Mae Suai District
Chiang Rai, Thailand
Sirinya Coffee is family-run specialty coffee farm, roastery, and coffee shop based in the mountains of Chiang Rai province, led by Oil and Goh Chaosuwanwilai. Sirinya is born out of a commitment to the communities of Doi Chang, as well as stewardship of the land and constantly striving for excellence in all aspects of coffee. Opium was grown here for over 100 years, before government / NGO initiatives encouraged them to grow coffee instead. Poppy cultivation here dropped so significantly from the mid 1980s to the extent that Thailand is seen as a successful model for alternative development.
Whilst these farmers have been successfully growing coffee for over 40 years, Goh and Oil share their knowledge and expertise in all aspects of specialty coffee production, starting right from the beginning with the quality of the soil and organic farming methods through to the final processing. For the coffee farmers they work with, introducing these additional steps can elevate their very good coffee to specialty grade, and with it, commanding much higher prices and access to new markets.