Local java establishment strives to end poverty in Thailand

Americans consume over 400 million cups of coffee a day, which means each individual drinks about three cups per day. That equates to over 1,000 dollars a year spent on caffeinated beverages.

With all that money being spent, imagine if the funds could be used to create global changes and transform lives on the other side of the planet. That’s what Lanna Coffee Co. is all about.

Lanna Coffee Co. is a local coffee shop that keeps thousands of Thailand villagers out of poverty. Their main establishments are located in Fresno County, but they also have locations in Tulare County and San Bernardino County.

It all started with two people, Richard and Marlene Mann, who visited Thailand in 1959. As they continued to learn more about the Thai highland villages and their oppression of the drug cartels and human traffickers, the Mann’s wanted to find a way to free them from this.

The family started the ITDP (Integrated Tribal Development Program), an organization that helped bring the northern part of Thailand out of poverty. ITDP created a project that took the coffee beans the Thai farmers made, and in return provided more money and opportunity for the farmer.

Lanna Coffee Co. decided to work alongside ITDP to purchase the coffee and further help the growth of the program. 25% of the profits of Lanna are donated to help other Thailand projects, such as clean water, education, and healthcare.

Bryan Feil, the current CEO of Lanna Coffee, joined the company in early January of 2015. In doing so, he took the direction of Lanna to a new and exciting place. By focusing on rebranding Lanna and continuing to cast the vision of how the business can change lives in Thailand, Feil created an opportunity for the company to flourish locally and in other areas of the US.

”I love being able to offer a product that not only tastes great and brings people a lot of joy, but that also creates clean water for villages in Thailand,” Feil said. “Every transaction that we make has the ability to change lives, and it’s fun and exciting to be a part of that. Our goal for this company is to continue to bring products to the stores here in Fresno that people love, and can feel great about changing the world for those in Thailand.”

The coffee beans are grown from the catimor plant, between 3600 to 4300 ft in the northern province of Thailand. The beans, or cherries, that grown on the tree are either red, orange, or yellow.

The beans are cleaned and washed by moving them into tanks of water. The smaller and more defected beans are removed, ensuring quality throughout the entire process.

The seeds then stay in the tanks for one to two days to ferment. This helps clean the beans even more and allows good bacteria to take over.

The beans are dried by laying them on outdoor bamboo drying beds, then raked and rotated around to get an even amount of drying to all the beans. In the final stage, the beans are stored, then they are ready to roast for coffee.

From light artisan roasts with distinct floral tastes and a hint of sweetness to dark french roasts with vanilla undertones and a lingering nutty finish, Lanna provides coffee that meets each person’s preferences.

Lanna is not only passionate about helping people in poverty but providing their customers to a superior coffee experience. Their coffee is created with a low acidity level that offers a gentle flavor without the burnt bitter aftertaste.

The Well Community Church considers this factor when using Lanna’s coffee. Layla Granata, the Connections Director for The Well, loves the fact that the church supports a company that changes lives.

“We feel that we are stewarding our money well when we put it toward a company like this,” Granata said. “We are happy to use a coffee that doesn’t only stand for something great but tastes great too. But most of all, I love that even though Thailand is thousands of miles away, it’s still a place we hope to see the Gospel expand to.”

Lanna also gives people the opportunity to volunteer at their store. One student, Cohl Obwald, ’21, reached out to the coffee shop and helped them roast and package the beans.

“One time they needed help making boxes so we had a competition to see who could make the most in thirty minutes, and that was super fun,” Obwald said. “What I enjoyed about volunteering at Lanna was that the people there are very nice and love volunteers. They also make really good cappuccinos.”

When considering the amount of coffee consumed by the general population, imagine the impact that could be made if money was transferred from word wide chains, and centered around local companies that help impoverished people around the globe.

If Lanna Coffee Co. sounds interesting, check out their story.

To discover how the Thai people make the coffee bean you find in Lanna coffee, check out the whole farm to cup process.

This author can be reached via twitter: schultz_kamryn and via email: Kamryn Schultz.