Bakoel Kofie, a family affair

Bakoel Kofie, a family affair

Syenny Widjaja, of Bakoel Koffie, has a vivid memory of her childhood, playing hide-and-seek among the sacks of coffee beans and breathing the scent of roasted coffee all day long.

"The smell of coffee was so persistent. No matter how often we took a shower or washed our hair, we quickly smelled of coffee again," she said.

Syenny, 37, and her brother, Hendra, grew up in Warung Tinggi, Indonesia's oldest coffee company, which was founded in 1878, and has been synonymous with the Widjaja family.

Their father, Darmawan, who passed away last year, run Warung Tinggi with his three siblings for more than 15 years until he retired in 1994. "He and his elder brother, Suyanto, were the two main roasting experts of Warung Tinggi," Syenny said.

"They learned the skills from their father, an expertise that is handed down from generation to generation."

Wishing to "continue and preserve our family heritage", Syenny and Hendra, 36, set up in 2000 Bakoel Koffie (`Coffee Basket'), selling not only cups of freshly brewed coffee but also freshly roasted coffee beans.

The siblings combined their skills and experience. Syenny has taken charge of the marketing side of Bakoel Koffie, making use of her previous experience working as a marketing consultant for multinational companies Unilever and Coca-Cola. Meanwhile, having been trained by his father in the art of manufacturing coffee since 1986, Hendra oversees the production side.

The pride of their family heritage is reflected by their choice of logo for Bakoel Koffie. It shows a sarong-clad woman carrying a bamboo basket on her head -- slightly different yet somewhat similar to the logo of Warung Tinggi, currently run by their uncle, Rudy Widjaja. Vintage photographs of Tek Soen Hoo, the old name of Warung Tinggi, are also prominently displayed in their cafes.

Syenny insists Bakoel Koffie is more true to the old traditions. "We learnt the skills from our father who knew the traditional coffee-making technique of Tek Soen Hoo."Moreover, we target a different market. We don't sell mass-produced stuff, we sell our coffee as an upmarket product."

Bakoel Koffie's six cafes in Jakarta indeed reflect the high- end market they are aiming at. The interior is smartly and cozily designed, and its vintage-style dark wood furniture provides a "tempo doeloe" old-time nostalgic ambience.

"We want to have an atmosphere, mood and identity that are uniquely Indonesian," said Judith Cook, a British public- relations consultant who joined Bakoel Koffie as a business partner in 2001.

Syenny admitted that the Starbucks franchise has generated a coffee culture worldwide and heightened an appreciation for coffee.

"People here tend to drink the three-in-one coffee mix, while good Indonesian coffee is exported" she said. "But it is changing. And, we are offering the finest of Indonesia's coffee products."

Bakoel Koffie boasts to source the highest-quality coffee beans from Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java. It offers three blends, priced at Rp 35,000 (plus 10 percent tax) for every 250 grams.

It also stamps the roasting date on the package to assure the freshness of their coffee. "Coffee connoisseurs usually want to know when the coffee is roasted," Syenny said.

As a rule of thumb, she says, well-packed coffee beans have a six-month shelf life, but they do not sell beans even one month after roasting. "It adds more complications to our business, but we care for the quality," Syenny said. --Yenny Kwok

Bakoel Koffie, Jl Barito II No. 11A, Kebayoran Baru, tel. 7228353; Jl Cikini Raya No. 25, tel. 3193 6608; Jl. Kemang Raya No. 47B, tel. 3193 6608; Jl Ir H. Juanda III No 31M, tel. 3811346