The Hills Coffee Barista Blog, Vol. 1

I met Indra Wirajaya when he was working as a barista at the Gujji Cafe and Roastery in Seminyak, while on a trip to Bali in April of this year. He was kind enough to sit with me give me some of his time. He talked all things coffee, from where they sourced their beans from a farm in the north of Bali and how they roasted it on the roaster that was on show in the cafe, to the tough few years that everyone on the island had endured throughout the pandemic.

After showing me around their built in Roastery, he then brought out some different samples of Balinese coffee for me to sample. Indra showed a great interest to The Hills Coffee and didn’t hide sharing any of his ideas or knowledge with me. I didn’t hide the fact either that I was picking his brain as much as possible, looking for anything that could have a positive effect on ‘The Hills.

The cafe began to get busier, so I finished off the samples of coffee and set off. We said we would be in touch again some time down the line, so when this idea of the barista blog started to take off, I reached out to him and with no bother at all, he was happy to be a part of it. 

Below are a short few questions that Indra engaged with for the blog. The questions are very basic and nothing out of the ordinary. The key part of it all for me, is the chance to network with different people and coffee professionals from around the world, like Indra Wirajaya. 

Hello, my name is Gede Indra Wirajaya but known to my friends as Indra. I come from the beautiful Singaraja in north of Bali, Indonesia. I am currently working as a coffee barista for the past few years. 

How and when did you begin your coffee journey? I worked for a number of years as a bartender along with some barista work, but since 2020 I have focused solely on working full time as a professional barista, which is where my passion lies.

Has there been any challenges along the way? Building consistency with every cup of coffee was definitely a challenge at the beginning of my journey.

What are the things you enjoy the most about your job? Working daily, sourcing and roasting different coffee beans from around Indonesia is definitely a highlight for me. I also love networking with customers and building relationships with them, as the arrive to Seminyak from all parts of the world.

What advice would you give to any barista starting off? Definitely to always stay up to date with the worldwide coffee industry, which changes and progresses all the time. Always look to keep learning and never think you know it all.