Organic Coffee Farming with Masaki Tashiro

What’s it like to work on an organic coffee farm deep in rural China? Masaki Tashiro, a Japanese coffee farmer based in Yunnan, shares his everyday experience tending to a mountain coffee estate with ethnic minority workers, inspecting harvests, and fostering sustainable growing methods—without the use of any chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Masaki walks to the farm—one to two times daily along a six-kilometer path—to check harvested coffee cherries and monitor tree health between September and February, the busiest harvest window for the farm.

Daily Life Among Coffee Trees

Under the shade of a kapok tree in the farmyard, workers gather at a table dressed with a blue-and-white Yunnan batik cloth to enjoy fresh coffee brewed from that season’s crop. Masaki recalls how in February, the fragrant Pyrus pashia (locally known as 'climbing pear' or 'prunus') blooms mix with coffee aromas in the air. This peaceful ritual captures the quiet beauty of farm life at altitude.

Harvest Season & Crop Management

The coffee harvest runs from September to February, the most labor-intensive period on the farm. Because the farm follows organic practices, pest and disease control must be handled manually and organically—no synthetic agrochemicals are used. That means more hands-on care to maintain healthy trees throughout the season.

The Team & Local Traditions

About a dozen workers tend the farm, some living in small houses on the hillside slopes. Many are from the Hmong and Dai ethnic minorities. They wear traditional, hand-embroidered clothing while picking ripe red coffee cherries, vivid against the green rows of coffee plants. These workers also drink a locally foraged citrus-scented herbal tea made from a plant called "orange grass." Grown near the coffee trees, it’s a regional specialty not found in markets. Masaki enjoys drinking it with the workers during breaks. He notes its deep roots enrich the soil naturally and may help young coffee trees resist disease.

Natural Fertilizer & Soil Health

Rather than using raw manure, the farm collects poultry and pig waste, then processes it along with other organic ingredients. The compost mix includes effective microorganisms (EM), coffee husks, coffee chaff, rapeseed meal (from oil pressing), and charcoal fragments. This nutrient-rich blend feeds the coffee trees. Masaki’s wife, Masako, illustrates the composting process with simple cartoon diagrams, making complex biology accessible. Masaki explains that these techniques aren’t just for coffee—they’re part of a broader effort to teach local communities about organic farming.

Youthful Trees & the Next Generation

During the harvest rush, workers bring in baskets of ripe red cherries. Masaki’s daughter, Masako, plays near coffee trees her own height. Her mother tells her each tree is like a friend. Harvest season brings both hard work and joy, all set against the lasting backdrop of coffee aroma.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the organic coffee farm managed by Masaki Tashiro located?

The farm is in Yunnan, China. While the exact village isn’t named, it lies within a mountainous region where ethnic Hmong and Dai people live, and where local flowering plants like climbing pear mix with coffee aromas in February.

What months make up the coffee harvest season on the farm?

The harvest runs annually from September to February. This is when the farm is busiest with picking and processing red coffee cherries.

How does Masaki monitor the farm’s health without using chemicals?

He walks to the farm one to two times per day along a six-kilometer path to check both harvested cherries and the trees’ growth and health status. Since it’s organic, all pest and disease management is manual and non-chemical.

What kind of fertilizer is used on the organic coffee trees?

The farm uses a natural compost blend that includes processed poultry and pig manure, EM (effective microorganisms), coffee husks, coffee chaff, rapeseed meal (oil residue), and charcoal fragments. These are combined as part of a carefully managed nutrient program.

Who works on the farm and what are their traditions?

About a dozen workers, many of them Hmong and Dai ethnic minorities, live and work on the farm. They wear traditional embroidered clothing, harvest coffee cherries, and drink a local citrusy herbal tea made from “orange grass,” which also grows near the coffee trees.

What role do Masaki’s children play in farm life?

Masaki’s daughter, Masako, plays in the fields among coffee trees that are as tall as she is. Her parents teach her to respect the trees like friends, blending family life with farm work during the harvest.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Organic Farm Fans

Try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Huakui for a vibrant, juicy cup with notes of bergamot and blueberry—echoing high-altitude organic farms. For something earthier, their Yunnan Arabica highlights balanced chocolate and stone fruit tones, grown in similar mountainous conditions. Both reflect the care and craft seen on Masaki Tashiro’s organic estate. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.