A 23-year-old Thai youth with no money and no power brings coffee beans all over the world

Follow the caf é (Wechat official account vdailycom) and found that Beautiful Cafe opened a small shop of its own.

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What can a 23-year-old boy do if he wants to change the world? Six years ago, this was the question that a lot of people asked Ayu Lee Chuepa.

Although Lee does not have a strong background, it is not easy to improve the life and environment of local coffee farmers in Thailand step by step. At first, the coffee farmer questioned his purpose and ability. "there were so many rich people out there who said they would help us, but they didn't do anything. You have no money and no power, why should we believe that you can? "such words go on and on.

Come to think of it, it's true. From Chiang Mai, as a member of the Akha ethnic minority, although Lee's parents are coffee farmers in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, he still does not have enough resources to help him start his career, but he knows very well that growing coffee beans and making money from it are two different things. "the coffee industry has been promoted in Portland, Los Angeles, Seattle and Melbourne to generate good income," he said. Then why are people who are really growing coffee beans so poor? "

Now Lee runs a coffee roaster and two coffee shops, and its business is getting better and better, and its coffee beans have been selected by the European Fine Coffee Association (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe) for three consecutive years. The reason for the success lies in Lee's change to his hometown: about 30 tribesmen are coffee farmers who grow coffee beans that are sustainable and receive high financial subsidies. The staff of the coffee shop are all trained, and some will even open their own business. "I want to be sustainable, self-sufficient and impart knowledge to farmers. Lee said, "the purpose of running a social enterprise is to help farmers. Instead of telling them what to do, listen to their opinions." "

As coffee shops become more and more popular, they gradually form their own cultural characteristics. When Starbucks occupied Bangkok, they were active in northern Thailand, as evidenced by the various local cafes in Chiang Mai. But today's scene is hard to imagine a few years ago, especially when Thais had little confidence in locally grown coffee beans, and the coffee was made with a pile of milk and sugar, no matter how good it was to cover up the bitterness of the beans.

Lee said that in the past, people would say to him, "Thai coffee is terrible!" however, Thailand's tropical climate should be suitable for coffee beans to grow, which may be attributed to poor baking skills and snobbish intellectuals. "they are the ones who admire Colombian, Ethiopian and Costa Rican coffee. I agree that the quality is really good, but have Thai coffee beans done anything wrong?"

In order to prove himself right, he had to join the coffee industry even though he didn't have the top production equipment. "I don't know how to grow coffee beans at all, nor do I know how to produce them! But my parents said to me, "calm down, people haven't seen your ability and determination, you have to prove it to them." so he got 2000 kilograms of coffee beans sponsored by his parents.

I asked them, "if you weren't my parents, would you still help me?" they said, "of course not! What are you thinking? "he said.

In 2010, he sent the beans to the international coffee competition organization WCE (World Coffee Events). A few months later, he received news that he had been selected as one of the 21 coffee beans selected by the European Fine Coffee Association. Lee couldn't believe it. He thought something was wrong. He wrote back and asked, "are you serious?"

Since then, he has been recognized internationally. Andy Ricker, a recipe writer and chef who won the James Beard award, was invited to visit Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a coffee roaster in Portland.

Lee has acquired more advanced technology and applied it to its own business. Now 60% of coffee beans are sold wholesale and the rest are sold at retail. Without a sufficient budget for marketing, he chose the social network and invited people to visit coffee producing areas and learn about the production process, an event held every two years or even months ago.

"locals are always curious about why so many foreigners come to the coffee shop Akha Ama. "Lee took a sip of coffee and said," now people are finally starting to be proud of the local coffee. "

People who believe in "doing the right thing" are always appreciated. Lee not only helps farmers, but also helps push Thai coffee beans internationally, spreading good things layer by layer and transmitting beautiful energy like ripples.