For PT Bentang Alam Sumatera (PT BAS), essential oils are not just aromatherapy oils sold in small bottles on supermarket shelves. From its base in Medan Selayang, the company actually markets eight commodities at once: essential oils, coffee, kitchen spices, and aromatic resin from the forest — each with its own origin, character and set of buyer requirements.
Patchouli, or Pogostemon cablin, is the commodity most closely identified with PT BAS. Its leaves and stems are dried, then distilled into what the international market knows as patchouli oil. Its woody, earthy, warm and long-lasting character makes it a favorite as a base note in perfume formulas. The supply chain is built together with farmers in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra, with a network centered on the Blangkejeren area of Gayo Lues.
Alongside patchouli, PT BAS also offers Arabica and Robusta coffee from the highlands of Sumatra. Its Arabica coffee carries an aromatic character, lively acidity and balanced body — a profile that can be tailored for roasters or single-origin products, depending on the origin and specifications of each lot. Robusta, meanwhile, brings a bolder taste, fuller body and strong crema, a character usually sought for espresso and commercial coffee blends. Both types are supplied through the same agribusiness network across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra.
There are also two types of lemongrass that look similar at a glance but actually come from plant groups with different functions. Citronella grass yields citronella oil through the distillation of Cymbopogon leaves, with a fresh citrus-herbal aroma commonly used in fragrance, home care products and insect-repellent formulas. Culinary lemongrass, or Cymbopogon citratus, is the one more familiar in the kitchen, used as a seasoning for soups and curries and as an ingredient in herbal tea. Within PT BAS’s network, citronella grass is grown in Blangkejeren and Besitang, while culinary lemongrass is centered in Besitang, in Langkat Regency.
Cananga and vanilla round out the portfolio on the fragrance and food side. Cananga flowers, or Cananga odorata, grown in Besitang, Langkat Regency, have a strong, sweet, warm and slightly woody floral aroma — the raw material for cananga oil sought by the fragrance industry. Vanilla, or Vanilla planifolia, goes through a curing process that turns its green pods dark brown, yielding a sweet, creamy, warm and complex aroma that is fought over by the bakery, confectionery, beverage and premium fragrance industries.
Perhaps the most unexpected item on this list is benzoin, an aromatic resin from trees of the Styrax genus that grow in the forests of Tapanuli, North Sumatra. Several varieties are known there, from Toba benzoin and bulu (hair) benzoin to durame benzoin. Once dried and sorted, the resin carries a balsamic, sweet, warm, woody aroma with a hint of smokiness when burned. Besides its use as incense, benzoin also has a long history as a fragrance and aromatic-extraction ingredient — a commodity that extends PT BAS’s portfolio into non-timber forest products.
Ultimately, these eight commodities reflect a strategy that does not rely on a single type of product. Essential oils, coffee, kitchen spices and non-timber forest products each have very different market characters, but they all rest on the same foundation: clear provenance, consistently maintained quality, and a traceable supply relationship.
Source: Compiled from PT Bentang Alam Sumatera’s product mapping documents and the PT Bentang Alam Sumatera 2026 profile.