Sucafina Opens Wet Hulling and Dry Mill in Takengon

Article at a glance

The new mill opens up: 

• Capacity of 500 metric tons green equivalent per month at peak harvest.
• Faster access to market, on-site quality feedback and a premium for certified or deforestation-free coffee, benefiting nearly 800 farmers and expected to reach over 2,000 farmers by the end of 2026.
• Shorter transit time, more consistent quality control and full traceability back to the farms that grew it.

The Central Aceh (aka Aceh Tengah) and Bener Meriah Regencies in the Province of Aceh are home to the largest Arabica-growing area in Indonesia, with over 100,000 hectares under cultivation. Centered around the highland town of Takengon, the coffee and the land are both known as Gayo, named after the ethnic group who has farmed here for generations.

Sucafina has worked in the region since the early 2000s, first with local cooperatives and exporters, and over the last decade with a growing network of farmers, small processors and specialty producers. 

For more on our team in Indonesia, see Sucafina: About PT Sucafina Indonesia.

Why Takengon? Why Now?

Earlier this year, Sucafina partnered with nearly 800 farmers in the region to build a traceable, deforestation-free supply supply chain. The Takengon mill and its cupping lab further ensures that these farmers’ coffee moves to market in optimal condition.

"Proximity matters," says Daniel Shewmaker, Managing Director of Sucafina Indonesia. "Most milling happens 10 hours away in Medan at sea level in hot and humid conditions. Milling near origin keeps parchment and green in cooler air and shortens the feedback loop with producers."

The mill also creates a resource hub for farmers in the region, enabling our team to be more readily available to meet needs, respond to local conditions and support the community in growing their resilience. 

Inside the Takengon Mill

The mill takes in coffee two ways: Gabah (the local term for coffee that is only partially dried after pulping and fermenting) arrives as wet parchment and undergoes wet hulling, removing from the bean before it's fully dried. In this traditional method, common across Sumatra and Aceh, the parchment layer is removed before the coffee is fully dried, helping create the region’s signature low acidity and full-bodied profile. Asalan (green coffee that’s hulled and dried) arrives as unsorted green and goes straight into cleaning and grading. At peak harvest, the team plans to process up to 500 metric tons of green equivalent per month.

Investing in Farmers & Strengthening Partnerships

Our nearly 800 partner farmers are committed to traceability and deforestation-free farming, and Sucafina is proud to support and further their efforts. "Certified or deforestation-free suppliers receive a premium price," Daniel says, recognizing farmers who are protecting forest land and investing in better practices. This work is backed by IMPACT, Sucafina's Responsible Sourcing Program, which provides the tools and framework behind these efforts, including digitized farm data, deforestation risk analysis, regenerative agriculture trials and training in post-harvest handling.

The mill also helps close a loop on-site. Coffee husks from milling will be recycled as biofuel for the mechanical driers, reducing by-products and lowering reliance on external fuel sources.

Protecting Quality, Preserving Value

Milling closer to where coffee is actually grown means parchment and green coffee spend less time in transit and less time exposed to heat, so cup quality is easier to protect between farm and export. A cupping lab on-site means the team can catch defects and grade shifts early – before a lot is exported, not after.

For roasters buying certified or deforestation-free coffees, this setup also gives a shorter, more direct line back to the nearly 800 farmers behind the coffee, and more confidence that the premium paid is reaching the people who earned it.

To ask questions or arrange sample pulls from Takengon, contact your Sucafina trader and we will connect you with the Indonesia team, or simply fill in our Contact Us form!