Why Southeast Asia? Why Myanmar?
When I first met my wife, we were living on opposite coasts and she was constantly traveling internationally for work. We were rarely ever in the same time zone. In 2016, she took a field assignment for her company in Myanmar (then referred to as Burma). I had been living in San Francisco for four years and, at the time, was working as the general manager of Locanda, Delfina’s sister-restaurant in the Mission. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to travel throughout Asia for a year (and it’d be nice to be in the same time zone with her, my then girlfriend, for more than a few days). In Myanmar, I finally had free time to lay the groundwork of what would become Nilaa Coffee three years later.
‘Nilaa’ is Burmese for ‘sapphire’, and the nickname I gave my wife when I was studying Burmese. Nilaa Coffee is a testament to the Burmese people, their rich history and culture and their perseverance to overcome military rule. The beautiful Shan highlands are home to Myanmar’s (also known as Burma) burgeoning coffee industry. These high altitude (1,100-1,400 MASL) farms lie on red volcanic soil and offer the ideal growing conditions for specialty coffee. We source our beans from this amazing region in Myanmar and other places in Southeast Asia; and we work with and learn from these amazing farmers who support their families and communities by producing world class coffee and other agricultural products.
In addition, though, Myanmar (Burma) has a rich and exciting history dating back centuries. Just a few hundred kilometers to the west from the Shan State is Bagan, a city in the central Myanmar state of Mandalay. Bagan, the former capital of what is now known as modern-day Myanmar, is home to more than 2,000 ancient temples – most of them built some 800 years ago between the 11th and 13th centuries. During that time-period, the region was home to the Bagan kingdom and their rulers, the most notable of whom was King Anawrahta. By the late 13th century, however, earthquakes and Kublai Khan’s invasion had ended an era. Archeologists and historians say some 4,500 temples once stood in this region.
Lucky for us, half of the original temples are still standing! In 2016, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook the region and damaged hundreds of already fragile structures that were almost a millennium old. Some of the damage is still visible; however, it does not take away from the awe and beauty that this 21-square-mile region radiates. Bagan really encapsulates the Burmese peoples’ rich history and culture.
Frankly, it’s one of the most untouched ruin sites in the world, tourist-wise (although there has been a great deal of concern regarding the military government’s potentially inauthentic restorations). With Bagan, you can witness history, religion and architecture without the usual mobs of tourists you have to deal with at sites like Machu Pichu, Ankor Wat, Tulum and more. A visit to Bagan will be filled with magic, beauty and awe; and it is a great opportunity to reflect on ancient times and archeology.