QUALITY
Developing Quality
After some years of trial and error, our Shwe Yi Mon coffee cherries started blooming and pods came out. I was very happy and thought my dreams of being a coffee producer and exporter had come true.
I was wrong and felt very frustrated because there was no market for our coffee. We, and all Myanmar Arabica coffee growers had to sell to local buyers at very low prices. We felt disappointed and lost our hope.
Although we were in the coffee industry, we didn’t know details about developing high quality Arabica. We processed our coffee with our own methods but not properly. The quality of green beans was inconsistent and low as we picked coffee cherries unevenly and some were still green and unripe. We didn’t process it systematically.
We had no knowledge, no information, no technology, no advanced machinery, no facilities, and no market linkages.
All coffee growers were working separately. We didn’t know how to assess quality, how to taste, how to process to get high quality, and so on. I came to understand that we needed teamwork and group discussions to work together to push up our coffee Industry.
Industry Changes
In 2014, the Myanmar Government allowed us to form an association. I organized coffee farmers and other stakeholders and established the Myanmar Coffee Association (MCA).
I led MCA as Chairman with the aim of raising farming livelihoods and to grow awareness of Myanmar coffee in the world market. From zero to hero.
From 2013–19, I actively led MCA’s cooperation with Winrock International [development INGO] to develop the Myanmar coffee industry and the quality of its coffee beans. I was eager to participate.
After five years as Chairman of MCA, I stood back and am now a patron, giving advice as necessary.
At the same time as establishing MCA, I set up Mandalay Coffee Group Co. Ltd (MCG) as a Managing Director with other coffee estate farm owners, roasters, traders, café owners and stakeholders.
We started a coffee washing station (CWS) and nursery to process coffee cherries from all our farms. MCG coffee quality became high and consistent.
In 2015, we had a great opportunity with the USAID-funded Winrock Value Chains for Rural Development (VCRD) Project to develop value chain projects. We learned systematic ways to grow, process, store, roast, and brew coffee.
VCRD pushed the Myanmar coffee industry to make a dramatic change. We became capable, skillful people in specialty coffee from tree to cup. Specialty Myanmar Arabica truly transformed from zero to hero.
My dream to sustainably develop Myanmar specialty coffee with consistent quality was a team effort of MCG members and USAID support. MCG specialised in standardised quality with a focus on specialty grade and international markets.
Our group can now support all Arabica coffee farmers in Myanmar to make sustainable incomes by growing specialty grade cherries and beans.