Behind the blanket of morning mist that envelops the slopes of Mount Semeru, Senduro District, Lumajang Regency, lies a big secret in the national coffee industry. Local farmers have long practiced an intercropping system that combines robusta coffee plants with fruit trees and spices. This cultivation method, passed down through generations, has proven to be the key to success in producing coffee beans with a distinctive flavor profile.
Rifki Medianto, a coffee enthusiast and manager of Djodog Caffe, revealed that consistency in quality is the main foundation for maintaining competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. According to him, although coffee prices at the farmer level fluctuated due to supply dynamics, the demand for Senduro Robusta remained high. Currently, the price of dry coffee is in the range of Rp65,000 per kilogram, a figure that reflects market stability after a period of scarcity early this year.
The comparative advantage of coffee from Senduro lies in its complex flavor profile. Unlike robusta in general, which tends to have a strong, bitter taste, coffee from the slopes of Semeru offers a sensation of blended fruit and spice aromas resulting from the natural interaction of the intercropping ecosystem. This characteristic has successfully attracted interest from foreign markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, and Turkey, serving as proof that the quality of local products can compete on the global stage.
In addition to robusta, the potential of the Liberica variety is starting to receive serious attention among coffee enthusiasts. Despite having a promising flavor profile, the main challenge currently lies in the lack of education among farmers regarding identifying and separating this variety from other yields. Rifki emphasized the need for better botanical understanding so that Liberica can be processed professionally, providing greater economic value to the community at the foot of Mount Semeru.
