18–22 July
I went to Chiang Mai with a loose plan and a rough idea: find green beans, bring some home, see what happens. I came back with 13kg, a few new contacts, and more stories than I expected from what was supposed to be a quiet sourcing trip.
Day 1 — Settling in
No rushing on the first day. I stayed close to the hotel, got my bearings, and made a short visit to Hillkoff — the kind of place that supplies almost everything a roaster or café could need, from equipment to green beans. More of a scouting stop than a buying one, but a good way to start.
Phupanna Cafe Exterior
Phupanna Green Bean – PHU 541
Nine One Organic Coffee Farm
Skugga Green Bean
Day 2 — Out east
This was the real sourcing day. First stop was Nine One Coffee, an organic farm where I picked up 1kg — lovely beans, but pricier than I expected, so I kept it small. Next was Phupanna, the farm I’d actually planned this whole trip around. I wanted more, but with the flight home in the back of my mind, I settled on 5kg — already worried about how much I could realistically carry back to Malaysia. Last stop of the day was Skugga Estate, better known for chocolate than coffee. I wasn’t expecting to find green beans there at all, but they had some, so I grabbed 2kg just to try.
Phupanna Cafe
Nine One Organic Coffee Farm – Bean Pricing
Skugga Green Bean
Bosco Cafe selling roasting machine
Day 3 — Up the mountain, and a bit of luck
I drove up toward the mountains near Chiang Mai, half-hoping to stumble onto more farms. A few cafés along the way had no idea where to source green beans — but one pointed me toward Yodi Cafe. Turned out Yodi roasts their own too, and once I mentioned I was a roaster as well, something shifted. They ended up sharing 1kg of beans they’d sourced from a local farmer — not something they’d normally sell, but a roaster-to-roaster kind of gesture. The mountain itself didn’t really have a green bean supplier to speak of, but while checking the map later, I came across a roaster called Karen selling green beans. A quick message, a short drop-by, and I left with another 2kg.
Day 4 — A day off
Just food and wandering around Chiang Mai. No beans, no plans — sometimes a trip needs a day like that.
Day 5 — One last stop
Before heading to the airport, I swung by Hillkoff again and picked up a final 2kg.
The total: 13kg
Different farms, different elevations, different processing methods — every bag from this trip will roast a little differently, which is exactly the point. Some of it was planned, some of it happened because a café owner decided to be generous, and some came from a random name on a map. That’s the story behind this batch of beans, and it’s why no two bags from Basic Roastery will ever taste quite the same.
