COFFEE TRILOGY: THE THIRD GENERATION OF A SELLER AND BUYERS
Muniroh, Sinar Harapan

Coffee trilogy connects three things that are interdependent between one and another, namely the seller, staff and buyers. I would like to portray a historical path of coffee within the context of trade and culture.

Bis Kota Coffee is not just any coffee for its lovers, instead it is a life companion in the history of families of the seller and buyers. Wong Hin, a Chinese descent, begun his business by delivering coffee door to door using a vintage bike called onthel.

In 1969, Wong Hin founded a Bis Kota Coffee also well known as Terompet Coffee, but then he died in 1972. Today, his son Martono, 80, and a granddaughter managed his coffee store called Sedap Jaya located in Pasar Mester, Central Jakarta.

“At that time it was hard to do business, the Japanese were mean. I preferred doing business like my father rather than going to school,” said Martono at his residence.

Martono said that the easy availability of cheap instant coffee poses a challenge to his business as it contributes to a decline in his coffee sales. “People used to line up in a long queue to buy my coffee, but now it is barely a few people,” he recalled.

Although it is hard to keep his family business alive, Martono continues keeping the quality of this Lampung origin coffee out of a respect to his loyal customers from various regions who personally come to buy the Jakarta’s one and only Bis Kota Coffee.

Abdul Hamid, 54, has been serving Bis Kota Coffee customers for 30 years. “I love to work here. This shop has helped me to make ends meet since 1984,” said Abdul, a Sundanese who comes from Bogor.

“Any coffee other than Bis Kota Coffee is not a real coffee,” said Fatimah, 54. This ethnic Yemeni lady has been a coffee lover and a loyal customer to Sedap Jaya coffee store for decades. She inherited her coffee drinking habit from her family and passes it down to her one-year-old grandson Keenan. Drinking coffee is believed to prevent any under five years old from getting high fever.

The story of Bis Kota Coffee is so long that it extends to a period of three generations. When the third generation members meet in the coffee store, they are actually to make a new story which will be told to their descendants someday.