How Thailand's coffee industry grew into a specialty contender

A Hmong coffee estate in Nan Province, Thailand, won the 2024 Cup of Excellence with 91.8 points, a repeat championship for the family-run farm. The Wichai Kamnerd Mongkon family has grown Geisha, Catimor, and Java varieties organically since 2012. The result marks another step for Thailand's coffee industry, which has pushed toward specialty production over recent decades.

Thai coffee cultivation began in the late 19th century, when Dutch merchants brought coffee trees from Indonesia during King Rama V's reign. It gained real momentum in the 1970s, when royal projects replaced opium with cash crops in the northern mountains, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Most of the country has a tropical monsoon climate, with average annual temperatures near 27.7°C.

Thailand's coffee industry has been making frequent strides toward specialty coffee in recent years. The 2024 Cup of Excellence (COE) results have been announced, and a Hmong coffee estate from Nan Province has once again taken the top spot with 91.8 points, achieving a repeat championship. This estate, run by the Wichai Kamnerd Mongkon family, is nestled deep in mountainous forests. Since 2012, it has insisted on organic cultivation of Geisha, Catimor, and Java varieties, and after years of dedicated work, it has finally gained international recognition. This article will take you through the historical thread of Thai coffee, the distribution of producing regions, and the unique qualities of this champion estate.

The Asian continent spans three climate zones—frigid, temperate, and tropical—and has diverse geographical conditions, with many countries suitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee is produced in places such as Yunnan in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia.

The origins of Thai coffee can be traced back to the late 19th century during the reign of King Rama V, when Dutch merchants introduced coffee trees to Thailand from Indonesia, but at the time it did not attract sufficient attention.

Thai coffee truly turned a corner in the 1970s. King Bhumibol Adulyadej launched royal projects to replace opium cultivation with other cash crops, and coffee was selected because its growing environment is similar to that of poppies. The projects concentrated coffee cultivation in the mountainous areas of northern Thailand, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, and this has gradually continued to the present day.

Thailand's terrain is high in the north and low in the south, with plains and lowlands accounting for more than half of the country's area. The terrain can be divided into four natural regions: the mountainous jungles of the north, the Chao Phraya River plain in the center, the Khorat Plateau in the northeast, and the mountain ranges extending south to the Malay Peninsula.

Most of the country has a tropical monsoon climate, with the year divided into the hot season (February-May), the rainy season (June-October), and the cool season (November to February of the following year). The average annual temperature is 27.7°C, with extreme highs capable of exceeding 40°C. Average annual rainfall is about 1,100 millimeters, and humidity ranges between 66% and 82%. Abundant natural resources, high-altitude mountainous areas, ample rainfall, and a suitable climate have made coffee one of Thailand's important cash crops.

In recent decades, because Robusta is highly tolerant, easy to grow, and high-yielding, it has been promoted on a large scale in southern Thailand, and production has grown significantly. In recent years, as global demand for specialty coffee has risen, Thailand has also begun to attach importance to the cultivation of Arabica varieties and quality improvement, actively expanding its international influence.

Based on differences in climate and geology, Thailand's coffee-growing areas are broadly divided into two parts, north and south: the northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Lampang are mainly Arabica, while the southern provinces such as Chumphon and Surat Thani mainly grow Robusta.

In recent years, the Thai government has continued to develop new producing areas in the north. In addition to the three main forces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Lampang, Nan Province is also being incorporated into the development map.

Nan Province is located in a remote valley of the Nan River in the north, surrounded by mountains and forests, with the highest peak, Phu Khe, reaching 2,079 meters above sea level. Because of its remote geographical location, its level of development has long been lower than that of other cities, and it has only gradually developed in recent years. Precisely because development has been slow and the original ecology has been preserved, coffee can grow more naturally here.

In 2022, the nonprofit Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) searched globally for high-quality coffee and organized a COE competition in Thailand, while also creating opportunities for local farmers. Since then, Thailand has held COE every year. This year's competition results have been announced, and Coffee De Hmong Biofarm in Nan Province won the championship for the second consecutive time with 91.8 points. The estate also won the COE crown in 2023.

Coffee De Hmong Biofarm in Nan Province is hidden deep in the mountains and forests of Nan Province and is now managed by Wichai Kamnerd Mongkon and his family. Part of the estate was originally forest, while another part was once used to grow crops such as cabbage. Coffee was first planted only in 2012, with initial varieties including Geisha, Catimor, and Java, and organic cultivation has always been maintained. Years of dedicated work finally enabled the estate to take first place in the COE competition.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.