Gede Wiweka’s Story from Bali: Grateful to Overcome Alcohol Addiction, Now Shares Free Manual Brewing Knowledge

Grateful to have broken free from his dependence on alcohol, Gede Wiweka from Jimbaran, Bali found a new path through coffee. His gratitude has taken shape in the form of sharing—teaching manual brewing to young people around Kuta and Jimbaran. 

He even opened a slow bar and coffee roastery at his own home as a space to learn together, while organizing brewing competitions and social actions to educate Bali’s youth about quality coffee. Here's our conversation with him.

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Wiweka’s face lights up as he warmly teaches a visitor how to brew a pour-over coffee at his slow bar, BKKofee, located in Kuta. “There’s no charge at all—we’re just here to teach,” he told Hudes with a smile.

GEDE WIWEKA - Coffee roaster and brewer from Jimbaran, Bali.

He looks fresh and full of life, especially now that he’s moved past the grip of alcohol addiction. He shared how coffee gradually became his substitute. What used to be beer as a social bonding drink is now replaced with brewing and enjoying coffee together.

“Seriously, I’ve cut down drinking alcohol a lot just by slowly switching to coffee."

Can that actually work? According to him, alcohol was always part of socializing with friends. It started with casual drinking, but eventually led to heavy dependence. “Yeah, I was really hooked at one point,” he recalled.

He remembered the times when not having a beer felt like something was missing. That’s when he began looking for an alternative—visiting coffee shops, exploring different brews—and eventually, coffee helped him quit alcohol altogether.

“You could say coffee saved me. I was going to coffee shops almost every day, sometimes twice a day. It got kind of expensive, so I decided to open a slow bar at home to save money,” he laughed.

Kuta and Jimbaran are filled with great coffee shops, many offering high-quality filter coffee. But he pointed out a cultural challenge: many young people in Bali still prefer sweetened coffee. “Nothing against milk-based coffee, but I’m talking about coffee mixed with artificial sweeteners."

That’s what pushed him to build his own slow bar, complete with a variety of beans and brewing tools—to offer coffee education and hands-on experiences, all for free.

When it comes to coffee origins in Bali, Waweka highlighted regions like Bangli, Tabanan, Singaraja, and North Badung. Bangli, for example, is home to Kintamani; Tabanan has Pupuan, which is mostly robusta; and Singaraja includes areas like Banyuatis and Gobleg. “These regions grow both robusta and arabica. In North Badung, Plaga stands out thanks to its improvement in post-harvest processing,” Gede Wiweka said.

Coffee farming in Bali has seen rapid growth, especially with outside investors stepping in. This has had a positive impact on local farmers.

“About nine years ago, farmers in places like Gobleg were still using natural drying methods, spreading the cherries on the ground like they do with rice. But their post-harvest process has improved a lot since then,” he added.

His slow bar, BK Kofee, stands as a witness to how this coffee education has grown. “The goal is simple: to have fun and share what we know,” Waweka said. He even gives away free beans to coffee shops in and outside of Bali.

“We also hold free training sessions with no fees. We’ve run brewing competitions where participants just need to show up—we provide all the gear."

In September 2024, Waweka even took several young people to Yogyakarta to attend a coffee event, knowing that Bali lacks exhibitions and competitions. He wanted them to experience firsthand what the coffee scene looks like outside the island.

This isn’t just a story of recovery—it’s a story of community, learning, and brewing something better, together. (Hudes magazine)