Beyond Fair Trade
How One Small Coffee Company Helped Transform a Hillside Village in Thailand
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
The author of Uncommon Grounds offers “a rich and resonantly detailed account of an unlikely partnership” that redefined the concept of fair trade (Coffee Review).
The Akha hill Tribe of Thailand has a long, tumultuous history. Politics, economics, and land development consistently worked against the Akha’s desire to move away from their dependency on opium production and create a stable future for their children. That all changed in 2006 when Canadian businessman John Darch met with Thai entrepreneur Wicha Promyong.
Their meeting resulted in the establishment of an equal partnership business venture that goes beyond fair trade: the Doi Chaang Coffee Company. Beyond Fair Trade tells the story of the growth of this unique partnership, its successes and challenges, and the incredible people who made it happen.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pendergrast (Uncommon Grounds) offers a well-written, insightful account of Thai entrepreneur Wicha Promyong and Canadian financier John Darch's efforts to establish the Doi Chaang fair trade coffee brand in an equal partnership business between Darch's Vancouver company and a co-operative of Thai farmers. Though different in temperament and background, they were united in their goal of improving the living conditions of Akha hill tribes in Thailand. Promyong understood the need for Akha farmers to find an alternative to cultivating poppies for opium production. Rather than growing traditional crops such as tomatoes using toxic pesticides, he suggested Doi Chang farmers cultivate high-quality organic arabica coffee beans using natural methods. If the beans met organic fair trade standards, they could charge a premium price. He met Darch in 2006, and the following year Darch launched the Doi Chaang Coffee Company after making a risky leap to purchase four containers of Doi Chaang green coffee beans for per pound, well above the base price of a pound for fair trade coffee. This book, which charts the idealistic business venture's uphill climb to success will appeal to environmentalists and entrepreneurs interested in following sustainable business practices as well as students of social history and economics. Photos.
