From Kerinci to Da Lat: ALKO Empowers Farmers to Break Boundaries and Learn from Vietnam for the Future of Indonesian Coffee

DA LAT, Vietnam, June 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ALKO Sumatra Cooperative has launched a field training program titled "Coffee Farmers Go Global." This initiative brought cooperative member farmers to one of the world's coffee production hubs, Da Lat, Vietnam, from 17 to 20 June 2025, to learn best practices and establish strategic cross-border partnerships.

From Kerinci to Da Lat: ALKO Empowers Farmers to Break Boundaries and Learn from Vietnam for the Future of Indonesian Coffee

The program aims to empower farmers as key agents of transformation in the coffee sector — from upstream to downstream, and from local to global. The activities include:

1. Elon Farm – Modern Robusta from Vietnam's Millennial Farmers

Elon Farm, owned by Jenny Le Thao, is a 12-hectare robusta coffee plantation managed in collaboration with a local farmer group in Thanh Pho Da Lat – Lam Dong. The farm produces an average of 50 tons of green beans annually. It is equipped with modern and mechanical post-harvest facilities — from washing and hulling to packaging. ALKO farmers learned about efficient production systems, farmer group management, and export-standard post-harvest practices.

2. Thy Thy Farm – A Community-Based Arabica Plantation

Managed by a group of young farmers led by Le Ngoc Thy, this farm represents a successful model of community-based arabica coffee development. Supported by an international NGO, the farm cultivates superior arabica varieties. With a planting density of 2,300 trees per hectare and an average yield of 4 tons of green beans per hectare, it serves as an efficient and sustainable farm model.

3. Visit to a Certified Coffee Nursery

ALKO farmers also visited a certified coffee nursery managed by Eakmat Tây Nguyên, an official body under Vietnam's agricultural authority that issues legal and high-quality coffee seeds. Here, participants studied the seed certification process, variety selection, and professional nursery practices that can be adopted into Indonesia's coffee farming systems.

Through this program, ALKO fosters international collaboration by partnering with Vietnam's millennial farmers, Jenny Le Thao and Le Ngoc Thy, who have committed in adopting blockchain traceability via the QthingX platform, advancing tech-driven coffee production and marketing, and exchanging knowledge in farm management, post-harvest practices, and global market access.

"We brought ALKO farmer representatives from 50 cities, including farmers from Solok, Kerinci, Lampung, and West Sumatra. Through this collaborative program, ALKO demonstrates that Indonesian farmers can compete on a global scale," said Suryono Bagas Tani, CEO of ALKO Sumatra Kopi.

For more information, visit ALKO Sumatra Kopi