Alun Evans
  • Male
  • Kuala Lumpur,
  • Malaysia
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Alun Evans's Discussions

 

Merdeka Coffee & Antipodean Coffee

Latest Activity

Alun Evans and Achmad Hidayat are now friends
Sep 13, 2022
Achmad Hidayat joined Alun Evans's group
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Indonesian Coffee

Group for all those in the coffee industry in Indonesia (Barista, roasters, growers) and those outside of "Tanah Air" who love Indonesia- the coffee, the people and the hundreds of cultures
Sep 13, 2022
Alun Evans posted a blog post

First Roast - Manila

The roaster I am using in Manila is a 5kg Has Garanti. First time I have roasted on one- usually Probat, Toper and a Diedrich way back in Auckland in my early days. Still waiting my own greens here so had a dry run to check airflow and the exhaust flue setup using local greens. The roaster had been new into storage 2017- so I also had to rewire the ignition system- no sweat. Also required some work on the gas system- checking it thoroughly before firing it up.…See More
Jan 12, 2021
Alun Evans posted a status
"heres to a better new year for all of us!"
Jan 1, 2021
Alun Evans and Chongsuk Jeong are now friends
Sep 20, 2020

Profile Information

What is your position in the coffee industry?
coffee shop owner, coffee roaster, coffee grower, home barista, industry professional, service tech/repair, supplier
Where are you located? ( City and Country )
With the new year upon us, its time to announce a few changes! I am splitting myself into 3 and will be spending not too much time in Indonesia in 2009 as we have 2 off-shore projects that I will be looking after pretty much full time. So... depending on the IP address I am either in Singapore, New Zealand or relaxing somewhat in Indonesia!!
How many years have you been in the industry?
15+
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?
yes
Tell us more about your coffee shop or barista skills.
A coffee roaster (with 11 cafes+3 roasteries) located in a pioneering region of the specialty coffee world- and one located so close to so many unique and famous origins. Experience with a huge number of Indonesian origins- travelled all over North and West Sumatra, Java, Bali (tough that one!), Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, East and West Timor, Papua, Sulawesi and Kalimantan (Borneo). Working with direct, sustainable trade with small holders all over Indonesia. A number of challenges that mean you will never have a dull day, hour, minute...or even second!!

These days our cafe and roasting businesses are spread between Jakarta, Indonesia; Hong Kong, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
What cities or countries are you interested in traveling to?
Europe (any), USA (lived in Colorado for a while back in 89/90 love going back), Africa- especially South Africa,Botswana (thanks Alexander Mcall Smith!) Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Yemen. Always enjoy trips back to New Zealand: especially to home town Wellington. Always enjoy my trips to Italy- want to work on my Italian and also Spanish for some future plans ;p
About Me:
Fulfilling a lifelong, caffeine fuelled passion; I have been working full-time with Indonesian Coffee since 2004. With my wife Arlini, Merdeka Coffee is determined to develop and showcase Indonesian Arabica coffees here and overseas. Merdeka Coffee conducts frequent tours around coffee growing areas, as well as running various education programs. From late 2008 my focus is actually on project work outside Indonesia- the company is being run by a team of well trained local management.

The company works with a number of small-hold growers around Indonesia. I drink 15 espresso shots a day and can be contacted day or night! (explains why I am on soooo much at such odd hours!)
About My Company:
Merdeka Coffee (or "Freedom Coffee" in Indonesian) is a boutique coffee company dedicated to the sourcing, selection and roasting of the best Indonesian coffees. "Kemerdekaan atau mati..."Freedom or Die" was the battle call of the Soekarno led independence movement in the 1940s. Our clients are individuals, institutions and wholesalers who share our vision for exceptional coffee obtained through fair & equitable local trade relationships.

At Merdeka Coffee we believe in developing partnerships with small hold growers and farmers, both at plantation and village level. This is why we use "merdeka"...freedom for the farmers we work with. A percentage of our profits are shared with our Indonesian partners in order for them to develop their communities, their coffee expertise and to assist them promote environmental conservation.

Our retail arm is "Antipodean Coffee" with outlets in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. We have plans for openings in Penang, Bangalore and hopefully Abu Dhabi over the next 18 months. We retail in Sydney through Merdeka Coffee in the CBD
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?
Dynamic change, working with a huge range of talented, interesting and knowlegeable people. The spontaneous nature of the business.
Website:
http://www.antipodeancoffee.com

A Bit about Merdeka, Indonesia, Indonesian coffee and the team.

Indonesia is (sorry Thailand!) the real land of smiles! Out of any situation a smile is most likely the end result. Coffee farmers here have historially had little to smile about. The Dutch Colonialists had a form of Plantation Economics which made Java Coffee famous, but made the crop dispised by the local small-holders. The Colonial forced production systems ended in the 1880's but until relatively recently coffee was not a favorite crop of the locals. Specialty coffee, not low grade robusta, is the future for this country of 17,000 islands. I hope the smiles are because of the countrys success in getting unique coffee to roasters and Barista all over the world. I would like to think Merdeka Coffee is playing a small part in achieving this. Merdeka!!

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Alun Evans's Blog

First Roast - Manila

Posted on December 31, 2020 at 4:15pm 0 Comments

The roaster I am using in Manila is a 5kg Has Garanti. First time I have roasted on one- usually Probat, Toper and a Diedrich way back in Auckland in my early days. Still waiting my own greens here so had a dry run to check airflow and the exhaust flue setup using local greens. The roaster had been new into storage 2017- so I also had to rewire the ignition system- no sweat. Also required some work on the gas system- checking it thoroughly before firing it up.…

Continue

An evening in Bangsar- Kuala Lumpur

Posted on March 4, 2011 at 3:05am 0 Comments

I am sitting outside now...the sky is a light, duck egg blue. Sitting under the fig tree where so often I pass the time between the busy lunch and hectic evening rushes. We are on a hill here...the street runs up and down to the Mesjid (Surau) at the bottom. At this time of night many people are beginning to walk home from work. Many in suits and ties. Others are coming out for the evening. For us its still not busy...but for sure on a Friday night it will become busy. Bangsar is a nicely…

Continue

A tough nut to crack - specialty coffee in Kuala Lumpur

Posted on March 2, 2011 at 11:09pm 0 Comments

When Karl casually told me that he reckoned it was a good idea to open Antipodean in the flash, upmarket suburb of Bangsar (KL, Malaysia), I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. Malaysia, unlike Indonesia, has a very developed level of food appreciation- from eating the variety of delicacies on offer- to critiquing them via live blogs and other web media. In all honesty Merdeka Coffee has its hands fairly full with Indonesia, the cafe in Sydney, the roastery in Auckland and some plans for…

Continue

Flavio Urizzi- Wishing him well for a full recovery

Posted on April 11, 2010 at 6:21pm 1 Comment

Over the weekend I heard that CMA (Astoria/San Marino/Argenta) Sales Manager Flavio Urizzi suffered chest pains while he was in Ireland as a sponsor/judge for the Irish barista championships. He had to undergo some surgical treatment but is now resting comfortably and will fly back to Italy today or tomorrow. Flavio has always been a great ambassador for coffee and of course for Italian Espresso machines. I was looking forward to seeing him at the FHA in Singapore, although he now wont be there… Continue

A Trip To Papua - Final Part

Posted on December 3, 2009 at 4:29pm 0 Comments



The ride from Wamena Airport to the Hotel in pedal powered Becaks took 5 minutes. The air was crisp, the sky clear and warming. The initial impression of the town was that the place was very small. Wamena is laid out in a grid like pattern, with streets patch-worked across the valley floor. Most roads were only recently sealed and until 3 years ago the only motorised transport was the four-wheel drives belonging to the Army, Police, Government… Continue

Comment Wall (371 comments)

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At 10:14am on February 2, 2017, Stephen Oladokun said…

Thanks Alun for the insight. 

Greatly appreciated

At 7:08am on October 26, 2016, illy Caffe San Francisco said…

Thank you for the kind words! Our mission statement here at illy is to provide the ultimate coffee experience to coffee lovers and connoisseurs through the best products, service, education and innovation with passion, expertise and tradition. We are glad you enjoyed your coffee experience with us!

At 12:36am on June 8, 2012, Amelia Jane said…

I was a barista. Hope to have my own business soon. Or become a coffee roaster :)

At 8:01pm on June 6, 2012, Amelia Jane said…

Hello.I am located in KL,Malaysia :)

At 5:08am on April 26, 2011, Louise said…
Hi Alun, hw r you? I need an espresso bean, friends of mine wants to open their coffee shop? Can you help me? Thx.
At 3:57pm on April 10, 2011, John Walker said…
Congratulations. Always nice to know that competitors know where to get the good gear.
At 7:05pm on March 3, 2011, boyd said…

Dear Alun,

Thank you very much for your genorisity offer for BX member, defenitely I will drop soon. 

See you 

At 12:55am on February 25, 2011, Mavin said…
hi Alun, yeah was great chatting with u too. learned alot from u. thanks. good to hear that. wow the critics move fast dont they..haha. will visit u soon, most prob next week on a weekday. haha ill pray that it gets busy over there. no worries im sure it will. regards.
At 6:41pm on January 23, 2011, ChaRLoTTe said…

Hello~

I have a job dy... Thanks! ^^

Will drop by to have a coffee when start operating~~ ^_^

At 9:28am on January 16, 2011, Mavin said…
hi Alun, how ru? heard that u guys are coming to the KL market... how true isit? if yes im really excited to know what u guys can offer us ( as u know the Malaysian coffee culture has juz started to pick up ) haha.
 
 
 

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