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Preangerlanden

Indonesia

In the lands around Preanger, on the southern coast of West Java, coffee cultivation was introduced around 1700. The soil was exceptionally suitable for growing coffee due to the favourable situation in the hills in the interior, the benign climate and the protection afforded against the sea winds. As with most of the other products in which the VOC traded, the Company left the cultivation of the coffee to the local population. The Javanese rulers were required to ensure that their subjects grew coffee beans. The VOC monitored and controlled the cultivation of the beans and the quality of the crops by using self-appointed 'coffee sergeants'. In a series of treaties concluded with the sultanate of Mataram, agreements about the supply of products were made in 1705.