Coffee plantations in the area of Pangalengan, West Java have the benefits of volcanic soil, 1200+ meter high altitude and surrounded by protected national park with mature cinnamon and mahogany trees. However, its farmer weren’t exposed to proper knowledge of sustainable planting and processing techniques and fair trade.

Starting in 2007, PT. Morning Glory Coffee International approached local farmers in Pangelangan and provided hands-on guidance. The harvested coffee beans are gradually improving in its product quality and marked by its first international exhibition at the 2008 Triestespresso in Trieste, Italy with collaborative support from the Department of Trade and Agriculture. Through international exhibitions, Pangalengan coffee farmers had gained the interest of world coffee communities and experts. With its recent earthquake disaster in September 2009, Mr. Paul Golding of Toby’s estate directly observed the area and commenced fund raising from the Australian Coffee Community to help out Pangalengan farmers and their families. PT. Morning Glory Coffee International itself had raised US$ 15,000 worth of supplies for the farmers with whom they have worked with.

Mr. Ross Bright, a world renowned barista judge, was so impressed by the quality of these coffee beans and he strongly believed Pangalengan would produce the world’s next best tasting coffee. Mr. Bright spent 2 days in West Java specifically to visit the plantation and conducted a workshop on processing cleanliness to the coffee farmers in Pangalengan.

An Australian Coffee Ambassador, Mr. Toby Smith of Toby’s estate, held a seminar for Pangalengan coffee farmers on fellow coffee farmers and plantations throughout Costa Rica, Brazil and Yemen whose techniques of planting, handling and processing coffee beans produce higher selling price effectively afford these farmers a better standard of living.

These seminars by international coffee experts in 2009 have inspired Pangalengan farmers to compete in the international market & PT. Morning Glory Coffee International has planned to set up more seminars by international experts in the near future, in addition to its regular seminar schedules. In March 2010, PUM – the Netherlands Senior Experts will send their agriculture & international marketing experts specializing in coffee to conduct 2-4 weeks on site seminars and workshops directly to coffee farmers in Pangalengan.

Beginning in October 2009, with the increase in coffee beans quality and sustainable farming, Pangalengan farmers have doubled the price of their green coffee beans.

Website: www.mg-coffee.com
Contact: naelcharis@me.com

Eco & Sustainability
Fair trade practice for Pangalengan coffee farmers Tuesday, 05 January 2010
Email to a Friend
Print
More Eco & Sustainability
Indonesian coffee is known world wide even though “java” wasn’t the titan of the coffee world it’s purported to be. “Java” coffee beans had enjoyed its heyday from 1711-1924 until the coffee rust disease swept through Indonesia.

Natanael Charis (owner of PT. Morning Glory Coffee International from Bandung, Indonesia) is reviving Indonesian coffee market through high quality processing and his company’s mission: direct farmer’s coffee with fair trade practice. Charis and his company represented Indonesia in world coffee exhibitions such as Triestespresso, Trieste, Italy in November 2008, Dubai Village Expo in November 2009, Cafe Show Seoul 2009 and succeeded in campaigning his mission of Indonesia’s first direct farmer’s fair trade. Charis received positive feedbacks on West Java coffee and secured 5-ton monthly roasted coffee export to Seoul, South Korea beginning March 2010.

PT. Morning Glory Coffee International successfully sent out first 18 tons of green coffee beans from Pangalengan, West Java to Sidney, Australia every 2 months starting October 2009. It is first coffee export from West Java since 1924.

Through the love and passion for high quality local coffee, Morning Glory café is sweeping Indonesian and international coffee lovers off their feet and taste buds.

Website: www.mg-coffee.com
Contact: naelcharis@me.com

Food & Beverage
First coffee export from West Java since 1924. Friday, 01 January 2010
Email to a Friend
Print
More Food & Beverage
David Samuel, Dody Dharma, Dominikus Damas Putranto, and Samuel Simon are the "Big Bang" team members from Institute Teknologi Bandung (ITB) who represented Indonesia at the Imagine Cup 2009 held in Cairo, Egypt. This worldwide annual competition is sponsored by Microsoft Corp. in search of creative technological solutions to address the world's toughest challenges. The "Big Bang" team won Mobile Device Award for their software application MOSES (Malaria Observation System and Endemic Surveillance). 

MOSES combines client runtime technology with PDA application to iniatiate diagnostic analysis for patients in remote areas who may suffer from malaria. MOSES is equipped with voice recognition technology and PDAscope - a modified microscope made from available PDA camera - to assist health-care workers in getting blood samples and in providing malaria related services. 3G technology is the backbone infrastructure for MOSES and its application will become more efficient as Indonesia's Telecommunications providers increase their service coverage areas.

Website: http://tekno.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/07/10/18475687/Gondol.Imagine.Cup.Lagi..ITB.Juara.Dunia

Telecom & Mobile
The "Big Bang" team won Mobile Device Award for their software application MOSES. Monday, 28 December 2009
Email to a Friend
Print
More Telecom & Mobile
At the 53rd Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Indonesia won Best Film for Laskar Pelangi (the Rainbow Troops) directed by Riri Riza and produced by Mira Lesmana after competing against 57 films from 16 Asian countries. The movie has also won Golden Butterfly Award at the International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults in Iran in August 2009, Best Editing Award at the 2009 Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, and special screenings at Berlin International Festival 2009 and Rotterdam Film Festival 2009; nominee for Best Film at Asian Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival and many more.

Another movie by Indonesian director, Ratna Sarumpaet, entitled Jamila and the President won best soudntrack category. Jamila and the President is Indonesia’s representative for the foreign language category at the 2010 Academy Awards/ Oscar. It recently was awarded NETPAC award at the Asiatica Mediale Film Festival in Rome, Italy.

Best Supporting Actress went to Indonesia's Widynawati Sophiaan for her role in Woman with a Turban and Raam Punjabi (director/producer) received Special Contribution Award.

On December 18, 2009, Fishing Platform by Indonesian director Ravi Bharwani shared grand prize as best feature film of the event with Iran’s international award-winning About Elly at India’s International Film Festival of Kerala.

Website: http://indonesianheartthrob.blogspot.com/2009/12/indonesia-wins-best-movie-at-asia.html

Entertainment
Indonesia's movie industry gaining momentum at international film festivals. Monday, 28 December 2009
Email to a Friend
Print
More Entertainment
The idea to hold an international film festivals in Jakarta came from movie lovers Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers, who in 1999 worked together in Salto Films and also living in Jakarta. When the other countries already have an international film festivals, the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) has 12 years of age, while the Pusan International Film Festival (Korea) although just three-year-old began to attract attention among Asian and world cinema. Thailand and the Philippines also have launched their international film festival: Bangkok International Film Festival (September 1998) and Cinemanila (July 1999). Shanty Harmayn and Natacha Devillers decided to make Jakarta International Film Festival (JIFFest) in November of 1999.

As Jiffest was gearing up for this year’s edition, it has just entered their second decade since it held first festival edition exactly 10 years ago. JIFFest has become a familiar and recognizable brand to many filmgoers in town, in the country, and to some extent, in the region or even worldwide. For most of them, watching and going to JIFFest in the past years have become something of a walking down memory lane.

JiFFest then grew into a showcase of Indonesian film development for international film industry. Indonesian films managed to bring themselves into the international circuit with 4 Indonesian films being screened at Berlin International Film Festival early this year. JiFFest Script Development Competition & Workshop (JSDC) which brought international professional tutors had given birth to some of today fs best talents such as Wahyu Aditya (2004), World Champion International Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year (2007); Tumpal Tampubolon (2005), Asian Young Filmmakers Fellow Korea (2008); Salman Aristo (2006), writer of Ayat-Ayat Cinta (2007), Laskar Pelangi (2008) and Garuda Di Dadaku (2009); Yuli Andari Merdekaningtyas (2006), director of Suster Apung, winner of Eagle Awards Metro TV (2006), and many more.

For the first time, all JIFFest screenings will be held exclusively in one venue in Blitzmegaplex, Grand Indonesia. Using integrated ticketing system with the cinema, audiences will no longer feel the burden of free-seating screenings. So having one-stop and centralized venue will create a greater festive atmosphere.

Lastly, JiFFest is ready to start its journey this year. Starts in Belitong, which depicted in opening film SANG PEMIMPI, making a new record as the first Indonesian film featured as the opening film, and ends in New York as a closing film, NEW YORK I LOVE YOU. In between the two, 25 countries are being represented in high quality films selection.

Website: www.jiffest.org
Contact: info@jiffest.org

Entertainment
Jiffest has just entered their second decade since it held first festival edition exactly 10 years ago Tuesday, 08 December 2009
Email to a Friend
Print
More Entertainment