@thecoffeemag @suanlahu_organiccoffee @suan_lahu_organic_coffee @suan_lahu @marianna_martinii- Every coffee professional at some point has the dream to spend some time on a farm to understand how coffee grows and finds its way to the cup. I have had many wonderful travels around Asia, so when this thought struck me, I looked for a farm that combined coffee with a more sustainable approach. After months of research, I came across an eco-sustainable plantation, Suan Lahu Coffee Farm run by the Lahu community in their own territory in the mountains between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. The Lahu are an indigenous people residing in the mountainous regions of the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, perhaps best (and infamously) known as one of the largest opium producing areas in the world.
The Lahu have a rich cultural heritage, a distinct language and a history of resilience, balancing traditional customs with modern influences. In Thailand, the Lahu community are forging a reputation for their agricultural skills, particularly in coffee cultivation. Once dependent on subsistence farming and opium cultivation, many Lahu farmers have switched to coffee thanks to sustainable farming initiatives and projects introduced by the Royal family around 1970, initiated by King Bhumibol who wanted to find a way to replace the rampant opium trade. It was a success! To give you some context, in most countries that grow coffee the average age of a farmer is now between 40 to 60 years old with more and more young people moving away from something that does not allow them to earn a decent living. In Thailand, it is the opposite. … zinio.com/za/article/coffee-ma…