Diverse Agriculture – Developing Quality Robusta Coffee Seeds in Loei Province to Meet Premium Market Demand

Loei province coffee has recently gained recognition for quality equal to northern Thai coffee, spurring higher market demand. To further develop coffee bean quality, a recent competition was held at Noob Coffee shop near Loei Rajabhat University to identify premium robusta coffee from local farmers, with over 20 entries submitted.

Deputy Governor Prayoon Aranyarut and Loei Commerce Official Nakorn Butdiwong, along with the Loei Agricultural Office, attended the competition and invited Q Graders (certified coffee quality assessors) from Nan province to evaluate the robusta samples.

The competition aimed to give farmers detailed insights into their coffee quality and valuable recommendations for development, helping them achieve international standards. Experts evaluated green bean quality through Green Grading—a process of sorting and inspecting physical characteristics to prepare for roasting and taste evaluation—as well as Cupping, a professional tasting method to analyze and score various quality aspects. All evaluations followed strict international standards to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Phuvanaad Charoenratanakul, a specialty coffee expert and selector from Ban San Charoen Special Coffee Club in Nan province, revealed findings from evaluating the 20 Loei coffee samples. The team found that Loei coffee has excellent potential, with good soil and flavorful foundations, but identified two areas for improvement: (1) Processing methods remain limited and conventional, preventing distinctive flavors from fully emerging, and (2) Farm management issues, including inconsistent tree care and plantation maintenance, affect bean quality.

Experts recommended three development strategies: (1) Process Innovation—exploring diverse processing methods like Honey Process and Natural Process to create unique flavor profiles; (2) Better Farming—improving soil care, pruning, and selective harvesting of fully ripe cherries to ensure consistent, superior taste; and (3) Flavor Sustainability—maintaining quality long-term through proper care and processing to build farmers' strong economic foundation.

Deputy Governor Prayoon stated that while current coffee demand is high, Loei's supply remains insufficient. Statistics show Loei coffee has strong future potential as an economic crop, though production capacity still needs expansion.