ABCD School of Coffee X SOS Children’s Villages + Toffin Product

LatteArtBandit™ Izman is monitoring Nina as she is learning to tamp. Dayat and Ilham observe.

December 17-19, 2014 were important dates for us. ABCD Class Batch 018 was held, and the participants were Nina, Dayat, Nugie, and the 16-years-old Ilham. They were the youngsters from S.O.S. Children’s Villages, or Desa Taruna – an international NGO to protect and to meet the needs of children all across the globe. Ilham and Nina came from Desa Taruna in Lembang, while Nugie and Dayat came from Desa Taruna in Cibubur.

The objective of ABCD School of Coffee has always been to breed more, and more young and talented baristas. Most of the participants of our classes – who immediately become members of ABCDEF (ABCD Extended Family) – are actually owners of coffee shop, or willing to open one. So, how should we generate new baristas if everybody wants to run the coffee shops?

16-yo Ilham looks like a professional Q Grader as he is learning about Cupping.

Phat Uncle Hendri Kurniawan has been long eyeing to do something with S.O.S. Children’s Villages. Long before we made contact with this honorable institution, Phat Uncle has been studying their mission and programs. It was only natural that when we started ABCD School of Coffee last August 2014 he initiated AngryBrewer™ Ve Handojo to send the first email to S.O.S. Children’s Villages.

After a series of email correspondence, and a visit to S.O.S. Children’s Villages in Tabanan, Bali and Lembang, Bandung, we finally executed this plan. Starting December 2014 we want to commit four seats in ABCD Class every month for the children raised in and/or supported by S.O.S. Children’s Villages.

The first batch was a great experience for us all. Apparently Nina – who is completing her study as a pastry chef! – has a very “expensive” taste. She could not bear sipping low, commercial grade coffee, but she does enjoy gulping Think Tank’s Ethiopia Nekisse N2! And, the young Ilham was so talented he could already formed a heart shaped on a cup of cappuccino the first day he learned how to steam and pour the milk!

Thank you, Toffin Product!

We believe that it was not a coincidence that at the same day we finished this ABCD Class Batch 018 for Nina, Ilham, Nugie and Dayat, some new toys arrived to occupy our new classroom in Pasar Santa 2nd floor, Room G. Our friends in Toffin Product have decided to show full and generous support for our programs. They have sent and placed not less than three espresso machines, and six sets of Hario manual brewing equipments! Two more espresso machines are on their way!

This is why we believe that blessings should be kept flowing. Never keep them for our own’s sake. Let them flow.

Left to Right: Nugie, Dayat, Nina, Ilham, Phat Uncle, and Mr. Roby from S.O.S. Children’s Village.

After completing the 3-day ABCD Class, Nugie displayed his manual brewing skills in Goethe Haus on December 21, 2014 in an event to commemorate the tsunami disaster in Aceh in 2004. Nugie fluently explained the basic principles of manual brewing to his audience.

From the very bottom of our hearts we want to express our huge gratitudes to Toffin Product for this huge support. And, we owe it so much to S.O.S. Children’s Villages who have been very committed in carrying their missions to protect and to meet the needs of children in Indonesia. It is such a big honour for us to work hand-in-hand with S.O.S. Children’s Villages to equip those who have been under their care with barista skills.

To learn more about ABCD School of Coffee programs, please click here.