About us

Your sanctuary to reconnect with nature.

Our Story


The Portibi Farm is set on 14 hectares of land in West Java, Indonesia, just 1,5 hours south of Jakarta.

We started the farm on an old clove plantation in 2004. At the time it was somewhat of an experiment — how can we help turn back the tide of deforestation and create a sustainable way to educate others to join in the process? Today, we evolved into a sanctuary that offers an escape from the city back to nature, surrounded by beauty and with delicious organic food and fun activities to boot!

We are a working organic farm, harvesting salad greens and vegetables which we use in our kitchen and which we also supply to restaurants in Jakarta.This is an attempt to make one place in the world, better, a non revolutionary way of improving a bit of our Earth with what we have around us.

We started this farm because we think that there are a lot of good things from the past that are in danger of slipping away. Indonesia has a wealth of nature, flavors, cultures, and craftmanship, but because it too often devotes itself to supplying outside interests al avery base commodity level, often people also look outside for inspiration/role models, and thus much that is good, from here, is in danger of eroding away. So we try, on this farm, to create a place where in the rural mountains, away from the big modern messy magnet city, some of the best of the local past can be fairly applied with proper touches of modern technology. By staying here, you are helping in the preservation of rural farming lifestyles, and by eating our food and squatting over the crops with our team, you will be appreciating them for what they do, while you learn where good food comes from, and what it takes to make it.

Our Values

  • Resourcefulness & Sustainability

    We use resources wisely, reduce waste, and protect the environment by using local materials, recycling, using renewable energy, and managing waste through composting and recycling.

  • Simplicity & Efficiency

    We prioritize simplicity and efficiency to be more ekologikal, reduce mistakes, and encourage creativity and innovation in our design, operations, and decision-making processes. Simplicity & quality materials, are our key strategies, in the kitchen & when building.b

  • Community Engagement & Fairness

    Nearly all our employees are from the local area, trained from scratch. We value honesty, fairness, and community development, treating our employees well, working closely with the local community, and creating opportunities for locals to thrive in their hometowns. Sharing, gratitude, and maintaining a positive atmosphere are key aspects of our approach.

  • Traditional Values

    We are open to all cultures, genres & genders, so long as they are kind, but we prefer to take a step back from the rush to modernity. Farming, crafts, arts, real books, slow food, conversation, are all becoming increasingly scarce today, we are here to support these endangered values.

Our Principles

At Portibi Farm, we act on a set of principles which we hope will have a lasting effect on the world around us. We know there’s still a ways to go, but together with our team we strive to continuously improve how we operate our farm and our eco-lodge. ​

  • Electricity

    We minimize the need for electricity by having cross ventilation and natural kirai roofing that insulates us from the heat of the day, which means we don't need air conditioning. All our guest houses are solar powered to lower our electrical load and to help our guests understand how much energy they use day-to-day.

  • Waste Management

    We prioritize sustainability at every step of our operation. Our ingredients are sourced locally, using minimal packaging to reduce waste. Menus are adjusted based on guest numbers to minimize food waste, with any excess fed to our farm animals or composted. We craft our packaging from bamboo and banana leaves, and reuse plastic containers as seedling pots or in building materials. Waste is meticulously sorted into organic, dry packaging, and wet categories, with a focus on reducing waste overall. We also utilize pruned wood from our growing forest for BBQ, offering unique flavors like suren, clove, and jackfruit wood.

  • Building & Construction

    Our buildings are constructed with a strong emphasis on sustainability and minimal environmental impact. We use recycled or sustainably harvested timber, and for every cubic meter of wood purchased, we planted 10 trees during the construction phase. The main house area features recycled teak from Cirebon, while the lodges were originally built in Central Java decades ago and have been reconstructed with added glass to enhance natural lighting. We avoid unnecessary elements of modern house design, such as plafon, lis plank, and excessive lighting, opting instead for a more minimalist approach. Our light fixtures are crafted from leftover boards, and our fences are made from repurposed security window bars. Additionally, many structures are built using salvaged clove trees, further reducing our environmental footprint.

  • Water Usage

    We have a conservation agreement with Mount Halimun and Salak National Park which means our fresh water spring design feeds into the creek that runs by our property. The rainwater and grey water in the main house also feeds back into a reservoir that can be used for irrigation during the dry season.

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  • Community Development

    We work directly with the local community as a fair and transparent employer. Our staff is truly local -- half of our employees live walking distance to the farm, and in fact, we designed our operations to provide village workers with a local opportunity to earn a good living without having to merantau (to leave home in search of work)/work in Jakarta.