Mong Nwet Village

As one of the earliest communities to join Indigo Mountain co-op in 2019, farmer families in Mong Nwet have come to trust the dependability of specialty coffee over the years—first during the COVID-19 pandemic and now in the years since Myanmar’s 2021 military coup. The village is tucked away slightly lower in a high-altitude valley (see map below), so Pa-O farmers here also produce other cash crops including avocado, ginger, turmeric, and cheroot leaf, which are renowned here in the making of Burmese cigars.

The name Mong Nwet translates to “Close to the River” and is also located not too far from a number of other long-established Pa-O villages. This includes the Bant Sawk community, which sits opposite the mountain peak east of Mong Nwet, and was the village that kicked off Indigo Mountain co-op in 2018. Keen to support an enduring model for local residents transitioning from poppy farming to specialty coffee, Mong Nwet is now a growing part of this close community across the Pa-O Self Administered Zone in Shan State. 

About the origin:

  • Elevation: 1,337masl (4,386 ft)

  • People: Pa-O

  • Head farmer: Nang Tin May Oo

  • Producer families: 30

  • Location: 20.6758325, 97.2600102

About the taste:

  • Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

  • Processing: Dry Natural

  • Average drying: 13-17 days

  • Stand-out flavor notes: Blueberry, tamarind, and milk chocolate

  • 2024 availability: SOLD OUT 480kg (8 bags)

 

The people

As the tale goes, there was once a Weiza, or supernatural being, and a Dragon Mother who laid three eggs — one of which gave birth to the ethnic Pa-O people.

Today, the Pa-O make up the second largest ethnic group in Shan State. Their men and women are famous for their eye-catching turbans, which bring to life their fabled origin story. Pa-O women wear colorful headdresses to resemble the form of their Dragon Mother while Pa-O men drape theirs to the side to mimic their Weiza Father, whom many believe their people are all descendants of to this day.  

Their community, however, is not originally from this mountainous region of Myanmar. They fled here nearly one thousand years ago after their coastal homeland, in modern day Mon State, was conquered by the Burmese Kingdom. Three hundred miles away in the Shan Hills, the Pa-O started a new life, bringing Buddhism and their strong traditions with them.

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