Thailand Doi Pangkhon

Beanspire has overcome significant challenges to produce outstanding coffee. This Thai-only collective is dedicated to working closely with farmers to help them access international specialty markets.

From the exporter:
We’ve been working in Doi Pangkhon, Chiang Rai, for nine years. This region is home to 300 households, each producing about 1–2 tons of parchment coffee. Initially, we collaborated with individual households, purchasing parchment and processing it at our mill. In the 2017-2018 season, we invested in a wet mill run by our partner producers, the Merlaeku brothers of the Akha Hilltribe. This investment gave us more control over the process, enabling us to source cherries beyond just family farms. Over the years, we have continually improved the mill, adding new equipment, expanding drying space, and even building a cupping lab for the farmers.

This natural-processed micro lot was carefully crafted. The cherries were floated to remove defects and dried on bamboo beds, with frequent sorting to eliminate under-ripe and fermented cherries. After drying, the coffee was cured for two months before milling.

Doi Pangkhon’s ideal coffee-growing environment is located at elevations of 1,250-1,450 meters above sea level, just 19 degrees north of the equator. The region’s varieties include Catuai, Typica, Chiang Mai, and SJ133—a hybrid similar to Costa Rica 95. The green coffee underwent a meticulous preparation process, including destoning, hulling, size grading, multiple passes through a density table, and hand sorting to ensure the highest quality.