Bengkulu Coffee Reclaims Its Identity
Bengkulu — A total of 19.2 tonnes of Robusta coffee from farmers’ plantations in the Bukit Barisan highlands, Kepahiang Regency, Bengkulu Province, began its journey to Italy on 7 September 2026.
Italy is no ordinary destination. The country possesses a long tradition of coffee processing and is renowned as the birthplace of espresso and cappuccino. This shipment demonstrates that Bengkulu’s plantation yields possess the quality required to enter the global market.
The quality of Bengkulu coffee has long been recognised among coffee professionals. They are well-acquainted with the Sintaro (Sindang Dataran Robusta) variety, a Robusta coffee with origins in Rejang Lebong Regency, as well as the Sehasen variety from Kepahiang Regency.
Furthermore, baristas from Bengkulu have been able to win various competitions, ranging from local levels to prestigious world stages, by using Bengkulu coffee. While Bengkulu coffee has long been an export commodity, it has previously only been part of the coffee exported from neighbouring provinces.
Until now, the identity of Bengkulu coffee has not fully reached the market. While its quality is known to coffee industry players, when the commodity enters global trade, the name ‘Bengkulu’ is not always mentioned.
Previously, coffee from Bengkulu’s plantations was collected and merged with coffee from other regions to be marketed by exporters from Lampung. Within this long trade chain, the origin of Bengkulu coffee lost its identity.
Buyers ultimately became more familiar with this commodity through its exporting region, even though a portion of the traded beans originated from Bengkulu farmers’ plantations. The coffee exists, and the quality is present, but the name of the region that plants and nurtures it does not always reach the buyer. The story of the coffee was lost within the trade chain.
The Deputy Governor of Bengkulu, Mian, described the issue with a simple sentence: “Bengkula has the coffee, Lampung has the name.” Now, according to him, that sentence must change to: “Bengkulu has the coffee, Bengkulu has the name, Bengkulu is the exporter.”