IPB University Vocational School and PT Inti Gravfarm Indonesia Launch Coffee Teaching Factory
The Vocational School of IPB University together with PT Inti Gravfarm Indonesia officially launched the “Teaching Factory (Tefa) KOpi” on Tuesday (4/15) at the Teaching Industry SV IPB.
This facility was developed as an industry-based vocational education center that serves as an entrepreneurial incubator to produce coffee business actors who are competent, standardized, and ready to compete at the national and global levels.
Tefa Kopi is not just a learning practice room, but a miniature coffee industry that brings together the cultivation, post-harvest, roasting, and marketing processes in one ecosystem.
This innovation answers the need for superior human resources (HR) in the coffee industry, which so far still runs conventionally and does not have comprehensive competency standards.
Rector of IPB University, Prof Arif Satria assessed Tefa Kopi as a concrete form of integration between vocational higher education and industry. According to him, the presence of Tefa is proof that vocational education has great potential to produce business actors who not only understand production techniques, but are also able to create added value through innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Tefa Kopi aims to educate students to have skills and competencies that are relevant to the needs of the coffee industry. Therefore, in the Vocational School of IPB University, a pattern of education will be developed from upstream to downstream, up to the dining table, which includes consumption patterns and consumer behavior towards coffee. All of that is built in a stable ecosystem and we are currently continuing to develop it,” said Prof Arif Satria.
Furthermore, Prof Arif Satria emphasized the importance of Tefa Kopi as a foundation in the development of a sustainable and innovation-based coffee industry system.
“This is a trigger in building a futuristic coffee ecosystem, including creating superior coffee seeds,” concluded Prof Arif Satria.
Meanwhile in his speech, Dean of Vocational School, Dr Aceng Hidayat emphasized that Tefa Kopi is not just a practice room, but also a means of strengthening the tridarma of higher education.
“We develop it as an agro-industry-based applied business unit, as well as to improve the competence of students, lecturers and graduates, encourage applied research and community service, and expand partnerships with the coffee industry, MSMEs, and exporters,” said Dr Aceng Hidayat.
Furthermore, Dr Aceng Hidayat said that Tefa Kopi is to provide direct industrial experience for students in the campus environment. Involving 17 study programs at IPB University Vocational School, this synergy is expected to create an integrative and innovative model of industry-based vocational education.
“Tefa Kopi of IPB University Vocational School is a concrete manifestation of a multidisciplinary approach involving 17 cross-field study programs. Students do not need to leave campus to get industrial experience,” said Dr Aceng.
CEO of PT Inti Gravfarm Indonesia, Yugian Leonardy said that the collaboration with IPB University Vocational School in the development of Tefa Kopi is expected to become a national reference in strengthening vocational education based on industrial needs.
“We hope that this collaboration will become a national pilot model in the development of applied vocational education that is relevant to industrial dynamics,” he said.
He also added that the launch of Tefa Kopi opens up wider collaboration opportunities with various stakeholders in the coffee sector.
“This facility is also a door to build partnerships with farmers, MSMEs, and coffee exporters to strengthen the position of Indonesian coffee in the global market,” he added.
PT Inti Gravfarm Indonesia is a strategic partner in the launch of Tefa. Gravfarm is an agribusiness company engaged in the development of arabica coffee from upstream to downstream, and actively empowers hundreds of tenant farmers who are members of the Tambag Guruyung Forest Village Community Organization (LMDH) in the highlands of Ciwidey, Bandung Regency, West Java.
The coffee products produced by Gravfarm are 100 percent premium arabica, including Green Bean, Roasted Bean, and Ground Coffee. All products are processed with high quality standards and marketed through the Management and Administration Division headquartered on Jalan Braga, Bandung City.
As a center of applied education, IPB University Vocational School continues to develop innovations based on the needs of the business world and the industrial world (DUDI). The presence of Tefa Kopi emphasizes this commitment in creating vocational graduates who are not only ready to work, but also ready to build businesses. (IAAS/LAN)
