Coffee is primarily grown in the Mandalay District, especially around Pyin Oo Lwin Township, and in Shan State, around Ywangan Township. The typical harvest season runs from late November to March, during Myanmar’s dry winter period. The coffee, grown at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 meters above sea level, is usually exported from April to October.
Due to the lack of water resources, Myanmar processors tend to focus on Natural processing. However, estates have also started producing Fully Washed and Honey processed coffees to meet international demand. The main coffee varieties include Catuaí, Catimor, SL28, SL34, S795, and Gesha. Smallholders in Shan State typically have between one and two acres of coffee in their backyards, while farms in Mandalay start at five acres, with estates in the district reaching up to 400 acres.
The New Kids on the Block
Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the largest country in Mainland Southeast Asia and still relatively unknown to many coffee drinkers as a producing country, despite growing coffee since 1885. The specialty coffee scene in Myanmar is relatively new, primarily because political issues have hindered the country’s entry into the global market. It wasn't until 2014, when industry veteran Rick Peyser wrote about Myanmar in Roast Magazine, that the country's coffee began attracting specialty buyers' attention.
That same year, American non-profit Winrock International and the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) started a Value Chain Rural Development project in Ywangan, Shan State, funded by USAID. This project included training in farming practices, processing techniques, and quality control. It also helped fund wet and dry mills with equipment to produce high-quality coffee.
From village markets to global sales
Before these developments, farmers in Shan State sold their coffee unsorted and manually pulped using a pestle and mortar in their villages at what was known as the “five-day market.” This market rotated between villages on different days of the week, with local traders buying coffee and other goods like macadamia nuts. Traders then crossed the border to China and Thailand to sell the coffee again, resulting in low prices for farmers.
Though the five-day market still exists, coffee farmers have significantly improved their quality and now have additional channels for selling their products. Local cherry prices have soared, rising from 300 Myanmar kyats per viss (1.63kg) in 2014 to 3,700 MMK per viss in 2023.
Clean Naturals with careful processing
What makes Myanmar coffee unique from a sensory perspective is its post-harvest processing. Producers and processors have embraced CQI’s training to such a high level that Myanmar’s coffee has become truly distinctive. When it comes to processing, they produce extremely clean Naturals, comparable to those from Panama, according to former CQI staff.
Variety and terroir also play a role. The Catuaí varieties grown by most smallholders have good potential for quality. Additionally, the dry and sunny harvest season makes the drying process straightforward.
Algrano and Myanmar
Algrano has been in contact with producer groups and exporters in Myanmar since 2021. They were onboarded to the platform after a request to open markets for Myanmar coffee from the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property. The Myanmar-Swiss Intellectual Property Project (MYSIPP) started in 2020 to establish the region of Ywangan, Southern Shan State, as a geographical indication. The initiative has been on hold since 2021, when a military junta took control of the government.
Specialty coffee production is a legacy of Myanmar’s democratic period and continues to grow despite recent troubles. Producers are keen to keep innovating and selling coffee to roasters is another step in this big project.