The Community Service Team of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Sumatera Utara (FEB USU), carried out a community empowerment program in Ronggurnihuta Village, Ronggurnihuta District, Samosir Regency, on Sunday (May 10, 2026). The program aimed to strengthen the potential of local coffee by enhancing farmers’ capacity and improving coffee processing.
The program was led by Yeti Meliany Lubis, SE., M.Si., Ak. CA, together with an FEB USU lecturer team consisting of Irsad, SE., M.Soc.Sc., Ph.D, Khairul Ali Hutasuhut, SE., M.Si, and Walad Altsani HR, SE., M.Ec. The activity also involved five FEB USU students—Renta Sitanggang, Hany Novia Graceline Sianipar, Kalvin Gomgom Parulian Manurung, Ekin Putri Kinanti Ginting, and Sofia Nursofi—who took part in community assistance and efforts to strengthen farmers’ capacities.
Ronggurnihuta District is one of the centers of Arabica coffee production, particularly the Sigarar Utang variety, in Samosir Regency. With more than 5,600 hectares of coffee plantations, the area has significant potential for further development. However, limited post-harvest processing facilities mean that many farmers still sell their coffee as fresh cherries at approximately IDR 21,000 per kilogram.
To address this challenge, the FEB USU Community Service Team provided assistance in the form of one pulper machine for removing the skin from fresh coffee cherries and one dry huller machine for removing the parchment layer from dried coffee beans. This appropriate technology assistance is expected to enable farmers to process their coffee independently into green beans, allowing them to directly benefit from the product’s added value.
In addition to the equipment handover, the program included training on Good Post-Harvest Practices, as well as regular machine maintenance. Farmers were introduced to proper coffee-processing procedures to improve product quality and increase its market value.
As part of the program, the FEB USU team also partnered with the Indonesian Diaspora Network of America (IDN-A) as a strategic partner. The collaboration provided farmers with insights into export-oriented Grade 1 green bean quality standards, controlled fermentation techniques, and opportunities to access international markets for Samosir coffee.
Through this program, FEB USU hopes that community empowerment efforts will not only improve farmers’ ability to process their harvests but also strengthen the added value and competitiveness of Samosir’s local coffee in broader markets.
