Oat Twin Village

Located directly east of Ywangan town, the homebase of Shwe Taung Thu co-op and Amayar Women’s Processing Facility, Oat Twin entered Myanmar’s specialty coffee community as one of the original members of Shwe Taung Thu co-op. Ever since, it’s carried on as a community with an amazing women-led leadership team that works on processing and QC with all smallholder farmers, who grow an average of 1/2 acre of coffee trees per family.

Coffee has also become Oat Twin’s top cash crop, with family farms mostly growing the Catuai variety. The community, led by Daw Ma Lar Khaing (orange shirt in above cover photo) now provides for over 350 producing members in the village, with the village nestled up at the edge of some higher mountains where most family farms are located.

About the origin:

  • Elevation: 1,299masl (4,261 ft)

  • People: Danu

  • Head farmer: Daw (Ms.) Ma Lar Khaing

  • Producer members: 350

  • Location: 21.179124, 96.511323

About the taste:

  • Varieties: Catuai

  • Processing: Dry Natural

  • Average drying: 15-20 days

  • Stand-out flavor notes: Basil, chocolate, and dried apricot

  • 2024 availability: SOLD OUT 300kg (5 bags)

 

The people

The mountainous areas around Ywangan and Pindaya towns make up the ancestral homeland of the Danu people—and together they form the Danu Self-Administered Zone in Shan State.  This Zone is also home to the Shwe Taung Thu co-op and each of Ywangan’s coffee-producing villages.

The name Danu comes from Pali, the sacred language of Theravada Buddhism, and translates to “archer,” referring to the awesome legend of Prince Kummabhaya and the Pindaya Caves. Among the stalactites and stalagmites high on a limestone ridge, the Prince famously used his bow and arrow to rescue seven princesses trapped in the caves by a giant spider. They carry this heroic story with them through the Danu name, which also underpins the spirit of their language and centuries of distinct customs born from this mystical region.

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