Researchers from TRKI Vocational College encourage the acceleration of coffee production by applying re-circulating fluidized bed roaster technology

Kudus–Muria Highlands has the potential for natural products in the form of coffee, with a land area of ​​452 ha, this area can produce high quality coffee beans of about 1.5-2 tons per year. In addition, on the slopes of Mount Muria, there is the Tomb of Sunan Muria as a religious area that is an attraction for pilgrims and tourists. This adds to the potential for developing coffee MSMEs in the slopes of Mount Muria. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic until now, economic activity has drastically decreased, which has an impact on sales of coffee MSME products. Itheng Coffee (Agro Mulyo) and Tasty Coffee (TastyCo) which are located on the slopes of Mount Muria are coffee MSMEs affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Itheng Coffee and Tasty Coffee are the flagship products of MSME Kopi Muria owned by Mr. Abdul Rohman (Argo Mulyo) and Mrs. Shinta Dwi Mutiarani (Tasty) in Colo Village. Currently, the two MSMEs are trying to get up from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, where almost the entire production process has stopped, and even a number of production tools are sold to make a living.

As the Colo tourist area reopens, the demand for muria robusta coffee products is starting to increase. However, the low production process is an obstacle for MSMEs to meet consumer demand, because the Muria Robusta coffee production process in the two SMEs is still done manually and conventionally. From the results of this observation, the TRKI lecturer at the Vocational College of Diponegoro University (Undip) Hermawan Dwi Ariyanto, Ph.D. and his team through Community Service Strengthening Leading Commodities (PKUM) encourage the acceleration of SMEs affected by Covid-19 with the Re-Circulating Fluidized Bed Roaster to rise from impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is in line with one of the points of the Sustainable Development Goal number 9, namely “industry, innovation and infrastructure”.

Hermawan Dwi Ariyanto, Ph.D said “This tool can save energy, save production and is very efficient because this technology adds a heating air re-circulation process produced from the bed roaster, so that heat is not released into the environment but is reused for roasting beans. coffee”. “Hopefully this tool can be useful and help support MSME production and turnover can increase with this Re-Circulating Fluidized Bed Roaster,” he continued.