Indigo Mountain was founded in 2017 by 44 farmers from 7 villages by farmers in Hopong, Shan State, Myanmar who were motivated to transition from poppy to coffee production. In 2018, with the assistance of Winrock International and USAID, the group expanded and became Indigo Mountain Company. In 2021 there are 51 farmers from 7 villages growing a total of 75 hectares of coffee (in all of Hopong, there are around 452 smallholder coffee farmers who have planted ~600 hectares of coffee between 2014 and 2021.)
Indigo Mountain's vision is to improve the livelihoods of PaO farmers through the production of high quality coffee. Their objectives are: to provide sustained markets, access to finance, and quality extension to their members. Atlas started importing coffee from Indigo Mountain in 2021. With meticulous processing, we find the flavor profiles of the Indigo Mountain communities to be similar to the dried naturals we cup in Ywangan (about 2 hours east of Hopong): tropical fruit, red berry, dried fruit notes, and juicy acidity.
A few key benchmarks in Indigo Moutain's history include:
-2017/2018: Bant Sawk and Long Hay communities start producing specialty coffee, and the communities of Ngo Chee, Htan Hpa Yar, and Toke Sauk supply fresh cherries (but do not process).
-2018/2019: Nawng Sam Phu, Ho Hwayt, and Mong Nwet communities build drying stations and begin specialty coffee production.
-2019/2020: Hti Kham community builds a drying station and begins specialty coffee production.
-2020/2021: Khan (coffee producer) builds a drying station and begins specialty coffee production.
Coffee Stats:
- Town/Region: Hopong, Shan State, Myanmar
- Ethic tribe: PaO
- Elevation (masl): 1,100-1,600 masl
- Coffee-producers: 51 farming families
- Coffee varietial(s): S-795, Catimor, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon
- Estimated total annual volume (2021): 240 x 60kg bags
- Communities: Bant Sawk, Htam Pha Yar, Hti Kham, Ho Hwayt, Long Hay, Mong Nwet, Naung Sam Phuu, Khan (producer)
All photos courtesy of Indigo Mountain