This may be the first time you've heard of Thai coffee, and it's even rarer to hear about the place called Omkoi, a small district in the south of Chiang Mai, surrounded by high mountains.
Twenty to thirty years ago, Omkoi was cut off from the world due to its remote location, meaning this area remained untouched by people, allowing it to flourish agriculturally. Anything can be grown here. It was once one of the largest opium-producing regions, but that era ended, and farmers had to seek alternative crops for a living.
Then, a little girl made a significant impact by introducing coffee to Omkoi. Her name is Sopa, the legendary woman who transformed Omkoi into the land of coffee, producing some of the highest quality Thai coffee known as specialty coffee today.
Sopa has been with Omkoi since the first coffee tree was planted in the village. She has dedicated her life to coffee ever since. Starting her career by growing and selling coffee beans in 2008, she faced rejection due to the quality of the coffee. Determined to improve, she experimented with different processes and began submitting her coffee to Thai coffee bean contests. It took years of dedication, but eventually, she achieved first place in the Thai coffee bean contest after five years of relentless effort.
Now, Sopa has established Sopa’s Estate, one of the largest coffee processing stations in northern Thailand. Not only has Sopa grown personally, but she has also given back to the community by creating a coffee testing station, serving as a small café where farmers, big and small, can roast and taste their coffee in Omkoi. Having witnessed Sopa's greatness myself, I can attest that her passion for improving Thai specialty coffee beans is truly inspiring.
Newbery Street Coffee Roasters is proud to present and roast Sopa’s Estate coffee and share her story in the land of the dream. Sopa dreamed to be an ambassador as a kid, wishing to travel the world. And I hope we could bring her on a journey to America one day to share her story with us, the audience in greater Boston.