Bean bonanza: Coffee cafes pop up in remote corner of Indonesia

A worker inspecting a coffee plant at a plantation in the Toraja highlands, a lush, mountainous area on Sulawesi island, Indonesia. Photos: AFP

For decades, there wasn’t a coffee shop anywhere in Indonesia’s Toraja region even as its high-quality beans grabbed top dollar on the international market.

Locals in the lush, mountainous area on Sulawesi island used the bitter beverage in traditional ceremonies, gave away their extra beans to neighbours for free or traded them for a sack of rice and livestock.