In a quiet cafe in Surabaya, the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifts through the air – a far cry from the sulphur and smoke that once defined Umar Patek’s past.
“Before, I was known for something that hurt the world,” he told This Week in Asia. “Now I have chosen a different path.”
Patek was once one of the most wanted men on the planet for the role he played in the Bali bombings that left hundreds dead over two decades ago.
Now, the convicted bomber is brewing something else entirely: peace, he says – and a second chance.
He plans to unveil his new coffee business, “RAMU Coffee 1966 by Umar Patek”, on Tuesday in the Indonesian city of Surabaya, in a symbolic departure from the years he spent on the run, in hiding and behind bars.
Now, I am brewing flavours and brewing peace
“Now, I am brewing flavours and brewing peace,” he said, seated at the Hedon Estate cafe that will be the first to stock his beans, sold both whole and ground. “Before, bitterness used to destroy, now [the] bitterness [of coffee] heals.”
