STT association
Shwe Taung Thu farmers association now includes 17 communities—and is growing.
Scattered across the Ywangan Region of Shan State, Myanmar, Shwe Taung Thu became the country’s first registered community-based specialty coffee producers association in May 2018. Today, their co-op is the country’s largest producer of dry naturals with women making up 60% of their workforce and a community boasting over 3,000 members total.
Noteworthy
Pesticides are prohibited in Ywangan Township, so residents and smallholders produce coffee in an organic style. While it is not yet formally organic certified, this is something we’re working on with Shwe Taung Thu and Sawbwa Coffee to formalize in coming seasons.
Processing methods
Cherries are delivered daily by producers to a central collection depot in each individual producing village. Here, individual lots are inspected, graded and sorted before being purchased for dry naturals processing on raised drying beds. Each lot is separated by day and, after slow drying is complete to ~12% moisture levels, they are sent either to Amayar Women’s Processing Facility or Mandalay Coffee Group for further wet and dry milling.
Available micro-lots for 2024:
Oat Twin - Sold Out 300kg (5 bags)
Da La Pin - Sold Out 360kg (6 bags)
Ga Naing Yar - Sold Out 60kg (1 bag)
Pway Na Phar - Sold Out 120 (2 bags)
Ripening cherries at a farm in Ywangan. Harvest season times up perfectly with Myanmar's cool, dry season from January-April.
The Shwe Taung Thu Headquarters is located in the heart of Ywangan town. This is where the co-op meets and hosts events, trainings and cuppings.
70% of Shwe Taung Thu's producer members are women, and they use their income from coffee production to support their families and children's education.
Ms. Soe Thinzar, pictured here, is the co-op's bright and charismatic Sales and Quality Control Manager - and she's always happy to connect with any international buyers!
A view of the the woman-owned Amayar Coffee Processing Facility in Ywangan, where most of Shwe Taung Thu's cherries are sent for wet and dry milling.
Daw Su Su Aung, the owner of Amayar Processing Facility, is a true leader in Myanmar's specialty coffee industry and holds a special place in Ywangan Township.