In the cool highlands of Wamena, Papua Pegunungan, something rich and warm is brewing and it’s not just the coffee. On January 13, 2026, Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka made an impromptu visit to a local café in Wamena, not for a cup of coffee alone, but to listen, learn, and champion a growing movement: Papua’s coffee small-business sector.
This moment was more than a political visit. It was a recognition of UMKM (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) as engines of grassroots development, especially when they are rooted in local identity and global quality.
From Highlands to Global Recognition
At the heart of this effort is the Asosiasi Petani dan Penggiat Kopi Papua Pegunungan (PPKPP) or the Association of Coffee Farmers and Enthusiasts of the Papua Highlands. Formed in 2022, the group brings together young growers, producers, and coffee advocates from eight districts across the mountainous province.
Papua Highlands coffee is not new to the world stage. Producers have earned international accolades, including awards in Australia, and routinely export to the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, and Canada, shipping roughly two tons per country every two months an impressive volume for a fledgling sector.
Yet despite this global footprint, these producers face challenges typical of artisanal and rural enterprises: limited capacity to scale, constraints in production infrastructure, and gaps in market access.
A Dialogue for Aspiration
Rather than delivering a scripted speech, Vice President Gibran chose dialogue. In the casual, community-oriented meeting, he listened to voices from the field (coffee growers, café owners, and creative economy practitioners) drawing direct insight into their hopes and practical needs.
The discussion reflected a broader direction from President Prabowo Subianto: to deepen locally grounded, inclusive economic development by strengthening value chains for regional specializations, including Papua’s coffee.
One clear message emerged from the association’s leader, Lemeus Franky Gombo: this visit brought not just attention, but hope, joy, and renewed spirit to the community.
“This gathering represents coffee farmers across eight regencies. The Vice President’s visit brings hope and renewed spirit, especially for strengthening UMKM,” Franky said, emphasizing that stronger MSMEs help build national economic resilience.
Roasting a Stronger Economic Future
The Wamena meeting is not an isolated event. It aligns with a wider government commitment to uplifting UMKM coffee ecosystems nationwide, from Java to Papua, as seen in recent initiatives that support coffee branding, value addition, and international competitiveness.
For Wamena’s Coffee, this means:
- Strategic support from national leadership;
- Recognition of coffee as a premium regional product;
- Pathways for scaling production and meeting international demand;
- Greater integration into supportive value chains from farm to export.
When the Vice President sat down in a Wamena café, he brought more than political presence, he brought listening ears and genuine engagement. For Papuan coffee farmers and small business owners, it was a moment to share aspirations not as background voices, but as partners in national progress. In the end, every cup of Papua Highlands coffee told a deeper story: of land and identity, of community resilience, and of a future where local enterprises don’t just survive, they thrive.
West Papua Now 