West Java (Sumedang)
Rainaldi
Our journey through West Java to visit Rainaldi, one of the few specialized producers of Coffea dewevrei (Excelsa), leads us to the villages of Sukawangi and Marga Mekar, where his coffee grows within a living tapestry of banana plants, tobacco, and old shade trees. A narrow stream runs through the land, and from a spring in the middle of the meadow, fresh mountain water emerges — feeding the microclimate of this farm. Once a tea plantation during colonial times, the land now feels as though it is finding its way back to itself.
Here, Rainaldi welcomed us. He processes the cherries from this and several surrounding farms, and he is a man whose life story could hardly be more contrasting. For fifteen years he worked in the palm oil industry, took part in clearing the forests of Borneo, and planted endless rows of oil palms. “I saw orangutans die, I saw forests disappear. Today I find my redemption in planting agroforestry with Excelsa,” he told us. A statement that lingers.
Since 2019, he has dedicated himself to coffee, with devotion, precision, and a deep sense for the potential of this overlooked species. Coffea dewevrei (Excelsa) does not behave like Arabica or Robusta, he explains. It is a tree that grows stronger with age, whose yield and expression improve over the decades. The most striking example he showed us himself: a 120-year-old Excelsa tree, standing strong despite its age and bearing abundant cherries during harvest.
The farm of Ratma, a man in his seventies who has worked in coffee for decades, sits at 800 meters above sea level, with around one hundred Excelsa trees. But in this region, the forests hold not only old trees — leopards roam here as well; warning signs along the paths gave us a brief shiver.
The harvest of Coffea dewevrei begins here in September and October. Year after year, Rainaldi deepens his experience, his finesse, and his ability to process this fascinating Coffea species in a way that reveals its full complexity. His expertise has not gone unnoticed:
Rainaldi’s achievements in the international competition world:
- 2nd Place World Brewers Cup 2025
- 1st Place Indonesia Brewers Cup 2025
- 3rd Place World Brewers Cup 2024
- 4th Place Germany Brewers Cup 2022
For a Coffea species that has long been treated as a footnote, this is nothing less than a breakthrough. And it is producers like Rainaldi who are opening this path.
We were accompanied during our visit by Sofyan, a researcher from the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture. Walking between the rows of trees, we spoke about soil biology, biodiversity, and the future of small-scale agroforestry systems. It was unmistakable: Excelsa here is not just a product — it is a promise: of regeneration, of diversity, and of a new way of thinking about coffee.
We are grateful and proud to have secured one of Rainaldi’s rare lots for cumpa. He represents a vision that moves us deeply: the rediscovery of a nearly forgotten Coffea species, and the union of coffee excellence with moral and ecological responsibility.
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