Beyond Fair Trade

“A rich and resonantly detailed account of an unlikely partnership that enabled the hard-working tribespeople of a remote coffee-growing village in Thailand to emerge from poverty and obscurity to success in the refined new world of fine coffee.” —Coffee Review

A multi-faceted, inspiring narrative of a coffee company whose practices have redefined the concept of fair trade.

The Akha hill Tribe of Thailand has a long, tumultuous history. Politics, economics, and land development consistently worked against the Akha’s desire to move away from their dependency on opium production and create a stable future for their children. That all changed in 2006 when prominent businessman John Darch met with entrepreneur Wicha Promyong. Their meeting resulted in the establishment of an equal partnership business venture that goes beyond fair trade: the Doi Chaang Coffee Company. Beyond Fair Trade tells the story of the growth of this unique partnership, its successes and challenges, and the people behind it.

Mark Pendergrast is an independent scholar and the author of several books, including Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World.

"There are a number of players in the deeper parts of the coffee world who recognize that Fair Trade, although a wonderful beginning, is just that, a beginning. Doi Chaang is the refined model to which all coffee folk in a better world aspire—Doi Chaang is where the bar is presently set—the absolute gold standard for good.” -Todd Carmichael, Coffee Sourcer and Founder of La Colombe.

"Mark Pendergrast has written an extraordinary book about how a poverty-stricken hill tribe in a remote village in Thailand became internationally famous for its coffee, and how a Canadian businessman and Thai entrepreneur helped make that happen.” -Pisan Manawapat, Thai Ambassador to Canada

"I celebrate the story of Doi Chaang in Thailand as a force for change. I believe that through trade justice, communities like Doi Chang and world markets can meet and thrive together.” -Tom Smith, Executive Director of Fairtrade Canada

"Pendergrast narrates the inclusion of an out-of-the-way place into a global trade for boutique, ethically sourced coffee. The story of the Doi Chaang Coffee Company helps conscientious coffee drinkers envision more equitable ownership models that go beyond fair trade.” -Sarah Besky, author of The Darjeeling Distinction: Labor and Justice on Fair Trade Tea Plantations in India, Winner of the 2014 Society for Economic Anthropology Book Prize

"A rich and resonantly detailed account of an unlikely partnership that enabled the hard-working tribespeople of a remote coffee-growing village in Thailand to emerge from poverty and obscurity to success in the refined new world of fine coffee.” -Coffee Review

Beyond Far Trade does an admirable job of tracing the evolution of the Doi Chaang Coffee Company and showing how corporate social responsibility can be part of a successful business strategy. I am proud to see the publication of the story of this Canadian company’s strong commitment to its local community, to Canadian values of decency, fairness and opportunity, to genuine fair trade—and, of course, to great coffee.” -Philip Calvert, Canadian Ambassador to Thailand

Beyond Far Trade is the extraordinary story of how the traditionally illiterate hill tribes in a small mountain village in Thailand overcame warlords, opium production, deforestation and poverty—all through coffee and help from Canadian entrepreneur John Darch and Thai visionary Wicha Promyong.” -Julie Angus, author of Olive Odyssey

"For barista lifers, amateur anthropologists, agro enthusiasts, sustainable development students and homesteading hipsters attempting to roast their own green beans, Mark Pendergrast’s Beyond Far Trade is biblical." -Vancouver Sun

"...a well-written, insightful account ...Beyond Far Trade will appeal to environmentalists and entrepreneurs interested in following sustainable business practices as well as students of social history and economics.” -Publishers Weekly