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Borneo Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Coffee-infused and sugarcane tuak draw crowds at Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025
Melissa Manis Pongka showcases her unique blends of tuak at the Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 in MJC Batu Kawa. Also displayed is a piece of 'kayu koong' the traditional tree bark used in fermenting her sugarcane tuak. – Photo by Desiree David KUCHING (May 19): Visitors to the Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 at MJC Batu Kawa are getting a taste of tradition with a twist, as one brewer's unique blends of tuak are drawing steady interest. Melissa Manis Pongka, a tuak maker from Kampung Jugan in Bau, is offering a coffee-infused tuak made from Liberica beans grown on her own farm. The beans are harvested, processed, and brewed into rice wine, which is then left to ferment for five months. 'When you drink it at first, it tastes like stout. The coffee taste and aroma only come through at the end,' she said when met by The Borneo Post. Her special coffee tuak has become the top-selling item at her stall since the opening day of the bazaar. Melissa is also showcasing a more complex variety, sugarcane tuak, which she brews without yeast. Instead, she uses what the Bidayuh Bau called 'kayu koong', a type of tree bark traditionally used by the Bidayuh community in Bau and found only in old forests. Melissa speaks to her customers, explaining her tuak flavours. – Photo by Chimon Upon 'The pieces of wood are cooked with sugarcane juice for four to five hours using firewood. 'After it cools, the tuak will be fermented in the 'tajau' or fermentation jar, or a glass bottle,' she explained. The sugarcane tuak takes more than six months to ferment and unlike other types, grows darker with time. 'For example, glutinous rice tuak becomes clearer as it ages, but sugarcane tuak becomes darker,' she said. The Bazaar Gawai Dayak 2025 which runs from May 15 to 25, features a wide array of stalls offering traditional Dayak food, handmade crafts, cultural performances, and festive outfits, a vibrant celebration of Sarawak's rich indigenous heritage. Bazaar Gawai Dayak lead local delicacies Melissa Manis Pongka tuak
The Star
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Indonesia eyes to become world's second biggest coffee producer
JAKARTA (Vietnam News/ANN): Indonesia is focusing on increasing domestic coffee production, with the goal of overtaking Vietnam as the world's second-largest coffee producer, according to Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan. With annual coffee production exceeding 700,000 tonnes, it currently ranks fourth globally, Zulkifli Hasan said, believing this figure can grow significantly with the right strategies in place. He shared that the strategy to increase productivity includes using better quality seedlings, improving post-harvest processing, and adopting more competitive packaging to increase the value of Indonesian coffee. According to the minister, Indonesia has vast areas of land suitable for coffee cultivation, and currently has 54 Geographical Indications (GI) for coffee, comprising 26 for Arabica, 24 for Robusta, three for Liberica, and one for Excelsa. Indonesia is currently behind Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia in global coffee production. Vietnam, the second-largest producer, produces 1.8 million tonnes of coffee annually. Hasan called for stronger cooperation between the government and the private sector to unlock Indonesia's full coffee potential. According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data, Indonesia exported 342,220 tonnes of coffee worth US$1.49 billion from January to September 2024. Meanwhile, the country imported 67,650 tonnes of coffee valued at US$319.84 million. The top export destinations of Indonesian coffee include the Philippines, the US, and Malaysia. - Vietnam News/ANN
