If you had trekked through the misty mountains of Northern Thailand sixty years ago, the air wouldn't have smelled of roasting beans. Instead, you would have seen the vibrant, dangerous red of the poppy.
Before Thailand became a world-class specialty coffee origin, the "Golden Triangle"—the rugged intersection of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar—was notorious for a different reason. It was the heart of global opium production. For the hill tribe communities like the Akha, Hmong, and Karen, the poppy wasn't just a plant; it was the only cash crop that could survive the steep terrain and poor infrastructure.
But opium brought a cycle of poverty, illegality, and forest destruction. The story of how this landscape shifted from white poppies to red coffee cherries is one of the most successful agricultural transformations in history.
The Royal Visit that Changed Everything
In 1969, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) hiked into the remote village of Doi Pui in Chiang Mai. He sat on the ground with the local farmers and listened. He learned that a specific variety of peach tree was already earning some families more than opium ever could.
The King’s realization was simple but revolutionary: “We must give them a crop that earns more than opium, but protects the forest.” He didn't order the poppies to be burned; he offered a better path. He put up 200,000 baht of his own funds to start the Royal Project Foundation, a research initiative to find high-value, sustainable crops for the highlands.
Why Arabica?
The researchers tested over 150 crops—strawberries, peaches, flowers, and even macadamia nuts. But Arabica coffee was the "Golden Ticket."
- Elevation: Arabica thrives at 1,000–1,200 meters, exactly where the opium was grown.
- Logistics: Unlike fragile strawberries, dried green coffee beans are sturdy and easy to transport down narrow mountain trails.
- Environment: While poppies required "slash and burn" farming, coffee trees thrive under the shade of the forest canopy, actually encouraging reforestation.
By the mid-1970s, the first Arabica seedlings—heirloom Typica and Bourbon strains—were being carried up the mountains in backpacks.
The Legacy in Your Cup
Today, when you drink a cup of coffee from Doi Saket or Doi Chang, you are tasting the legacy of that transition. Many of the roasters on Kafener still work with the children and grandchildren of those original farmers who swapped their poppy hooks for pruning shears.
What began as a strategy for national security has evolved into a culture of excellence. Thai coffee is no longer just a "replacement crop"—it is a global competitor.
Taste the history. Explore our Northern Thai Roaster Collection and find a coffee matched perfectly to your taste profile.