REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia has been able to secure US$18 million worth of transactions from coffee products it displayed at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Expo 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, the US.
"These transactions are concrete results of our efforts to boost our coffee exports to the US. It is hoped the good quality coffee products from several suppliers assure sustainability of trade relations with our partners in the US," the director general of national export development of the ministry of trade, Nus Nuzulia, Ishak, said in a press release received here on Sunday.
Until the second day of the Expo from April 14-17, Indonesia was able to sign a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of 200 containers of coffee worth US$18 million between the Association of Specialty Coffee Indonesia (AKSI) and Royal Coffee Inc. California and New York.
Nus Nuzulia said he hoped the transactions would continue to increase until the end of the expo.
Indonesia's trade minister Thomas Lembong greeted participants and visitors of the expo through video recording right after Indonesia was announced as 28th Portrait Country SCAA by senior director of SCAA Symposium, Peter Giuliano.
Several questions from by noted US coffee industry players regarding Indonesian coffee were also presented through video recording that has inspired "A Tribute to Indonesia".
One of the coffee legends that has created the specialty coffee and founded SCAA, Erna Knutsen, said she had been very inspired by Sumatra coffee.
"This shows that the rich varieties of specialty coffee Indonesia have indeed been recognized by the US coffee public," Nus Nuzulia said.
Nus Nuzulia as the chief of the Indonesian delegation had officially opened the Indonesia Pavilion carrying a theme of "Remarkable Indonesian Coffee: Home of the World's Finest Coffee".
Indonesia served audience with various kinds of Indonesian cookies at the event which had become favorites of the visitors.
It also displayed cultural performances such angklung music performance by the House of Angklung based in Washintong D.C. and coffee cupping for specialty coffee choices to introduce and promote the variety of Indonesian specialty coffee products.