Myanmar (also known as Burma) was isolated from the world by the miltary-run government for several decades in the 20th century. Following democratic reforms in 2011-2012, the country began to open its borders enabling opportunities for economic growth in areas such as tourism and agriculture.

Coffee was first brought to Myanmar in the late 1800s by British missionaries and was initially grown in the southern regions of the country. In the 1930s, missionaries introduced Arabica coffee in Pyin Oo Lwin (Mandalay State) where it thrived, but commercial production stagnated after the British left in the mid-1900s. Since Myanmar re-opened its borders, the coffee industry has seen tremendous growth with investments and education from private entities and non-governmental organizations, and, in less than five years, Myanmar has emerged as an origin for some of the most unique specialty coffees in the world.

The Source

Mandalay and Shan States produce the majority of Arabica coffee grown in Myanmar, but increasingly Kachin, Chin, and Sagaing are also producing coffee. Total Arabica production is estimated at 5,000-6,000 MT annually in Myanmar. Robusta coffee continues to be grown in the southern states and regions.

The weather in northern Myanmar is steadily rainy during the growing season and typically dry and sunny throughout the harvest season, which provides excellent conditions for drying. The mountain ranges offer warm daytime temperatures and cool nights. The fruit of the coffee plant here is allowed to slowly mature, developing sweetness and acidity: two hallmarks of a great coffee. With the right climate and a high altitude (about 1,300-1,500 meters above sea level), specialty coffee can and does thrive here.

Harvest occurs from late December to April, with late summer/early fall arrivals of green beans in the US.

The Producer

Large estates dominate in Mandalay and northern Shan, where Arabica was first introduced, and typically have the resources to grow, harvest, process, and export their own beans. Ruby Hills is a 60-acre farm spread across 7 mountains in Mogok, Mandalay, run by Thiha Gyawalie, a third-generation farmer. Since 2015, he has shifted his family farm into the specialty coffee sector and has been experimenting with processing and fermentation techniques.

Smallholder producers, however, are more prevalent in southern Shan where more than 30 ethnic groups or tribes make up the population . These farmers own small plots of land (usually less than a hectare) and do not have the same access to processing facilities and equipment as large estates. Therefore, there are two general ways in which these farmers process their harvest:

1) Sell to private processor: Some smallholder producers sell their cherries to a larger producer or processor firm. The processor uses its own equipment to produce washed, honey, and dry naturals, and exports under its own export license. They use the highest quality cherries to produce dry naturals. and may set aside a community’s beans as single origin. They use other high-quality cherries for wet processing, mixing cherries from multiple communities because the wash process does not retain unique characteristics.

Ywangan (meaning “salty village”) is about a three-hour drive from Mandalay city. It has just one paved road running through it, and yet it is also the center of one of the most up-and-coming specialty coffee regions in Southeast Asia. It is the hub for smallholder coffee production in Shan State with 75 percent of an estimated 14,600 households growing coffee as their main source of income. Some producers from the communities here sell their coffee cherries to a processor firm which then process and export the beans. Our Ywangan Villages coffee was processed by the Mandalay Coffee Group (MCG) based in Pyin Oo Lwin.

2) Join community-based association: Other producers may join a community-based association whose objectives include maximizing profits for smallholder members over the long term. These associations are similar to “cooperatives” that may exist in other countries, but operate slightly differently because cooperatives are not permitted in Myanmar. Producers from within the community pool their resources to establish the processing facility and contribute labor to production. The association enlists export services of other companies and sells directly to a green bean importer or domestic buyer on behalf of its members. The association charges a fee to its members to facilitate market linkages and uses a two-step payment scheme to manage risk. First, the association pays members and associates the prevailing market price for cherries (differentiated based on quality) and later provides a second payment tied to realized profits.

The communities of Mya Paw Saw, Pa-Ya Gyi Kone, and Da La Pin are examples of a small, self-sufficient village that grows, harvests and processes their own coffee. After harvest, each community pools its resources to dry and ship their coffees. Villagers (primarily the women), spend most of their day meticulously raking and turning these beds of cherries to ensure they dry evenly, creating a clean cup of coffee full of brightness and fruit notes. Shwe Taung Thu (meaning “the golden farmer”) is the local community-based association that assists with technical support, funding and logistics for shipping and exporting.

The Bean

Varietals: Catuai, SL-28, and SL-34 are the predominant varietals cultivated by communities in and around Ywangan. Catuai was created in 1949 in Brazil by crossing yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo and is a common varietal in Latin America. It’s a highly productive cultivar that can bear yellow or red fruit cherries. Its relatively small stature allows it to be planted closer together, creating a higher planting density, and allowing for more efficient harvesting of the cherries. While flavor notes will vary by origin and processing method, this varietal has a natural sweetness that may result in notes of honey, caramel, and/or spices.

SL-28 and SL-34 are varietals commonly found in East Africa, particularly Zimbabwe and Kenya, respectively. These plants are taller in stature and well-suited to high altitudes. SL-28 demonstrates a resistance to droughts, while SL-34 grows best in areas with good rainfall.

Washed: Washed coffees make up the vast majority (95%) of coffee production and are primarily produced in Mandalay. These coffee cherries are sorted, pulped, and washed within 48 hours of harvest to separate the seed and produce the coffee bean as we know it. Staff lay the beans out to dry in the sun meticulously raking and turning every hour to ensure even drying. Because of the extra water used to “wash” these coffee beans before drying, they tend to have more balanced flavor notes.

Dry Natural: Shan State producers are almost exclusively smallholders and produce natural-processed coffees. Following a more traditional method of processing coffee, these coffee cherries are sun-dried on raised beds for 14-25 days. In each individual community, dozens of locals take shifts working at their respective drying facility. They sort cherries, organize them on beds, then rake and rotate them for even drying. There is so much care and effort put into their work, and it shows in the coffees. This drying process yields coffees with expressive and juicy fruit tones.

The terroir produces dry naturals that are unlike any other country and express flavor notes that differ from one community to the next .

Sustainability

Myanmar’s specialty coffee was born out of a USAID-funded project, managed by Winrock International, with the objective of increasing productivity and profitability of smallholder coffee producers in Myanmar. Winrock provided pre-harvest training and post-harvest processing assistance to the farmers, introduced new technologies and techniques, stimulated private sector investment, and helped their products meet quality standards. After just a single harvest, the project helped transform these crops from inexpensive commodity-grade coffee to more profitable specialty coffee, and with each new year, there were remarkable improvements in cupping scores and coffee quality.

Among a sample of 19 communities in the Ywangan Township, the Winrock project found that in 2018, the free-on-board (FOB) price of their coffee averaged $3.59/lb - more than double the fair trade minimum . Many farmers elected to re-invest the profits into their local communities. The Mya Paw Saw community used some of their profits to develop a piping system that delivers clean drinking water to every household in the village and also generates hydroelectric power from their abundance of water. The Pa-ya Gyi Kone community reinvested to make improvements to their processing and production and donated a porton of their profits to the local school.

While coffee is the main source of income for some, smallholder farmers often supplement their incomes with other crops like banana, jackfruit, avocado, tea, oranges, ginger, chayote and djenkol beans. They use the fruit trees, as well as silver oak trees, to provide vital shade to protect the coffee plants from direct sun. Though not certified organic, most farms are passively organic with some using organic fertilizer such as cow manure and compost.

The production of natural-processed coffees is ideal not only because of the climate and terroir of Shan State but also for its simplicity. The dry naturals method uses simple, labor-intensive practices and technologies that avoid complex operations and maintenance requirements, maximizes employment, and does not produce wastewater nor require significant water resources.

Washed coffee production requires infrastructure, technology, and energy and produces significant wastewater. Large estates and processor firms, like Ruby Hills and Mandalay Coffee Group, may produce both dry naturals as well as washed coffees. Recognizing the environmental impact of the washed process, the Mandalay Coffee Group recycles the water used to wash the cherries so that it can be treated and re-purposed for use on the farms for irrigation.