Sawbwa Coffee in Shan State: from Poppy to Coffee

Myanmar: a nation of abundant natural resources. Rubies, oil and gas, and teak all spring to mind when the Southeast Asian country is mentioned. But in recent years, Myanmar has been producing a significant amount of arabica coffee, driven by newcomers like Sawbwa Coffee. Learn more about the Arabica, Liberica, and Robusta beans.

Made in Myanmar

Unlike other coffee businesses in Myanmar and even the region, Sawbwa wants to be one of the few ventures that promote 100% Myanmar blends to those residing in the country. The company was founded in 2018 by Jason Brown and Samuel Foot, a pair of coffee-loving “borderline hipsters” (in Foot’s words) who hail from the UK. With Sawbwa, the duo is trying to avoid relying on blends that use imported beans from South America or Africa. Instead, they aim to put an emphasis on the flavour profiles of particular communities by offering the finest and most interesting choices that are very obviously from Myanmar, yet have the body of darker international coffees. Most of Sawbwa’s beans are grown in the fertile, hilly region of Shan State. Their focus is on single-origin beans, and their coffee consists entirely of specialty grade (84+) arabica. [caption id="attachment_6258" align="alignnone" width="1600"]two coffee farmers spreading coffee beans to dry them under the sun Sawbwa works with farmers in the hilly region
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