Myanmar Green Land

Green Land Coffee Plantation, established in 1999 by U Sai Wan Maing after he sold his rubber plantation, is situated in Pyin Oo Lwin (formerly Maymyo). This picturesque hill town, known for its botanical gardens and colonial architecture, provides an ideal setting for coffee cultivation.

Nestled within the Shan Plateau at an altitude of 1,150 metres above sea level, in eastern Myanmar, the plantation forms part of the Indo-Malayan mountain system. The distinctive orange-red flowers of the erythrina tree, which naturally enrich the soil with nitrogen, are a common sight and are crucial for healthy coffee growth.

Green Land is one of Myanmar's largest coffee farms. Starting with 30 acres, it rapidly expanded to 450 acres, now boasting over 580,000 coffee trees within the first three years. The primary coffee variety grown is locally referred to as "Costa Rica," although it is actually Catimor from Costa Rica. SL34 makes up approximately 10% of the farm's production, and U Sai Wan is also experimenting with Yellow Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai varieties.

In some areas, excessive shade is hindering the production of high-quality coffee, and older trees are beginning to show signs of rust. These areas are currently the focus of improvement efforts. On average, one acre yields around 300 kilograms of green coffee. However, the macadamia trees, which provide shade, produce a crop that is more economically valuable than the coffee itself.

The farm employs 15 full-time workers, with this number increasing to 100 during the harvest season. On a typical day, around 50 workers are present. Basic wet and dry milling facilities are available on-site, but the farm prefers to utilise the more specialised equipment of the exporter, Mandalay Coffee Group, for processing.

CRAFTSTACK™ is our remastered sourcing and sustainability programme.

We only work with high-grade 100% Arabica beans that meet our strict standards. We can pinpoint exactly where our coffee beans come from and who produces them and we always pay our fair share. It’s only right.

We set standards, make change, and spearhead a fair and transparent approach to coffee. One that builds genuine relationships, rewards quality, and ripples across the wider coffee community.

We’ve set quality foundations and defined expectations for our green coffee partners, established a ‘lens’ that filters our coffee selections, and made commitments to make change as a result.

We prioritise smallholdings and those farms striving to do better. We form long-term relationships, and repeat-purchase harvests to support our producers.

Continued cooperation, harvest-to-harvest makes us all better, bonded. This is the way we forge forward. Progress made, but there’s still more to do.