The Nutmeg from Borneo Coastal Villages

Teluk Sumbang and Teluk Sulaiman are pieces of heaven in the southern part of Berau coastal of East Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. The blue ocean and white sand, complemented by the natural forests cover, are where the Dayak Basap and Bugis communities plant their nutmeg trees, alongside the clove, banana, coconut trees.

The farmers believe that their soil is blessed with natural fertilizer, therefore no chemical components are needed. The nutmeg is harvested every 10 – 15 days using bamboo sticks, and dried manually by placing them on para-para (a platform made of wood and bamboo, covered with UV plastic). The para-para helps protect the nutmeg and their mace from the farmers’ pets, dust, and the rain water.

With this natural method, the farmers of Teluk Sumbang and Teluk Sulaiman managed to produce nutmeg with bold aroma containing volatile oil of 7.05%, while the mace containing 22.50% volatile oil – way above the usual nutmeg volatile oil in Indonesia. Both nutmeg and mace have the aflatoxin level of <4ppb that meet the European and US market standard.   

Long story short – the nutmeg and mace of Teluk Sumbang and Teluk Sulaiman are sourced from healthy natural environment, and perfect addition for your kitchen, or anywhere as you wish.