Aceh – Under the instruction of President Jokowi and the support of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Aneuk Muda Aceh Unggul Hebat (AMANAH) is increasingly showing its dedication to advancing the local economy by focusing on the coffee sector, which has become one of Aceh’s mainstay commodities.
One of AMANAH’s initiatives is the Coffee Processing House located in the AMANAH Building, Ladong. The building, which will soon be inaugurated, is equipped with modern technology to process dried coffee beans, where the results will be of high quality and ready to be marketed more widely. Through this facility, coffee from Aceh is not only developed by millennial farmers but is also processed to standards that are able to compete in the national and international markets.
In addition to advanced technology, AMANAH also pays special attention to millennial farmers who are directly involved in coffee development, as well as other local communities including people with disabilities. Their involvement is proof that AMANAH is not only focused on the economic aspect, but also the social aspect in empowering the Acehnese people as a whole.
One real example of this effort is the waiter training held together with the Banda Aceh Productivity Vocational Training Center (BPVP), where participants with disabilities, including deaf friends, were trained to understand coffee thoroughly, from the planting process to serving.
“I explained to my deaf friends starting from the planting process, who the farmers are, how the farmers work, then to the post-harvest stage. How the post-harvest process works and then to how to serve it,” said Ken Munthe, a coffee expert and training instructor.
This not only provides new skills for deaf friends, but also opens up job opportunities in the coffee industry, both as waiters and baristas.
In addition, AMANAH has also initiated various activities aimed at improving the skills of the young generation of Aceh in the coffee sector. One of the successful activities was the Aceh Barista Champ 2024, where local baristas competed to show their skills.
This competition is not only held to promote Aceh coffee but also to spur local baristas to be ready to compete at the national level. The Head of the Banda Aceh Vocational and Productivity Training Center (BPVP), Rahmad Faisal, expressed his hopes for the youth in advancing Aceh’s specialty coffee to be more widely known.
“The Aceh Barista Champ activity is the first to be held in Aceh. This is an extraordinary event for Aceh’s youth. So that baristas in Aceh can compete in national and international events,” he said.
With the presence of the Coffee Processing House in the newly built AMANAH Building, Aceh’s coffee potential is increasingly wide open. This facility is not only a processing center but also a center for economic, social, and community skills empowerment.
In the future, AMANAH is expected to continue to innovate and expand its impact as part of President Jokowi’s legacy at the end of his term, in providing real benefits for the entire community, especially the younger generation in Aceh.