When an earthquake struck Flores, it struck home.
Flores is more than where Tuang Coffee’s story began. It is home and it is where many of the coffees we work with are grown, processed, and cared for by farmers and communities we have known for years.
The earthquake damaged homes across the area, leaving some families with collapsed walls and houses that were no longer safe to live in. With aftershocks continuing, many had no choice but to stay outside, taking shelter beneath simple tarpaulins while waiting for conditions to become safer.
For us, this was never a distant news. It happened in our home, to people and communities deeply connected to everything we do, yet, in the middle of such a difficult moment, we were reminded of something meaningful: how quickly the coffee community can come together when it matters.
Coming Together Through Coffee
Soon after the earthquake, friends and partners from across the coffee community reached out. Some asked how they could help. Others immediately offered their bars, their time, and their platforms.
What followed was a series of collaborations built around coffee and a shared intention to stand with Flores. Through bar takeovers, special coffee experiences, and coffee sales, proceeds were collected through Tuang Coffee and directed toward supporting communities affected by the earthquake.
One of these initiatives was Coffee for Flores, a collaborative activation with Sweetspot Coffee Roastery and Common Grounds, hosted at Tuang Coffee Barito.
Louis from Sweetspot Coffee Roastery joined us behind the bar, serving Tuang’s Gulang 868 and giving guests the chance to experience the coffee while contributing to the cause.
We were also grateful to welcome Bayu Prawiro and Patrik Vinsensius from Common Grounds, who shared three of our experimental coffees from the 2026 harvest.
Serving these coffees was not simply about introducing something new. It was a way to bring people closer to the work happening at origin and to share a different expression of what Flores coffee can become.
The support continued beyond Coffee for Flores, at Omakafé, our friend and champion, Mikael Jasin, created an omakase-style coffee experience in support of Flores. It was a quiet but powerful reminder that creating change does not always have to begin with something large. Sometimes, it starts by using what we already have: a bar, a platform, a shared table, or simply a cup of coffee.
Each collaboration took a different form, but the intention was the same: to use coffee as a way of bringing people together and turning everyday moments into meaningful support. People came to enjoy a cup, discover new coffees, spend time with friends, and experience something different. At the same time, every purchase became part of a collective effort to support communities affected by the earthquake.
Sometimes, it begins with a cup.
We are deeply grateful to every partner, barista, coffee professional, customer, and member of the community who stood with us whether by opening their bar, sharing their craft, purchasing a cup, spreading the word, donating, or simply asking how they could help.
To everyone who stood with Flores and helped turn these small moments into something bigger: Thank you.
From our home in Flores to every cup shared along the way, this experience reminded us of what coffee can mean when a community comes together.
Small Cups, Big Impact.
