Village / farm: Pha Yar Gyi Kone (part of Shwe Taung Thu Association)
Varietal: Red Catuai
Processing: Natural
Altitude: 1323 masl
Region: Southern Shan State
District: Ywangan
Season: 2019
Sourced by: Indochina
In the Ywangan district of Myanmar, a new association of 18 communities of coffee producers called Shwe Taung Thu (meaning 'golden farmer') have come together since May 2018. Their goal was to provide leadership, finance, technical assistance and market linkages for its members. Working with partners Winrock International and the CQI, the project aims to support small holders to switch to high value specialty coffee from lower value commercial grade coffee, previously promoted as an alternative to opium production as well as other riskier livelihoods such as mining.
Each of the 18 communities has its own working group which is responsible for managing the processing of the coffee within each village. The focus is exclusively on producing dry naturals - the climate and terroir is particularly suited to this process, with very dry heat during the harvest season providing excellent conditions for drying. Also, dry naturals do not need the high-tech machinery or water that is required for washed coffees, making this processing method implementable at a community level.
Pha Yar Gyi Kone is one of two natural processed coffees Indochina have purchased directly with Shwe Taung Thu. Named after the village in which the coffee is grown which comprises of 200 Danu households, the production of the coffee is managed by a core group of around 25 members. This group has donated some of their profits to the local school as well as invested in more drying tables.
This is an exceptionally clean and bright natural processed coffee, which really reflects the community's meticulous attention to detail and dedication to producing the best quality coffee possible.