10 - Chatchai Organic Coffee Farming - Thailand 2025

Chatchai Kabu’s Coffee Farm
Originally residing in Ban Aeko, Tham Lod Subdistrict, Pang Mapha, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. I relocated and officially registered my residence in Ban Doi Phak Kut, near the Ban Yam border. This move was made under the Royal Initiative Project of Her Majesty the Queen Mother in 2011.

Upon settling in the new area, I coordinated with military personnel overseeing the project and with land development officers to establish a coffee plantation. They assisted me in preparing the land by terracing the slopes and planting vetiver grass along the terraces to prevent soil erosion.

In 2011, I introduced my first coffee crop by planting approximately 1,500 Arabica seedlings of the Catimor variety, using seedlings I had sourced myself. Out of these, around 500 plants survived. In 2012, I acquired and planted about 200 seedlings of the Typica variety, provided by the district and provincial agricultural offices.

Building on this foundation, I cultivated an additional 2,000 Typica seedlings in 2013, which I had originally propagated in 2011. Thereafter, I continued expanding the plantation by adding between 1,000 and 2,000 coffee trees annually.
As of now, the plantation comprises approximately 3,000 mature coffee trees, with some trees already in production and others still in their early stages. In total, the plantation includes an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 coffee trees, most of which are now over 10 years old.

In 2013, I began the process of installing support poles for the plantation. An official from the Royal Project has since visited and provided guidance, and the process of obtaining organic certification for the coffee plantation is currently underway.

Fertilizer and Soil Management Practices
To support sustainable farming and soil health, I utilize the following types of fertilizers in my coffee plantation:
1. Natural green manure within the plantation
2. Animal manure, including buffalo, chicken, and sheep manure, as well as fermented coffee husks and ashes
3. Bat guano pellets