This offering is a part of our Women Coffee Producer Program in which a premium, above the value of the coffee itself, is paid directly to an association of producers that are predominately women. Read more about this program here: Women Coffee Producer Program.

There are a total of 282 producers that contributed coffee to this specific lot, all of whom are women. These women either own, or manage a farm of an average area of 1.5 hectares. The Item Reje Gayo cooperative works with this group of women producers, helping to educate in terms of production practices, and overseeing the application of a premium that was included in the purchase of this coffee. The use of the premium was decided by majority vote taken among all women members at a village meeting. This year’s premium will be put towards purchasing new farm tools: shovels, hoes, saws, and shears — for all members. As for the future, Reje Gayo believes this program will continue to grow and promote the ability of women producers through education and an organized support system.

The Item Reje Gayo Co-op is located in the village of Makmur Sentosa within the sub-district Badar, which is located in the district of Bener Meriah, North Sumatra. The co-op gets its name from the ancestoral community heritage which inhabits the areas surrounding the coffee farms. The co-op is comprised of 827 farmers (2015), 155 of which are women farmers and 672 are men. The total farming area, owned by the co-op, is 740 hectares producing 18 containers of Arabica coffee and 6 containers of Robusta coffee annually. The co-op is collaborating with PT. Ujang Jaya International, a neighboring co-op, on knowledge to improve farming techniques and coffee quality. The co-op is Organic and Fair Trade certified as well as Rain Forest Alliance and C.A.F.E practices certified.