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Not only is coffee production down due to too much begun bringing in coffee from other countries despite their own nano lots (very small, specific lots) for their cafés.
rain, but coffee processing and drying have been affected high import tariffs. Katisomsakul explained that roast- “In Thailand,” he says, “it’s like a circle. So we drink, we
as well. Katisomsakul told me that, “It’s raining differently ers have started importing coffee from Colombia or understand, we know, we go back to the farmer. And all the
and the coffee cherry didn’t come out exactly like it was Ethiopia because they can’t source enough Thai coffee, cafés here in Thailand, they love being on the farm.”
before. When you have a lot of rain, a lot of humidity, you and the prices are now similar, even though in the past Jordan echoed this sentiment. “The coffee growing/
cannot control the drying if you do it outside.” Thai coffee has been much more affordable within the consuming culture here allows for a very good feedback
In order to adjust to the changing weather, Thai country. He told me, “We would buy maybe US$3 a cup system. Since most of the coffee produced is consumed
producers are implementing drying and processing tech- for Thai coffee and $5 for Colombia coffee, but now it’s locally, and a large percentage of farmers deal directly with
niques that give them more control over the end result. the same. $5 for a cup of coffee from every country.” or like us, are also the roaster, the consumer has the op-
Katisomsakul explained an LTLH (low-temperature, Through price fluctuations, Thai producers still have portunity to directly affect the coffee production. This
low-humidity) style of coffee drying where producers one advantage over those from other countries: proximity allows for processing trends to be adopted and adjusted
seek to control the temperature and humidity as the cof- to their customer. very quickly in response to consumer demand and taste.”
fee dries. This process requires more indoor space than As an agricultural product, coffee trees take 3-4 years to
many producers have, plus energy to power machines for A Circular System of Supply and Demand start producing. And fermentation and processing tech-
temperature and humidity control, thus increasing the niques might take months to a year from initial experi-
costs of production further. Thailand has a unique opportunity as a geographical- mentation to evaluating the results. The proximity of
The reduction in volume and increase in produc- ly small country that consumes most of its coffee domesti- consumers to roasters and, more importantly, producers
tion costs has led to an overall increase in the price of cally: the opportunity for the farmer and roaster to work allows for quick pivots and speedy adjustments in a world
Thai coffee, making coffee more expensive for the together. Katisomsakul told me that roasters will go to the where preferences are changing at an ever-increasing pace.
roaster/café and end consumer. Some roasteries have farms in the north to visit, talk with the farmers, and create
Consumption Shifts – From Tea to Coffee

Traditionally, Thailand’s beverage of choice has been
tea, brought to the country four centuries ago from China
- long before coffee. Even today, tea drinking remains
prominent in Thai culture in large part because a majority
of adults in Thailand identify as practicing Buddhists which
is closely associated with tea drinking for its use in med-
itation, for its ability to clear the mind, and as part of the
religious ritual and tradition. As a centuries-old cultural
and religious practice, tea drinking is difficult to replace.
However, coffee has been gaining popularity in recent
years, with coffee consumption in Thailand doubling be-
tween 2009 and 2019. Jordan mentioned that in the early
to mid-2000s, “There was not much of a specialty coffee
market in Thailand. There were a few coffee shops, but
mostly they served pretty dark roasted iced espresso-based has exploded in recent years, many thanks to the COV-
drinks.” Then in 2013, the Specialty Coffee Association of ID-19 pandemic.
Thailand (SCATH) was formed. “More and more people
were discovering specialty coffee and many coffee shops The Specialty Coffee Boom
across the country began looking past the standard sweet
iced espresso, and expanding their offerings to include Specialty coffee in Thailand existed before the pan-
pour-over and cold brew,” Jordan told me. demic, but demand for high-quality, differentiated coffee
In recent years, consumption trends have surpassed has skyrocketed in Thailand in the last few years since the
previous predictions. Currently, Thai people drink around lockdown. Katisomsakul was one of these specialty coffee
300 cups of coffee – both specialty and commodity grade - converts at the beginning of the COVID quarantines. Previ-
per year on average (only about half the amount as people ously, he had only known coffee as many Thai people do - an
from many European countries), and consumption con- instant powder that mixes with water. But a friend gave him
tinues to grow at an average rate of 15% a year in Thailand. some whole coffee beans, encouraged him to grind and brew
Much of this growth is due to large international compa- them, and what he tasted changed his life. It was a “blowing
nies like Starbucks, as well as big domestic chains like Doi mind moment, like, why does this coffee taste like a red
Chaang and Café Amazon. However, the specialty market cherry?” he says.

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