History of Gayo Coffee

Gayo Coffee (Arabica Variety) is the premium coffee from Gayo Highlands, Indonesia. Gayo Cofee has been planted in Gayo Highland since 1908. There are two locations of Gayo Coffee cultivation, i.e. : Bener Meriah District and Central of Aceh District, both are located at 1200 meters above sea level. Bener Meriah District and Central of Aceh District are the largest coffee producers in Indonesia. There are 42.000 hectares coffee plantation in Bener Meriah District and 39.000 hectares in Central Aceh District. The naming of Gayo Coffee originated from the Gayo ethnic group who has been living in Bener Meriah District and Central of Aceh District since long time ago. The majority of Gayo ethnic group are farmers.1

The Geographical Indication of Gayo Coffee

According to the information from the Indonesian Trademark Office, Gayo Coffee was registered at the Indonesian Trademark Office on April 28, 2010. Meanwhile, the Geographical Indication of Gayo Coffee was filed with OHIM (Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market) on July 03, 2015.2

Before Gayo Coffee was filed as the Geographical Indication in Indonesia and the European Union, a Netherlands company had filed of the Gayo Mountain Coffee as a Trademark with the Netherlands Trademark Office on July 15, 1999, so that no other companies are allowed to sell the coffee by using the name of Gayo in the Netherlands, including the companies from Indonesia which is the origin of Coffee Arabica Gayo.3

According to this situation, the Indonesian Government had initiative to protect Gayo Coffee by using Geographical Indication system and filed the Geographical Indication with OHIM. It aimed to protect the assets of Geographical Indication in Indonesia from the foreign parties that want to steal the Indonesian assets.

After Gayo Coffee registered as Geographical Indication at the Indonesian Trademark Office, Yayasan Masyarakat Perlindungan Kopi Gayo (MPKG)/The Community Foundation for the Protection of Gayo Coffee filed Gayo Coffee with OHIM. According to the information from OHIM website, the status of Kopi Arabica Gayo Trademark or Gayo Coffee Trademark was registered on October 26, 2015.

According to the Information, Arif Havas Oegroseno, the Indonesian Ambassador for the Belgian, said that he had filed the notification letter to Director of OHIM in European Union to explain that Gayo Coffee had been protected by Geographical Indication in Indonesia, so that Gayo Coffee Mountain trademark owned by the Netherland company or by other applicants must be cancelled.

Ambassador Arif said that the European Union had been providing a guarantee to the Indonesian Government that the naming of Gayo Coffee can't be registered as a trademark in the European Union.4

The System of Geographical Indication in Indonesia

Geographical Indication is regulated under the Indonesian Government Regulation No. 51 of 2007 and under the Indonesian Trademark Law No. 15 of 2001.

According to Article 56 (1) of the Indonesian Trademark Law :

A geographical indication is protected as an indication of the area where some goods come from which by geographical factors including the factors of the nature, human kind, or a combination between the two factors gives particular characteristics and quality to goods produced.

According to Article 56 (2) of the Indonesian Trademark Law :

(2) A geographical indication gets a protection after it has been registered based on an application made by :

  1. an institution representing the community in the area which produces the goods, comprising:

    1. The party which is producing the goods of a natural resource or natural-rich;
    2. Producers of agricultural products;
    3. Makers of handicraft items or industrial products; or
    4. Traders which are selling the goods;
  2. an institution authorized therewith; or
  3. Consumer groups of the goods.

Footnotes

[1] Kopi Gayo Kini terdaftar di Eropa dalam http://kopigayo.net/2015/11/17/kopi-gayo-kini-terdaftar-di-eropa/ diakses pada Selasa, 24 November 2015.

[2] Kopi Gayo Kini Terdaftar di Eropa dalam http://kopigayo.net/2015/11/17/kopi-gayo-kini-terdaftar-di-eropa diakses pada Selasa, 24 November 2015.

[3] Indikasi Geografis Pelindung Kekayaan Indonesian dalam http://imamhariyanto.com/indikasi-geografis-pelindung-kekayaan-indonesia diakses pada Selasa, 24 November 2015.

[4] Ekspansi Kopi Khas Indonesia dengan Indikasi Geografis di Pasar Eropa http://www.i.tokohindonesia.com/lintas-berita/artikel/447155/ekspansi-kopi-khas-indonesia-dengan-indikasi-geografis-di-pasar-eropa

Originally published 14 December 2015

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