Beyond the Bean: Origin Insights

A Journey into Regenerative Coffee Culture in Java

By Paul Peterson, Founder of Morning Glory Organic Coffee Co.

Driven by a desire to source the most delicious and nourishing coffee beans for our beloved Raglan community—and to ensure those beans are grown in ways that honour both the land and the people—I set off to Indonesia. This wasn’t just a flavour quest; it was a mission to witness firsthand the growing conditions, community values, and ecological integrity behind the beans.

As I landed in Java, I was warmly greeted by Lukas Ondrisak of Divine Spices, a local resident and passionate coffee connoisseur. After fuelling ourselves with three exceptional cups of coffee, we embarked on a six-hour drive into the highlands of East Java, winding through small villages until we arrived in the remote, lush hills of the Argo Puro region.

Our destination was the Walida Cooperative, home to the Argo Puro Coffee Plantation and its visionary leader, Mas Muhlis. From the very first moment, I sensed something special. Riding up steep trails on motorbikes, we passed not through monoculture fields, but through a rich, diverse ecosystem—coffee trees interwoven with mango, lychee, cacao, banana, mahogany, avocado, tobacco, and more. It was a living mosaic of biodiversity. And most importantly: not a single chemical in sight.

The air was crisp, the birdsong vibrant, and the land alive. This wasn’t just an organic farm—it was a biodynamic landscape in practice, harmoniously integrated with the rhythms of nature. I was struck by the deep sense of care and connection that guided everything they did.

What I discovered far exceeded expectations. The Argo Puro Social Enterprise employs nearly half the local village and pays double the regional average wage. They’ve built a school to educate over 800 children, and reinvest more than 40% of their profits directly into community development. The aim? To grow not just coffee, but futures.

Students are encouraged to pursue higher education in agronomy and teaching, with the intention of returning to contribute to the cooperative’s evolution. This is long-term thinking in action—community-led regeneration, rooted in knowledge-sharing and self-determination.

On the processing side, I was amazed to see advanced organic and biological systems at work. Nothing is wasted. Coffee husks (cascara) feed ducks, their manure enriches compost created from on-site weed clearing. Fermentation techniques like carbonic maceration and anaerobic lactic fermentation are employed to refine flavours while enhancing microbial diversity.

The plantation cultivates rare, high-quality varietals like Orange Bourbon, with cupping scores reaching into the 90s. But even more impressive than the flavour profile was the philosophy: a truly holistic system grounded in ecological stewardship and social equity.

Morning Glory set out in search of fair trade and organic beans—but we found something even more profound: regeneration, resilience, and reciprocity. This is agriculture in service of community, ecology, and taste.

It was clear to me: this was a partnership we had to pursue. My bags were filled with the finest beans I could carry, and a shipment was quickly arranged to bring the magic of Argo Puro back to Raglan.

This is the kind of coffee we believe in—grown with intention, shared with love, and rooted in something far deeper than the cup.