Troy Kiper – Managing Director / Co-Founder

Troy is an American who retired from the US Marines and founded Bright Java after moving his family to Southeast Asia. He developed an interest in high quality coffee while still serving in the Marines after a coworker sent him the link to a coffee website that sold green beans to home roasters (Sweet Maria’s if you are wondering). Troy and Aswan met in 2017 and decided to pursue coffee as a business opportunity that also built up the community around them.  Troy and his wife Renda have five children and live in Salatiga, Indonesia. He enjoys cycling the mountainous roads of Central Java, discovering new coffees, and visiting Indonesia’s beautiful islands.

Aswan – Founder Emeritus

Aswan, an Indonesian native, was already looking at his daily cup of coffee and wondering how he could use coffee to empower and bless those around him.  That year Aswan met Troy and together they co-founded Bright Java. While Aswan has moved on to European adventures, he was a big part of establishing the company culture and coffee farmer relationships which continue today.

Renda Kiper – Chief Finance Officer

Renda is Bright Java’s CFO, CIO, and Troy’s wife. She was born in Ohio, USA, and then went to Rice University where she studied computer programming.  With five children and a desire to make a home overseas, they moved to Indonesia in 2015.  Renda now manages the company’s finances and IT concerns. She enjoys walks with her kids and reading when she isn’t working.

Desi – Office Admin

Desi was born in Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia, but her favorite place in the country is our town of Salatiga.  She studied economics in college and the social research she learned there sparked an interest in joining an organization with the vision of empowering communities. In 2018 she discovered Bright Java had that vision and joined the company. Desi loves helping many coffee farming communities through her work in Administration and accounting.  She balances about ten plates in the air at once as she organizes and directs what goes on in the office and tracks each rupiah.  She enjoys playing volleyball in her free time.

Eko – Production Manager / Farmer Relations

Eko is from Central Java, and first became interested in coffee due to the farm his wife’s family owned on the island of Sulawesi. He heard about Bright Java through a mentor who knew he was interested in coffee, got his feet wet with an internship, then became a full member.  He’s now the key farmer relationship manager and has exceptional skill in building relationships and training.  He cares about coffee quality as well as the quality of life for the farmers.  Eko currently lives in Salatiga with his wife, Novi.  He enjoys karate and playing soccer in his spare time.

Stein (“Stane”) – Roaster / Cafe Sales

Stein is from Manado, in North Sulawesi, and has been a coffee lover for years. A friend of his introduced him to Bright Java in 2018, while he was working as a barista. In 2019 he joined the Bright Java team, hoping to learn more about coffee from the production stage all the way to roasting.  He has a passion for roasting and making coffee, and teaching others how to do it.  In his free time he enjoys playing sports like soccer and badminton.