Where do Indonesians buy their coffee? Some people go to fancy coffee shops. Folks with little money to spend have another option. They find sellers on bicycles!

The bicycle coffee sellers are called Starlings. That’s an abbreviation of Starbucks Keliling. It means “mobile Starbucks.” But the sellers aren’t really connected to that coffee company. They just borrowed the name. 

Starlings can sell instant coffee anywhere. On sidewalks. In parks. At construction sites. This coffee is less than half the price of a cup from a shop.

Plus, customers can find Starlings from dawn to midnight. Someone is always available to make a hot drink. 

The bicyclists roam the streets of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. Plastic sachets (small bags) of coffee dangle from the handlebars. Don’t like coffee? The bikes carry other packaged drinks too. Tied in the back are large thermos bottles with hot water. The bikes also tote ice boxes and other equipment for making coffee.

Indonesia is the world’s third-largest coffee producer. About eight out of 10 adult Indonesians are coffee drinkers. Most have at least one cup per day.

Syaiful is a coffee supplier. (Many Indonesians don’t have last names.) He lives in a neighborhood called Starling Village. Many Starling riders live there. Mr. Syaiful sells more than 1,000 sachets of coffee and other drinks per day to riders. He also equips sellers with bicycles.

Sander is another vendor. He has been selling beverages for 10 years. He sells about 65 cups of drinks each day. The price for one cup is 4,000 rupiah. In U.S. money, that’s about 25 cents.

Becoming a Starling coffee seller is a way for some people to earn money. Sellers need to buy only instant coffee. They can rent a bicycle and other equipment.

Do your parents drink coffee? Ask them whether they’d buy a cup from a seller on a bike. 

For more about Indonesia, see All about Indonesia by Linda Hibbs in our Recommended Reading.