Izwandi Rusli

Born in Sumatra in the heart of Mandheling country, Izwandi first became involved in the business of coffee in 1994 as an employee of the Indonesian Government Marketing office in New York. He was responsible for marketing a variety of Indonesian products in the United States, not the least of which was green coffee, as well as cocoa, tea, palm oil, and rubber. When the government office was closed in the wake of the Asian coffee crisis, Izwandi continued to represent the major government-owned coffee producer PTP Nusantara XII in North America.

Izwandi’s association with Amcafé began in 2001 as a consultant and quality manager for Indonesian coffees, but his knack for cupping soon led to a full-time position as quality manager. His colleagues get a kick out of watching his face while cupping, as he is unable to contain his reactions, and all of us at Armenia urge Izwandi to never take up the game of poker.

With over 20 years promoting Indonesian products in the U.S., Izwandi is truly coffee’s “Mr. Indonesia” and serves today on various Indonesian government and private offices, including Indonesia’s Embassy, Consulate, ITPC (Indonesian Trade and Promotion Center), Bank Indonesia (Central Bank), Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), and the American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.