Thailand
Chiang Rai
Smallholder Producers; Nawin Yaesorkoo; Beanspire Coffee
Smallholder Farms
Catuai, Typica, Chiang Mai, SJ133
Red Honey
December–April
Chocolate, Caramel, Citrus
1350 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
USA - Oakland, CA - Annex - CTI
Nawin Yaesorkoo is one of the most innovative farmers and coffee processors in Thailand, producing coffee at his family farm in Hua Chang and carrying out post-harvest processing at his mill in Mae Suai. Mae Suai is one of the largest coffee growing areas in Thailand, with 500 households of the Akha hill tribe growing several varieties including Catuai, Typica, Chiang Mai, and SJ133. This coffee was grown by the smallholder producers of the Mae Suai area, and processed using a Red Honey post-harvest processing method at Nawin’s mill.
Coffee farming is a relatively new industry in Thailand, and one that is proving to be attractive to young entrepreneurs like Nawin. Thailand’s current coffee history dates back to the 1970s, when an opium eradication project started by the King of Thailand introduced the first coffee trees to areas like Doi Saket. Efforts to reforest degraded land and introduce coffee and other crops to replace illicit cultivations proved extremely successful. Farmers’ mountain properties today are flourishing, with many of the original planted varieties—like Catuai, Typica, and local Chiang Mai which is a cross between SL-28, Caturra, and Timor hybrid—thriving in healthy production.
Mae Suai Red Honey was sourced from our exporting partners in Thailand, Beanspire Coffee. Beanspire’s co-founders, Fuadi Pitsuwan and Jane Kittiratanapaiboon, are part of the young generation moving the Thai coffee industry forward. Thailand is unique as a coffee producing country; the country’s specialty cafe and roaster scene is thriving, and domestic consumption demands regularly outpace the country’s production volume. Only around 5% of Thailand’s specialty coffee is exported each year, while the rest is enjoyed by Thai coffee drinkers. This means that the coffees selected for export by the team at Beanspire are each chosen to share the work of Thai coffee producers with a global audience, providing a glimpse into the growing specialty coffee revolution happening in the country.
Beanspire mill is one of the most advanced in Thailand, with a destoner, huller, and a gravity table for density sorting. Jane and Fuadi have built Beanspire to produce quality from the outset, passing all coffee through density and hand sorting multiple times to ensure quality and uniformity. Coffee is packed in triple layer bags for shipment: cotton bag as outer layer, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) as middle layer, and GrainPro as inner layer. The HDPE bags help maintain moisture content, thus preserving quality for longer. We’re proud to partner with Beanspire Coffee to share this unique lot of coffee with you.
This coffee underwent Red Honey processing. Freshly harvested ripe coffee cherries are first floated to remove any potential defects before being pulped, retaining mucilage on the coffee for drying. The pulped coffee is then laid out in a thin layer on raised beds where it is dried for several days until it reaches 11% humidity. The dried coffee is then milled, sorted, and packed for shipment at Beanspire Coffee’s dry mill.
Chiang Rai is Thailand’s northernmost province in what is known as the Golden Triangle, the intersection of the borders with neighboring Myanmar and Laos. The region’s high mountains were once the epicenter of the country’s opium cultivation and smuggling routes, but coffee, banana, coconut, and pineapple crops have replaced illicit farming with environmentally and socially sustainable alternatives.
The city of Chiang Rai is the largest in northern Thailand, and both the city and the province have a long history of influence from the various dynasties who have ruled Southeast Asia from ancient to modern times. Recent reforestation efforts have restored Chiang Rai’s mountains, and Thailand’s young generation sees the potential of farming quality coffee as a path to success for landholders. Farms are located close to cities and are very accessible; this proximity expedites the transitions between processing stages and provides quality assurance. The country has built a strong reputation for tourism along its coastal beaches and towns, and Thailand’s coffee farmers hope to build Thailand’s next reputation as a savvy producer of fine specialty coffees.
