An in-depth look at the origins that were used to create Mokum and Braine

In the Temanggung region of Central Java, the Kojoyo cooperative and the Candiroto farmer group are using specialty coffee as a pathway for economic and social transformation. Founded in 2019 by Wahyu Setiono, Kojoyo works with smallholder farmers across several districts to develop higher-value coffee production through improved processing, quality control, and cooperative organisation.

The initiative has helped farmers transition from declining or environmentally damaging crops such as tobacco toward more sustainable coffee cultivation. At the same time, the cooperative has created opportunities for rural employment, youth participation, and even the rehabilitation of formerly radicalised individuals through agricultural livelihoods and coffee tourism initiatives.

Through partnerships with local groups such as the Candiroto producers led by Cahyo Pertama, farmers collaborate on soil health, organic fertilizer production, and processing innovation. By linking these farmer organisations to international markets through long-term trade relationships, the project strengthens rural incomes while encouraging regenerative farming practices and community-led development.

For the Municipality of Amsterdam, continuing this sourcing relationship supports a value chain where coffee functions not only as an agricultural product but as a practical tool for rural resilience, environmental recovery, and inclusive economic participation.

Thanks to the long-term contracts from the Municipality of Amsterdam, Ontosoroh was able to provide sustained support that translates into tangible economic impact for the farmers. These first-level benefits create the space and resources for skill-building, experimentation, and process improvements across different sites. Ontosoroh is helping farmers translate economic support from the Amsterdam contracts into capacity-building, innovation, and more consistent quality, ensuring that the benefits of trade and stable pricing reach the ground level where they matter most.

2025 RECAP

WHAT WENT WELL?

ASNIKOM YOUTH GROUP – COFFEE QUALITY CONTROL TRAINING

In 2025, Ontosoroh continued supporting the Asnikom Youth Group to strengthen Robusta quality control. Youth received practical training on physical defect identification, moisture control , basic water activity awareness, and structured cupping. Ontosoroh plans to continue this support in 2026 with advanced cupping, fermentation and drying control training, and regular monitoring of moisture and defects.

CAHYO – JAVA, CANDIROTO

While last year activity was limited, in 2025 Ontosoroh expanded work with Cahyo by opening a drying station and micromill to handle more Robusta and facilitate experimentation. Ontosoroh is also supporting the start of specialty Liberica processing. These initiatives provide opportunities for technical skill development, process experimentation, and exploring new value-
added approaches in post-harvest and specialty coffee production.

WHAT DID NOT GO WELL?

There is quality per kilogram, but there is also overall quality, expressed in consistency. It means that when you order 200 bags of one specific quality bracket, you expect that every single one of these bags is the same, and that a sample is representative. For the coffees of Asnikom, sadly, this was not the case.

It meant that the exporter Ontosoroh had to resort and reject a lot of the coffees on Java, with a lot of extra work and time. The shipments occurred a heavy delay as a result.

One of the core reasons behind this was timing and communication. The robusta market took a heavy swing in 2025, and the cooperative offers day prices for cherry for the farmers. As This Side Up, we pay the average of the day prices throughout the season. It appears that the cooperative waited a little too long for the prices to go down, and did not reach out to the exporter about this. It lead to a time squeeze, and a pressure on the processing facilities, leading to quality issues.