Akha Ama Coffee

Overview

Lee Ayu Chuepa — born to Akha hill-tribe coffee farmers in Maejantai village, Chiang Rai — founded Akha Ama in 2010 as a community-owned social enterprise after his parents reluctantly gave him 2,000kg of beans to experiment with. That same year his village's coffee placed at the SCAE World Cup Tasters Championship in London, putting Thai specialty on the international map for the first time. The operation now supports more than 300 farming families across four provinces, operates two Chiang Mai cafes (the Old Town Phrasingh location and the La Fattoria branch), and roasts at its own Akha Ama Living Factory.

Known for

• First Thai coffee to compete internationally (SCAE 2010)
• Community-owned social enterprise model
• Founder Lee Ayu Chuepa — Akha hill tribe member, TEDx speaker
• Direct sourcing only from indigenous Thai farming communities
• Akha Ama Living Factory roastery

Why it matters

Akha Ama is the rare specialty operation that genuinely flips the producer-roaster relationship: founded by a coffee-farming family, run as a community enterprise, sourcing only from Thai indigenous communities. It's a reference point for what producer-led specialty can look like, separate from how that label gets used elsewhere.

Production

roastery location

Akha Ama Living Factory, Chiang Mai

Café

Phrasingh, Rachadamnoen Road, Chiang Mai (Old Town)

Sources

• https://www.thailandnow.in.th/interviews/brewing-inclusive-growth-with-akha-amas-artisanal-coffee/
• https://www.slowfood.com/blog-and-news/empowering-indigenous-communities-through-coffee-the-story-of-akha-ama/
• https://www.vice.com/en/article/ypepyv/meet-the-sustainable-coffee-producer-giving-hope-to-thailands-hill-tribes
• https://www.baristamagazine.com/meet-the-coffee-businesses-fighting-for-a-more-equitable-industry/
• https://www.timeout.com/chiang-mai/restaurants/akha-ama-coffee