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About the Producers
Regional name & History
As the second highest-elevation community in the Shwe Taung Thu co-op, Ga Naing Yar’s name pays homage to both its location and the abounding nature that surrounds it. Ga Naing translates directly to ‘forest,’ while Yar means ‘upper’– and the village is nestle right in the middle of this remote forest. The only thing higher is the over-1,760-meter mountain peak towering above. Prominent landmarks are a common choice for village names across Shan State and Myanmar as a whole. Old or new, before modern roads and smartphones connected many of these mountaintop villages, these isolated settlements had to distinguish themselves from their neighbors; and with its location high above most other communities, the name Ga Naing Yar was and remains the perfect fit.
The People
As the tale goes, there was once a Weiza, or supernatural being, and a Dragon Mother who laid three eggs — one of which gave birth to the ethnic Pa-O people. Today, the Pa-O make up the second largest ethnic group in Shan State. Their men and women are famous for their eye-catching turbans, which bring to life their fabled origin story. Pa-O women wear colorful headdresses to resemble the form of their Dragon Mother while Pa-O men drape theirs to the side to mimic their Weiza Father, whom many believe their people are all descendants of to this day. Their community, however, is not originally from this mountainous region of Myanmar. They fled here nearly one thousand years ago after their coastal homeland, in modern day Mon State, was conquered by the Burmese Kingdom. Three hundred miles away in the Shan Hills, the Pa-O started a new life, bringing Buddhism and their strong traditions with them.
About Shwe Taung Thu co-op | Ywangan, Shan State, Myanmar
Shwe Taung Thu farmers association now includes 18 communities—and is growing. Scattered across the Ywangan Region of Shan State, Myanmar, Shwe Taung Thu became the country’s first registered community-based specialty coffee producers association in May 2018. Today, their co-op is the country’s largest producer of dry naturals with 70% of their producer members being women and serving around 400 members total. Pesticides are prohibited in Ywangan Township, so residents and smallholders produce coffee in an organic style. While it is not yet formally organic certified, this is something we’re working on with Shwe Taung Thu and Sawbwa Coffee to formalize in the coming seasons.
Processing
Average drying: 20-30 days (first number for warmer days later in harvest, second number for cold days at beginning of harvest)
Smallholders within the Shwe Taung Thu co-op harvest ripe cherries early in the morning, and all cherries are then brought to collection depots in each individual village. Deliveries are meticulously inspected, graded and sorted — and only fully ripe cherries (between 95%
ripeness levels and above) make it onto raised drying beds. Each lot is separated by day and, after slow drying is complete to ~12% moisture levels (between 16-30 days depending on the village altitude), they are sent across town to Amayar Women’s Processing Facility in Ywangan for further wet and dry milling.
Price
This coffee was purchased through Pink Headed Duck, a Single-origin importer in Myanmar.
The FOB price for this lot was $5.20. [FOB price is the total price of the coffee up to the point of departure from the country; it includes farmgate/price paid to the grower, in-country transportation, and the cost of processing and preparation for export. It does not include the price of freight to the US, US warehousing, US customs charges, or the cost of moving coffee with the US.]
During the harvest season from October through May, the New York C price for coffee was an average of $3.39; the $5.20 FOB price for this coffee includes a significant premium for the farmer above the C market price, which reflects the excellent quality of this coffee. After being imported to a warehouse in the consuming country, the United States, the coffee cost was $7.32/lb. The cost of the shipping from the warehouse to our roastery made our final green price $7.50.
Avg. C Price (at the time of harvest): $3.39
F.O.B Price: $5.20
Ex-Warehouse: $7.32
Final Green Price: $7.50
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