The World Islamic Chamber of Commerce is Ready to Bring Coffee and Spices to the Global Market
The Deputy Governor of Central Java, Taj Yasin Maimoen (Gus Yasin), received a delegation from the World Islamic Chamber of Commerce (Connect Souq) at the Central Java Governor's Office Complex on Jl. Pahlawan, Semarang, on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
The delegation was led by Connect Souq Chairman Abdullah Hassan (Kuwait), accompanied by Vice Chairman Salmaan Dalvi (UK), Leadership Team Member Parvez Hamduley (United Arab Emirates), Head of Spice Business Franchise Noor Ahmed (India), Imran Ahmed, and a representative from Indonesia, Abdul Wahid Maktub.
Taj Yasin stated that Connect Souq intends to open opportunities for collaboration with the Central Java Provincial Government to promote the potential of local products to the global market. Furthermore, the organization has a large network of Muslim investors and entrepreneurs in various countries.
"(Entrepreneurs) from several countries want to invest in Central Java, regarding products such as coffee and ginger," he said.
Following the lively discussion, Taj Yasin stated that Central Java's coffee beans are of high quality. However, they need promotion to increase their added value.
Connect Souq, he said, wants to directly observe coffee production in Central Java. Then, seriously collaborate to export local coffee to be sold as coffee shop products in the American market.
Furthermore, Taj Yasin also offered the potential of coconut from Central Java. For example, it can be used as derivative products like brown sugar, and even milk drinks or coconut milk, which are popular in China.
"Well, that's what we need to promote. We're also offering our coconut products. Hopefully, we can collaborate," he added.
Connect Souq Chairman Abdullah Hassan said the market opportunity for coffee from Indonesia and Central Java is enormous. Currently, Indonesian coffee only controls 5% of the global market, despite being the fourth largest coffee producer in the world.
"So I think there's an opportunity to increase it. The way to increase it is by opening new markets. And Connect Souq, we have a presence in 40 countries," said the coffee shop owner in the United States.
From his meeting with Taj Yasin, he decided to seriously bring Central Java coffee to the United States. Together with other Connect Souq members, they will also explore markets in other countries such as the UK, Italy, and Germany.
Abdul Wahid Maktub, a representative of Connect Souq Indonesia and a former diplomat with six years of experience in the Middle East, said the purpose of Connect Souq's visit was to convey the enormous potential of Indonesian commodities, one of which is coffee.
He explained that Indonesia, as the fourth-largest coffee producer, enjoys only a small share of the profits. This is because Indonesian coffee is exported by other parties.
"We only export raw materials, and the profits are small. Therefore, what if Indonesia were more creative and more productive (in its processing)," he said.
