specialty coffee still had no clear place in his community. Coffee was sold quickly, without much thought, and quality was rarely rewarded. For that reason, Aulia spent several years working in small local mines searching for vesuvianite—a semiprecious stone found in volcanic soil—a demanding job that taught him the value of manual labor and patience.

But something in coffee kept calling him back. He returned to the farm determined to do things differently, to understand the potential of the beans he had seen growing since childhood. What began as a small step back soon became a lifelong project. With a car borrowed from a friend, Aulia started visiting neighboring farmers to buy ripe cherries, always looking for those deep, dark-red fruits at their perfect point. Over time, he built a small network of up to fifteen farming families, gathering cherries from areas as diverse as Lukup Sabun, Pantan Sile, and Ratawali. His talent and sensitivity for processing quickly became evident, and in 2019 his work gained recognition when one of his lots reached 9th place in the Sumatra Prestige Cup—a clear sign that his intuition and effort were leading him in the right direction.

Today, still young but with a remarkable sensory maturity, Aulia continues to experiment and refine every step. In Sumatra, where farmers often combine coffee with small plots of fruit, corn, or vegetables to support their families, this careful and patient work requires real dedication. That blend of humility, intuition, and affection for his environment is present in every cup.

Country - Indonesia
Region - Sumatra
Process - Natural