Earthlings Coffee Workshop

In the lab, conspiring with microorganisms to create flavor profiles through different metabolic pathways is one thing.

But working with hundreds of smallholder coffee farmers from the inland rainforests of Sarawak—each with different conditions—and trying to reproduce a specific flavor is another challenge entirely.

The difficulty goes beyond hardware limitations, high temperatures, humidity, and heavy rainfall. It also lies in differences in preferences and perception.

To bridge this gap in understanding of flavor quality, there is probably no better way than cupping—to build a shared language.

Well… actually, there is one more thing: paying a price and respect that truly matches their effort.

Serious farmers deserve serious rewards.

We were delighted to welcome Benjamin Brewer, Senior Director of Global Innovation & Quality at Blue Bottle Coffee, Audrey Wardrop, Sustainability Manager, Mr. Kohei from Nestlé, and their photographer Jamie to Kuching, Sarawak, for a visit to our Liberica Refinement Project. We also had the opportunity to explore potential areas of collaboration.

Over the past few days, we had the privilege of bringing them through both the market and deep into the field. Together, we visited Black Bean Coffee, Kura-Kura, the Tarat Research Plot, the Agricultural Research Center, Kpg Sebobok, as well as several independent indigenous smallholder coffee farms.

During the visit, we shared insights into the current state of the Sarawak Liberica coffee industry, conducted a Liberica cupping session to explore different processing methods, and engaged in meaningful discussions on how we can collectively move the industry forward.

A sincere thank you to all of them for making the trip, and to all our partners and friends who supported and made this visit possible.