Aceh and South Sulawesi Coffee Farmers Trained on Sustainable Farming

In January 2018, the TPSA Project sent 20 coffee farmers from the Gayo region and South Sulawesi to the Indonesian Coffee and Cacao Research Centre Institute or Pusat Penelitian Kopi dan Kakao (PUSLITKOKA) in Jember, East Java.

The farmers represent TPSA-assisted small and medium enterprises/ cooperatives. Increasing farmers’ knowledge and skills in environmentally-friendly production, waste management, and coffee processing is critical to developing a sustainable coffee industry in Indonesia. Participants received in-class training on organic coffee cultivation techniques, waste management, pest and disease management, and post-harvest processing.

Indonesian Footwear Manufacturers Make Second Appearance at the Footwear SOURCING AT MAGIC Trade Show in Las Vegas This Month

Las Vegas – Monday, February 12, 2018 — Five Indonesian footwear manufacturers are bringing their high-quality products to footwear SOURCING AT MAGIC, one of the world’s premier fashion trade shows in Las Vegas this week. This is the second time that Indonesian footwear manufacturers are attending MAGIC with the support of the Canada–Indonesia Trade and Private Sector Assistance (TPSA) project, managed by The Conference Board of Canada. These five firms attended MAGIC for the first time in August 2017.

“The five companies have gone through intensive training since their participation in August 2017 and have brought new and exciting products to the show this year,” said Greg Elms, director of the TPSA project in Indonesia.

Indonesia is perennially among the top 4 footwear exporters in the world. As the largest economy in Southeast Asia, Indonesia already exports more than 661 million pairs of footwear (2016), amounting to US$ 4.8 billion.

Each of the five firms are successful in the Indonesian market and in markets such as Europe, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. They are now ready to export to North America through the support of the TPSA project.

The five Indonesian firms are:

  • Fortuna Shoes — Men’s Classic dress and casual shoes — Owner Dede Chandra was born to be a shoemaker; his father was also a handmade shoemaker. Working with General Manager Ruddi Suparman, Fortuna now combines classic shoemaking techniques engineered with modern design and the modern man in mind. For this show, Fortuna will be featuring seasonal (winter) footwear that incorporates waterproof leathers.
  • Top Torch International — Women’s leather shoes, boots and sandals—Director Shen Jui is a second-generation footwear producer. Top Torch maintains a small scale of production, which enables it to provide flexibility for customers’ specific needs. This flexibility allows the company to undertake new development and find buyers and exporters around the world.
  • Maine St – Men’s dress and casual shoes — Italian shoes are considered to be among the world’s best shoes Randy Iwan and Lisa Yumi set up an authentic Italian shoe factory in Bogor, Indonesia to produce unique and trendy Italian shoes that not only look good, but feel good.
  • Queen Pacific Suksesabadi – Women’s EVA sandals, flip-flops, and jellies – Flip-flops are a competitive market. Surianti, the Director of Queen Pacific, has made very clever innovations that add features, advantages, and benefits to this typically utilitarian product. Women make up 90 per cent of her employees.
  • Venamon –  Men’s and women’s Military and Duty Footwear – Building on the company started by their father, sisters Henny Setiadi and Lenny Setiadi run one of Indonesia’s premier footwear makers for the Indonesian army as well as the local police forces. Venamon meets the challenges of building products for endurance and comfort in one of the wettest climates in the world.

MAGIC runs from February 11 to 14 in Las Vegas. The companies are bringing original and trending samples and a new product: water-proof shoes.

TPSA is a five-year C$12-million project funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada. The project is executed by The Conference Board of Canada and the primary implementation partner is the Directorate General for National Export Development, Ministry of Trade of Indonesia.

The program to support Indonesian small and medium-sized enterprises access the Canadian and global market is a comprehensive, integrated multi-year program. Activities include:

  • market research on Canadian buyers and consumers,
  • a step-by-step manual on how to export to Canada,
  • specialized training and expert consultation,
  • buyers’ delegations to Indonesia,
  • product development and related technical assistance.