Mr. Roots: What were you doing before you became a coffee farmer?
Chang Pao: I grew up in Ban Mon Jong, Tak province but spent most of my years as a hydraulic engineer in Bangkok. Then I moved to Chiang Mai in 2016. One day I was driving back to Tak and I had a vision of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, he was pointing at an area of forest that I had never seen before. It was a reoccurring dream, I saw this forest over and over – it became my mission to find this particular forest. Eventually, I found this place in Le Tor Glo village and became a coffee farmer permanently.
Mr. Roots: What do you like about this region?
Chang Pao: It’s a place that I found, after years of dreaming and searching for it.
Mr. Roots: How and when did your coffee journey begin? How long have you been a coffee farmer and what makes you want to continue?
Chang Pao: In that dream I spoke about, I saw H.M King Bhumibol Adulyadej blessed the land with something, and that something grew into coffee trees. That’s why I decided to become a coffee farmer. The power of nature and all the beautiful things that the forest provides are the reasons why I can still continue doing what I do. In turn, it means I am able to provide for my family and I get to meet and work with a lot of new people, like Korn from Roots for example. He is such a lovely person, and we enjoy developing the quality of the coffee together. I never thought I’d meet a customer or a buyer who comes back to help at the farm after they had purchase my coffee. I didn’t even know what Roots was back then, but I knew who Korn was!
Mr. Roots: What does coffee mean to you?
Chang Pao: It means forest conservation. By farming coffee, I get to be closer to nature and look after the forest. But more than this, coffee is also a career that can give you a good foundation to support yourself and your family. If you make good coffee, you’ll get a good price.
Mr. Roots: Where do you see yourself in 5 years and what do you think your coffee will be like then?
Chang Pao: I think I’ll still be a coffee farmer and a honey producer. Maybe I’ll expand a little bit into growing cocoa beans and other vegetables.
Mr. Roots: What type of coffee do you like to drink?
Chang Pao: I used to like mild-roasted beans with flavors that aren’t too intense. But now I like the beans to be roasted lightly so that you can fully taste all the notes and aroma in the cup.
Mr. Roots: If you weren’t in the coffee business, what do you think you would be doing now?
Chang Pao: I’ll probably work as a fork lifter until I’m 50-52 years old then maybe head back home and see what other jobs I can find.
Mr. Roots: Is there anything you’d like to tell our customers?
Chang Pao: Everyone who drinks the coffee from Le Ta Glo are helping to conserve the forest of that area and supporting the local villagers to have a better income. I hope the customers will enjoy my coffee for a long time to come!
Feel like trying Chang Pao’s coffee? Click here.
