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Profile of PPKGO in Sumatra |
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Providing Relief after the Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster in Aceh, Sumatra
 Before the coffee farmers from 32 small communities joined to form the Gayo Organic Coffee Farmers' Association, a cooperative known as PPKGO, they were among the number of farmers in Sumatra who had low, unstable incomes. The formation of this cooperative gave farmers the opportunity to become coffee-growing partners with Equal Exchange and other purchasers of Fair Trade coffee, which has led to an increase in the overall quality of life for themselves and their families. Through Fair Trade with Equal Exchange, the farmers receive decent wages for their coffee bean harvests as well as stability in a reliable trade relationship. Village improvements such as the building of new homes, schools, and roads, as well as access to clean, potable water are among the benefits which Fair Trade premiums have provided to the local communities. PPKGO was Indonesia's first Fair Trade certified coffee-farming cooperative, and has partnered with ForesTrade, a Vermont-based non-governmental organization which ardently supports further development of Fair Trade in Sumatra. Equal Exchange supports ForesTrade's mission to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity through reforestation efforts and promoting organic, sustainable agriculture.
PPKGO's 1,658 coffee farmers plant their Arabica crops organically on the well-drained, sloping hills of northern Sumatra. They practice traditional shade grown techniques by combining a variety of citrus, banana, jackfruit, and papaya trees to promote a more biologically diverse habitat for wildlife. Grown from seed in the farmers' own small-scale nurseries, the coffee trees help to reduce the country's soil erosion and deforestation problems.
In the midst of this brightened future, PPKGO experienced a major setback when on December 26, 2004 a magnitude 9.3 earthquake and tsunami devastated parts of Southeast Asia, India, and Sumatra. The earthquake’s epicenter was just off Sumatra's coast, as the island was formed atop one of the greatest fault zones on Earth. Several farmers died and the mill where the coffee was processed collapsed. One of the surviving large warehouses was immediately converted into a shelter for those left homeless by the disaster. PPKGO provided emergency relief services in the Aceh Province, collecting and distributing food, medicine, and provisions for temporary shelter to the coffee-producing communities. After the immediate relief effort, PPKGO continued to help rebuild homes, mosques, and schools, and later was even able to cover the tuition and living expenses of 273 displaced Acehnese students.
ForesTrade has assisted in providing short-term and long-term disaster relief through "Sustain Sumatra," a reconstruction project which pays particular attention to the PPKGO coffee farmers in the Aceh Province. PPKGO produces Equal Exchange's Organic Sumatran single-origin coffee. By purchasing this Equal Exchange coffee, you help support the Sustain Sumatra project. Equal Exchange encourages you to support PPKGO through learning about ForesTrade and its programs as well as continuing to choose Fair Trade products.
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