A Decolonial Reading – Connecting the Indonesian Coffee Chain with the Viennese Coffee Culture

Abstract:

Extensive research has advanced the understanding of the governance of global value chains (GVCs), i.e. voluntary sustainability standards to address the socio-economic and ecological challenges. Despite research progress, a fundamental knowledge gap prevails in understanding how to overcome the ubiquitous paternalistic governance of GVCs and how the power dynamics among the actors located in different nodes operate and develop, i.e. in terms of convergence of knowledge. The project developed a methodological and empirical decolonial approach to studying coffee GVCs involving actors in Indonesia and Austria with fieldwork conducted also in Italy. By practicing inter- and transdisciplinarity, the project revealed (de)colonialities of power, knowledge, and being through pluriversal approaches to govern GVCs. The objectives of the presented project were: 1) to develop a methodological and empirical decolonial framework by i.e., conducting a literature review on governance development in coffee GVCs, focusing on past and current institutions such as the International Coffee Agreement, EU legislation, business practices (e.g. deforestation free regulation), making linkages among these topics and refine the proposed decolonial empirical framework. A key outcome of this objective was the organization of Coffee Workshop at BOKU to integrate diverse knowledges; and 2) to propose a pluriversality of governance of selected GVCs between Indonesia and Austria and respective participating actors by jointly revealing the (hidden) subalternities, convergences, and divergences among actors shaping the coffee governance. The project’s innovative approach involves decolonial inter- and transdisciplinary research to examine the governance of the coffee GVC. It provides diverse epistemologies and ontologies to tackle societal issues, such as persistent imbalances in coffee GVCs, and promote a collective scientific and societal response.

Implementation Period:

07 – 09/2025

© Francesco Garbati-Pegna

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Project:

1. Projects Objectives and Impact

The project aimed to achieve the following objectives (O):

O 1): To develop a methodological and empirical framework to engage in and practice inter- and transdisciplinarity, e.g. involving researchers with diverse expertise such as governance of GVCs, food technology, participatory approaches as well as practitioners (e.g. chain actors) from a decoloniality perspective: (de)coloniality of power, (de)coloniality of knowledge and (de)coloniality of being with the illustrative case of GVC for coffee.

O 2): To involve major participating actors belonging to coffee GVCs to jointly explore a pluriversality of governance of selected GVCs, i.e., identifying formal/informal rules, relational approaches between upstream (e.g., producers) and downstream actors (e.g., processors, traders, buyers, roasters).

The impact of the research extends across the three selected case studies of coffee GVCs originating in Indonesia (West Java, Sumatra, and Flores) and selected international buyers and partners in Europe, including Austria and Italy. By engaging actors positioned at different nodes of the coffee value chain and embedded in diverse institutional and territorial contexts, the project generated both empirical and relational impacts that go beyond individual case studies.

• Empirical and institutional impact across diverse governance contexts

The project actively involved actors from a wide range of institutions and geographical locations, including universities (BOKU University, Vienna, Austria, and IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia), producer associations (e.g., Malabar Mountain Coffee, West Java), independent processors (e.g., GIN Coffee, Ikang M. Hendri in Flores), and private roasteries and training institutions (e.g., Röstwerkstatt in Austria, La Tostería and Accademia del Caffè Espresso in Italy). This diversity of actors and governance models enabled a comparative and grounded understanding of how coffee GVCs are shaped by distinct territorial, jurisdictional, and institutional arrangements. Empirically, the project revealed how differences in land property regimes, processing and roasting practices, trading relations, and evolving regulatory frameworks condition the ways in which value is created, negotiated, and captured along the chain. By documenting these differences, the project contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how global value chains are not only governed transnationally, but also deeply embedded in local socio-political and institutional contexts.

• Relational and capacity-building impact through pluriversal governance practices

The project jointly explored a pluriversality of governance in selected coffee GVCs by identifying both formal and informal rules, relational governance mechanisms, and everyday practices shaping interactions between upstream actors (e.g., producers and processors) and downstream actors (e.g., traders, buyers, and roasters).

Particular emphasis was placed on fostering connections among processors operating within the same regions (e.g., in Flores island), strengthening horizontal linkages that are often overlooked in GVC governance interactions. Through facilitated exchanges (connection via dinners and visits) and joint events (4^th Coffee research talk), the project enhanced knowledge transmission, mutual learning, and communication among actors. The researchers actively assumed a brokerage role, connecting actors who would otherwise remain structurally disconnected, thereby aiming to the creation of durable relationships beyond the project’s duration. The positive reception of these initiatives is evidenced by subsequent collaborations, including the joint participation of Indonesian processors and producers in the 4th edition of the Coffee Research Talk hosted at BOKU University.

The project generated meaningful empirical, relational, and societal impacts by combining decolonial, inter- and transdisciplinary research with active engagement across multiple nodes of the coffee GVC. It not only advanced academic knowledge on governance, power, and knowledge in global value chains, but also facilitated concrete spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and mutual recognition among diverse actors. By foregrounding pluriversality and relational governance, the project contributes to more inclusive and context-sensitive approaches to governing coffee GVCs and strengthens the foundations for longer-term collaboration between producers, processors, researchers, and market actors across the Global South and Europe.

2. Results and Contributions

1. Teaching and exchange with diverse actors at IPB University achieved: The project contributed to capacity building and knowledge exchange through two lectures delivered by the project coordinator, Xiomara F. Quiñones-Ruiz, within the framework of the Coffee Summer Course organized by the SEAFAST Institute Center at IPB University. These lectures were explicitly designed as dialogical spaces rather than one-directional academic interventions and that is why it brought together students, researchers, and local coffee actors who are actively engaged in collective and community-based initiatives (e.g. Pak Tejo) that has developed shared cupping practices, collective roasting services, and the development of locally rooted coffee shops (Ruma Kopi Ranin coffee in Bogor). The exchanges facilitated critical discussions on quality construction, value creation, and governance in coffee value chains, while simultaneously foregrounding locally embedded knowledge and practices that are often marginalized in dominant GVC narratives or conventional scholarly approaches to As such, these sessions functioned both as pedagogical activities and as empirical moments that informed the project’s decolonial and pluriversal analytical approach.
2. Multi-sited ethnographies across Indonesian coffee origins conducted: The project conducted multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in three major coffee-producing regions in Indonesia—West Java, Sumatra, and Flores— allowing for an in-depth and comparative analysis of coffee value chain governance across distinct socio- ecological and institutional contexts. These ethnographies enabled the identification of multiple governance models, differentiated cultivation practices, crop characteristics, and processing techniques, as well as diverse patterns of trade and market integration. Beyond documenting production dynamics, the fieldwork captured everyday negotiations, power relations, and knowledge practices shaping quality and value at the local level. In addition, the ethnographic engagement facilitated the collection of coffee samples from the respective regions, which were subsequently used as material anchors for transnational comparative analysis through cupping sessions in Europe.
3. Collective cuppings in Austria and Italy organized: Building on the ethnographic fieldwork and sample collection in Indonesia, the project organized collective cupping sessions with specialty coffee roasters in Europe, particularly in Vienna (Austria) and Florence (Italy). These cuppings served as methodological and analytical tools to compare how sensory attributes, quality, and value are perceived, evaluated, and articulated across different geographical and cultural contexts. By involving roasters with distinct professional backgrounds and market orientations, the cuppings revealed divergences and convergences in quality assessment, highlighting how knowledge, expertise, and positionality influence the interpretation of coffee attributes. These sessions thus bridged production contexts and consumption spaces, making visible the relational and power-laden processes through which quality is translated and valorized along the coffee value chain.
4. 4th biennial Coffee Research Talk at BOKU University on September 5-6 planned and organized: This event spotlighted Indonesia as a key coffee origin country and was entitled “From Soil to Cup: Decolonial, Technological, and Health Perspectives of Indonesian Coffees,”. It was held in close collaboration with colleagues from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Indonesia. The program culminated in the launch of the Coffee Farmers Market (CFM) at BOKU, paired with an informal cupping session featuring coffees from Indonesia (Jambi, Gayo-Aceh, Bogor, Bajawa) alongside international roasteries, including El Vogal, Punto Rojo, Don Joaco, Nulldiebohne and Zalvera (Austria), Chicas Industry (Czech Republic), and Caventura (Germany). The CFM initiative aims to foster exchanges that build equitable partnerships by integrating market principles with non- market values such as reciprocity and redistribution.https://boku.ac.at/en/wiso/inwe/konferenzen-und-veranstaltungen/konferenz-und- veranstaltungsarchiv/4th-coffee-research-talk-2025

Taken together, these results demonstrate the project’s contribution to advancing decolonial, relational, and pluriversal approaches to studying and governing coffee global value chains. By combining dialogical academic spaces, multi-sited ethnographic research, and transnational sensory analysis, the project generated situated knowledge that bridges production and consumption contexts while foregrounding actors’ positionalities and practices. The integration of empirical research with collective events and exchanges not only enriched the analytical framework of the project but also created durable spaces for collaboration, mutual learning, and more equitable engagement among researchers, producers, processors, and market actors. As such, the project contributes both to scholarly debates on power, knowledge, and value in GVCs and to the practical reimagining of coffee governance and actors’ roles beyond conventional and paternalistic models.