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OUR ROOTS
AND STORY
People always ask me: "Which coffee is my favourite?" My answer would be "Coffee should be absolutely an experience and fun! Depending on how you want to start your day (strong or easy) or which day of the week (weekend vs. weekday) or if you just want to unleash your adventurous side, you should curate each cup to your desired needs. There is no one size fits all but luckily Indonesian specialty coffee has it all because of our vast 13,000 tropical islands archipelago. So go explore and surprise yourself!"
~ Michael,
Founder & 4th generation Indonesian
TENTERA comes from the official Indonesian word "tentara" which means soldier. Our mission is so that each of us in life, emulate like a soldier, that protects "for a good cause".
Founded in Los Angeles by Michael, a 4th generation Indonesian, Tentera is an authentic, mission-based specialty coffee company.
We specialize in curating premium coffee, all hand-selected by our founder, from the 13,000 tropical islands of Indonesia, the world's 4th largest coffee producer. Indonesian coffee includes Sumatra, Java, Bali, Celebes, Flores, Papua, and many other more.
Michael believes a coffee lover should always appreciate the "country of origin" factor, just like you would first want to experience either a Scotch, Japanese or American origin whiskeys and the reason is because coffee can only be grown naturally on certain parts of the world close to the equator.
Michael believes a coffee lover should always appreciate the "country of origin" factor, just like you would first want to experience either a Scotch, Japanese or American origin whiskeys and the reason is because coffee can only be grown naturally on certain parts of the world close to the equator.
Tentera is all about Michael's life passion for uncompromised highest quality of coffee ingredients (natural and drink it black without the need for condiments), art, Earth's nature and wildlife combined with years of entrepreneurship experience. In this journey, Michael would like to share with you what an authentic cup of coffee is and stories of the beautiful country and culture of Indonesia.
With the founder's deep ancestral and business roots in Indonesia for 89 years and counting, Tentera is vertically integrated: we source direct, import, roast weekly in-house, distribute and market premium, limited quantities of Arabica coffee.
This is what sets us apart: We are an authentic Indonesian family owned company. Our local Indonesian founder's direct access and relations allows him to personally hand-pick the best green bean and deliver you a curated experience each time.
Lastly, we thank all our customers who believed and supported our vision and mission to take us as far as where Tentera is today.
INDONESIAN
SPECIALTY COFFEE
Tentera is an empowering word that hails from Indonesia, a former Dutch colony located on the equator, where coffee is best grown. For many centuries, Indonesia is synonymous with excellent coffee, besides great surfing, pink beaches and island hopping. It is the world’s fourth largest coffee producer, home to the world’s third largest rainforest and largest economy in South East Asia. In fact, former US President Obama used to live and attend school in the capital city call Batavia (modern name: Jakarta) during his childhood.
While other mainstay coffee producing countries are often owned by large corporations, Indonesian coffee is predominantly co-op managed by about 1.5 million small, hard-working farmers. Coffee is primarily hand-picked in Indonesia to ensure the highest quality.
For many centuries, premium Indonesian specialty coffee were mostly exported to Europe, Australia and Japan. Hence, Tentera chooses to bridge the land of coffee with America directly. Tentera source and imports its 100% Arabica coffee from the tropical highlands of Indonesia, promising its customers craft quality coffee and a philanthropic opportunity to keep Indonesia’s rainforest alive and flourishing.
Below is a map of Indonesia, made up of over 13,000 islands, the world's largest archipelagic country. Hope you get to experience the wonders of Indonesia with the start of your morning coffee.
