INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS OF COMPASSION

MARCH 1, 2010 UPDATE

COFFEE

Five years ago, coffee beans were planted under the canopy of palm leaves. They were potted in the rich soil of the “spice Islands” and grew in the tropical climate on the island of Halmahera. The regular sun and rains were just perfect for the plants to thrive. These 200 plants were planted with a row of shade trees growing in between the two rows of coffee plants. The trees grew taller and taller and started to produce coffee. The red cherry covering was the first to appear on the branches. It was exciting to see these plants producing coffee after some four years of growth.

The hope was to process the coffee beans and use the income to assist the medical work and children’s home. There was a huge learning process in growing healthy beans, processing the cherry and roasting the coffee. The processing of coffee can be very precise. Jim and Cindy Aldrich were interested in helping get the coffee processed--little did they know the amount of work it would require and how much they would learn about coffee. Jim and Cindy went to Indonesia and picked buckets of those red cherries and pushed them one at a time thru a screen mesh. Their hands were all scratched and yet they continued until the buckets were done. The beans were then dried in the sun and one-by-one the thin dry shell was removed. The raw bean was now ready for roasting. They brought about 30 pounds of raw beans back. The beans were roasted and for the first time coffee was now in a cup to be enjoyed. The question was—is it any good? According to the professional roaster—it was a nice blend coffee.

“Kusuri Gold” is a very good coffee. It is worth processing but all the equipment needs to be purchased. Jim has done the research and will be going to Indonesia to help with the purchase of the needed equipment. A fundraiser was held to raise the funds to purchase the equipment for the coffee processing. The dinner was a lot of fun and enough was raised to get a start of the coffee processing. It will take some time to get it all in place. It will be a great day to drink a cup of “Kusuri Gold” in the morning. That day is coming thanks to the tenacity of people like Jim and Cindy.

Blessings—Carl Cady U.S. Director for IFC

International Friends of Compassion P.O. Box 81823 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 www.ifcus.org