KERINCI | INDONESIA *NEW*

The Kerinci Valley is surrounded by Seblat National Park and possesses a highly varied topography thanks to all the hills and mountains. More than 300,000 people live in this fertile highland valley and almost the entire population relies on agriculture for their family income and since 2013 the majority of residents have planted coffee plants.

Santiang Exports work to provide conservation solutions to the producers they work with, training them in sustainable practices, and providing quality seedlings. For the honey process they start with handpicked ripe cherries that are pulped from their outer skin in a pulper machine. Most of the mucilage is left intact and the beans are spread out on raised beds to dry under the sun. In some cases the drying time is 15-20 days but this year's lots were dried in as little as 5-7 days! The amount of mucilage that is left on the beans at the start will determine the type of honey, yellow, red or black.  Once these sticky beans are dried to a moisture of 10-12% they are hulled out of their parchment and then sorted for size, density, and to remove defects.