Article written by: Kaoem Telapak
on April 17, 2026
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Gerai Nusantara: A Cross-Cultural Space Connecting Urban Lifestyles with Indigenous Heritage through Coffee and Indigenous Handicrafts

Creativity and entrepreneurial perseverance can serve as a strong bridge to amplify a social movement to a broader audience. This is the value upheld by Rina Agustine, affectionately known as Rina, a member of Kaoem Telapak from Bogor City, West Java.

Rina’s social entrepreneurial instinct has been forged over a long period of time. From 2007 to 2009, she was mandated to run the business unit of PT Poros Nusantara Utama (PNU). There, she facilitated grassroots community businesses, ranging from pineapple jam production by the residents of Tapos Village, the processing of cat’s whiskers (kumis kucing) leaves as herbal raw materials from Ciwaluh Village, to supporting the development of Kedai Telapak at the time.

This extensive experience in fostering the people’s economy matured Rina’s steps when she started joining the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) in 2015. A year later, in 2016, she was mandated to manage AMAN’s business entity called Gerai Nusantara (GENUS). Entering the end of 2023, GENUS rebranded itself as the contemporary-styled GENUS Coffee & Boutique, making it a warm and aesthetic showcase for products crafted by Indigenous Peoples.

The Early Development of Gerai Nusantara (GENUS)

The presence of GENUS initially started from a project in 2016. Seeing the tremendous potential of the initiative, Rina and her team were mandated to ensure its sustainability independently, even though the project’s funding period had ended. They then focused on three main business units: the Cafe, Crafts, and the Roastery.

Rina had a very clear vision for GENUS: to bring the creations of Indigenous Peoples into the fast-paced dynamics of urban lifestyles.

“The initial target was to introduce Indigenous Peoples’ products to the urban community. So, from the Indigenous Peoples in the villages to the urban areas,” Rina recalled regarding the purpose of establishing the space.

The contemporary boutique coffee concept was strategically chosen. The cafe is designed not only as a place to stop by, but also as a welcoming learning space. The warmth of the coffee, combined with the beauty of the handicrafts, becomes an elegant storytelling medium about the cultural diversity and philosophy of Indigenous Peoples, without being like a formal campaign.

GENUS’s Efforts in Sustaining Indigenous Peoples’ Independence

As AMAN’s business entity, GENUS draws its lifeblood directly from the Indigenous Peoples themselves. All raw materials at GENUS must be sourced from Indigenous Peoples’ Business Groups (KUMA—Kelompok Usaha Masyarakat Adat) and Indigenous Peoples-Owned Enterprises (BUMMA—Badan Usaha Milik Masyarakat Adat). From coffee beans, woven fabrics (kain tenun), to woven crafts (anyaman), everything is supplied by AMAN members from various regions across the archipelago.

The journey of GENUS, of course, was not without its storms. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and social distancing rules were implemented, the initial concept of the GENUS cafe in the Sudirman shophouse area of Bogor had to be closed. However, Rina and her team adapted with remarkable flexibility. Armed with capital from the AMAN organization and a loan from a financial institution, Credit Union (CU) RANDU, they relocated GENUS to a lush outdoor area in the Bubulak district at the end of 2022.

To survive amidst the fierce competition of Bogor’s cafe business climate, GENUS agilely responded to urban trends. They began providing meeting rooms, hosting intimate weddings, and even facilitating silent concert events.

“While others might see it as an achievement, we see it as a strategy. Because the focus is on how to survive so operations keep running against the onslaught of mushrooming competitors,” Rina emphasized.

Photo of the atmosphere at GENUS Coffee & Boutique in the Bubulak area (Doc: Kaoem Telapak), a selfie of Rina at GENUS (Doc: Rina), and a photo of Rina during an interview with the Kaoem Telapak Comms at the AMAN House (Doc: Kaoem Telapak).

Remarkably, amidst these economic demands, the integrity of the movement remains non-negotiable. Rina firmly rejected sponsorship funds from tobacco companies as well as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) offers from extractive companies that potentially piggyback to carry out greenwashing practices.

“Those companies have CSR, they have funds that can be disbursed. But then it’s claimed in the company’s portfolio that they have helped, which is greenwashing!” Rina explained her reasons for rejecting such funds.

She admitted that the facilities offered are often very tempting for the cafe’s operations. “Even though it was an opportunity! Getting 60 million just for putting up a logo, doing nothing else. But because organizationally we have our core principles, it’s a definite no!” she concluded firmly, showing that GENUS’s integrity cannot be bought.

Facing Operational Challenges and International Orders

GENUS also faced a global-scale challenge. They once received an order for 100 naturally dyed tenun ikat to be used as Christmas gifts by the Jeff Skoll Group, an international philanthropic organization based in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.

For GENUS, this order presented its own dynamics. Rina had to provide an understanding to the buyer regarding the characteristics of Indigenous Peoples’ handmade works. The sizes of handmade tenun have an authentic character that cannot be uniformed like factory machines, and the natural dyeing process requires dedication and a long time.

Although the fulfillment of the order ultimately had to be divided into two shipping stages to adjust to the production capacity in the villages, the hundreds of authentic pieces successfully landed in the United States. This success is a tangible proof that Indigenous Peoples’ handicrafts possess strong competitiveness and a high level of appreciation in the eyes of the global community.

Learning and Educating from an Urban Brewing Space

Moving forward, Rina and her team continue to strive to nurture this meeting space by bringing Indigenous Peoples closer to the city center. This is realized through a routine annual agenda titled “GENUS Specta”, which previously also involved the Outer Baduy Peoples.

This spirit of independence also inspired other regions with some adjustments to local cultures. One example is the development of GENUS Kapuas Hulu together with the Iban Indigenous Peoples, whose implementation strictly adheres to the principle of using local raw materials from the local community.

Through this humble approach, GENUS Coffee & Boutique has successfully become a cross-cultural communication forum. At the end of our conversation, Rina inserted a profound hope regarding this meeting space.

“The hope is that people come to GENUS to drink coffee and eventually will see the Indigenous Peoples’ movement through the handicrafts, and if they are sensitive, their empathy will immediately be awakened—and they will ask where this craft is coming from, how the making process is, and so on, while we introduce the Indigenous Peoples’ movement indirectly,” she said sincerely.

At GENUS, a cup of coffee and a piece of tenun are ultimately a warm educational medium that can embrace anyone to better appreciate the realities of life and the movement of Indigenous Peoples.