Indonesia Seeks to Increase Its Share of Singapore's Premium Coffee Market
Jakarta. Indonesian Ambassador I Gede Ngurah Swajaya inaugurated the Supresso Coffee Gallery in Orchard Road, Singapore's main shopping district, last week as part of efforts by the world's fourth-largest coffee producer to boost its exports of the commodity to the city-state.
According to a statement by the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, 35 percent of coffee products consumed in Singapore come from Indonesia. However, most premium coffee beans are imported from either Ecuador or Brazil.
Sugih Rahmansyah, the embassy's trade attaché, said Indonesia hopes to tap the high-end market.
"We hope the Supresso Coffee Gallery will shift the perception among upper-class Singaporeans and expatriates of premium products from Indonesia," Sugih said in the statement.
The coffee gallery will feature 50 types of Indonesian specialty beans, including Aceh Gayo, Bali Kintamani and Flores Bajawa. Its location in Mandarin Gallery, a shopping mall in Orchard Road, is aimed at attracting more upmarket consumers.
"We hope this coffee shop will increase Indonesian exports of coffee beans to Singapore … making it the most-consumed coffee in Singapore, which on average consumes more coffee that other countries in Asean," the ambassador said in the statement, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Supresso International president director Umar Hanafi said the Surabaya, East Java-based company is also planning to expand to the Malaysian market.
The company, which is affiliated with coffee producer, the Indraco Group, says it has been working closely with the embassy and Indonesian expatriates in Singapore to market premium-quality products from the archipelago.
"We have a mission to offer the best quality Indonesian coffee, at a competitive price and with a consumer-oriented service," Umar said.
The gallery only sells roasted or blended specialty coffee beans, which can be customized upon request, the company said in the statement.
The country produces around 600,000 tons of coffee bean annually, with the United States, Germany, Malaysia and Italy as its main export markets, according to the Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries (AEKI).
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