Chiang Rai - More coffee!
We ended our trip to the north in Chiang Rai. We looked at more coffee sources and left with a tentative agreement to work with an existing ministry there to export a small shipment of coffee in the near future. The plan is for our foundation to be involved in a limited capacity (like a middle man to handle funds, etc.). This will give us some income, but will not divert our focus from Bangkok/Samut Prakan. Our partners in Chiang Rai will handle sourcing and quality control.
We had several good meetings with friends there and spent a lot of time discussing contextualization and development issues. We also bounced up the rough road to the top of Doi Chaang and visited a coffee farmer.
Here is the small coffee co-op that is one possible source of green coffee beans for this venture. There is a group of approximately 30 farmers that produces roughly 200,000 kilograms of coffee per year.
Our host served us coffee that was grown, processed, and roasted right there on the mountain.
He also grows macadamia nuts. Here they are still on the tree. After the nut ripens it falls off the tree and the green hull splits open. Inside is a very hard shell, with the eatable part inside of that. I understand now why they are so expensive! I bought some to bring home and the kids love them - especially since we have to pound them with a hammer!
At the top of Doi Chaang (Elephant Peak)
On our last morning there we visited a tea processing plant. We got a tea brewing/pouring demonstration and sampled a variety of teas. The ministry we're working with in Chiang Rai already grows tea and is looking for new markets, so the business group is also investigating possibilities for helping with that.
I came home tired out but excited about what we had seen. It was very encouraging to travel with this group and to see more of what is already happening in this part of the world. We certainly saw some of the challenges of combining business and ministry - but we also saw the potential.
-Tom