ABOUT THE FOUNDER

The founder’s forefathers started cultivating coffee in the early 1920’s in Takengon, then a scattered area of small settlements, now the main City in The Gayo Highland. The following generations developed a new farmland in Ratawali Valley, literally by hand - painstakingly converting rainforest terrain into a sustainable and organic cultivation area for coffee. Today, Ratawali (meaning “All are Family” and named by the founder’s grandfather) is one of the largest coffee growing area of high grade Arabica Coffee in the Gayo Highland, and has become the centre for coffee growers/small holders in the Valley.

Darwin Arriega was born and raised on the Takengon farm. When he was 4, the family moved to Ratawali and left the young Arriega under the guardianship of a police officer. Two years later he joins the family in Ratawali. He started to work on the coffee farm, learning the techniques of coffee cultivation, manual roasting and the traditional ways of making coffee. At the age of 19 he migrated to Holland where he lives for 11 years. His passion for coffee was enhanced by the exposure to the Dutch techniques of roasting and coffee preparation using sophisticated modern machines. He learned the coffee preparation skills while working in the culinary industry, and upon returning to Asia, he continued his involvement in family coffee farming and trading, recently forming a complete supply chain of coffee with the concept of “FROM TREE TO CUP”.