A kilogram of garbage, a pack of coffee. What might seem like an odd trade-off is exactly what has been helping keep the Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra clean.
At the Foot of an Active Volcano, the Perfect Place for Coffee Harvest
Mount Kerinci, an active stratovolcano, is the highest peak on the islands of Sumatra, Indonesia, standing at 3805 meters. Located in the West Sumatra provinces, it is completely surrounded by dense rainforests, and is an ideal environment for coffee production. At an elevation of 1500 meters, three main districts lead the coffee production in this area: Kayu Aro district, Kayu Aro Barat district, and Gunung Tujuh district. Since these coffee farms directly border the Kerinci Seblat National Park, smallholder farmers utilize agroforestry to protect the natural environment while generating sustainable income. However, thick fog covers the area in the early morning and night, and even on clear days, the moist air rising from the foothills can quickly form clouds, making the general climate fairly cloudy. As a result of this dynamic and ever-changing climate, many farmers actually do not use shade trees. Instead, they plant coffee trees in between potato and cabbage farms, a different kind of agroforestry that is unique to this region.
Aside from coffee production, Mount Kerinci is also a popular travel destination for many. While tourism brings in income for the local people, it also contributes to significant waste pollution.
The Resona Project
To tackle this issue, the Resona Project was launched in 2024 with the aim to solve the waste pollution issue in this area, protect the natural environment, deepen community understanding of environmental conservation, while promoting sustainable agricultural production. The project is a partnership between Uminomukou Coffee and ALKO, and is funded by The Resona Foundation for Asia and Oceania.
Our partner ALKO is a local specialty coffee cooperative, focusing on trading, processing, and branding Indonesian coffee beans for the global market. The cooperative consists of 516 member farmers with a total of 410 ha of coffee farm land spread across 24 villages. They receive funding from international organizations such as the WWF to carry out multifaceted projects to improve the infrastructure of the farms and educate the farmers about sustainable agriculture.
With many shared visions and goals, Uminomukou Coffee and ALKO worked in synergy to undertake various initiatives as part of this project.
1KG 1PACK Project
A signature initiative of the Resona project is the 1KG 1PACK project: for every kilogram of trash, a hiker carries back down from Mount Kerinci, they receive one pack of ALKO coffee in return. This project always takes place on August 17th, the Independence Day of Indonesia. On this day, many people climb the Mount Kerinci to celebrate. Therefore, the 1KG 1PACK project leverages the peak climbing season to maximize the number of climbers reached through the initiative.
Last year, a total of 103 participants brought back trash from the mountain, collecting 400 kilograms in total. Because of the limited access to the hike due to safety and weather complexities, the number of participants was less than half of last year. Nevertheless, the waste collected only dropped by half, suggesting that awareness of the importance of individual waste collection had grown, despite external barriers. Many participants expressed positive impressions of the initiative, sharing that they had participated last year and found the initiative meaningful. Others had introduced the event to new friends who joined them this year, and wished that the event would occur more frequently.
Currently, the event also operates in partnership with the local government, using a corner of a public plaza. Local government staff expressed support, commenting that they hoped to see the activity expand beyond Independence Day.
Waste Management and Educational Activities
Another initiative of this project was training sessions on composting, teaching participants how to turn coffee residue and household waste into compost. For many attendees, it was their first introduction to composting organic waste, and the training deepened their understanding of how to put organic material to productive use, raising broader awareness of waste as a resource rather than something to simply discard. Several participants reported that they now feel comfortable enough to start composting household organic waste at their own home.
A different training session focused on recycling methods for organic and plastic waste. During this session, participants were taught how to turn waste into reusable crafted products such as tissue boxes and bags. We hope that this will provide a new source of income for the local community.
Coffee Production Seminar
This seminar brought together experts from the coffee industry to explore both coffee cultivation practices and the broader forces shaping the global coffee trade such as female empowerment, deforestation, and tariffs.
From Uminomukou Coffee, Hirofumi Yamamoto spoke as one of the panelists, opening up the seminar with an overview of the organic coffee market, highlighting Japan’s growing demand for environmentally conscious products. He noted that consumer trust and traceability are key drivers of repeat purchasing, hinting that this shift toward organic cultivation could be the key to driving producer incomes.
Other panelists included Luke of Root Capital, Bagas Hasporo, the Indonesian Ambassador, Agung Wibowo from ALKO, and others, who spoke about a range of topics from access to financing, the growing role of women in the industry, and the effects of climate change.
Together, the panel painted a fuller picture of just how much sits behind a single cup of coffee. The seminar offered a clearer, systematic understanding of what actually drives coffee prices, providing them with concrete knowledge on buyer expectations and why.
Looking Ahead
As the Resona Project reaches its third and last year, our focus is shifting towards continuity and sustaining the momentum we have built over the past years. Digital transformation is an area of interest, that could help build systems to better track, optimize, and scale the initiatives already underway. We are also exploring new waste-art initiatives with Japanese artists to highlight the multiple uses of waste.
None of this work happens alone. As we look to expand our efforts beyond Mount Kerinci, we are actively seeking partners: coffee buyers, roasters, and international organizations, who share our belief that protecting nature and building a community’s livelihood can be the same project, not a conflicting one. Share our vision? Reach out and let’s brighten the future of the people and the planet together.