Tawangmangu, October 28, 2023 – An extraordinary community service initiative was carried out in Kalisoro Village, Tawangmangu by the Community Service Team from the Department of Business Administration at the Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Yogyakarta. This initiative was centered around the Coffee Farmers Group led by Mr. Darmono as its chairman.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the Coffee Farmers Group, comprising high school students and local youths, have undertaken a remarkable initiative to preserve the forest while also developing the agricultural sector. They decided to cultivate coffee in the forest with the hope of turning it into a sustainable protected forest. In the initial phase of the community service program, the UPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta team engaged in in-depth discussions with the coffee farmers’ group to analyze the challenges they were facing. The discussions revealed a crucial issue, which was the lack of knowledge and training in coffee product marketing innovation.
Based on this analysis, the Community Service Team devised several much-needed training programs for the coffee farmers’ group. These training programs include:
- Assistance for Exclusive Grade A Coffee: Providing guidance and technical support to enhance the quality of their coffee to an exclusive Grade A level.
- Coffee Management Education: Providing a deeper understanding of coffee plant management and care.
- Education for Increasing Grade A Coffee Production Capacity: Teaching techniques to boost the production of high-quality Grade A coffee.
- Branding Training: Assisting them in understanding the importance of branding and how to build a strong brand image for their coffee products.
- Product Packaging Upgrade Training: Providing an understanding of the significance of appealing and functional product packaging.
- Empowering Youth to Utilize Forest Potential: Encouraging the youth to sustainably harness the potential of the forest, making it a sustainable source of livelihood.
The community service program aims to help the Kalisoro Coffee Farmers Group enhance their abilities in coffee product marketing innovation, improve production quality, and empower the youth to sustainably preserve the forest ecosystem. With strong collaboration between the community service team and the coffee farmers’ group, it is hoped that the group will achieve sustainability in their farming efforts and strengthen their community.