PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc (OR) aims to further strengthen its coffee business by building a coffee centre, dubbed "Amazon Park", in the northern province of Lampang to support its coffee research and plantations in order to serve growing demand in Thailand.
The company recently started working on the conceptual design of the centre and a feasibility study and expects to finalise a budget within the next two months, said Disathat Punyarachun, chief executive of OR.
Amazon Park, which covers 600 rai of land in tambon Kluai Phae in Lampang's Muang district, houses facilities for the cultivation of coffee plants and coffee bean processing.
It will also serve as a coffee research centre to supply quality coffee to the world market.
Mr Disathat said the development of Amazon Park will take around five years.
This centre will support OR's plan to further benefit from the growing coffee market in Thailand.
Demand for coffee beans in the country stands at 80,000 tonnes per year, but the supply is limited to 2,000 tonnes.
Coffee shops under the Cafe Amazon brand alone require 6,000 tonnes annually and the amount is likely to increase every year, said Mr Disathat.
As demand continues to increase, the country many need to import more coffee beans in the future if the number of coffee plantations remains unchanged.
In addition to the plan to develop its coffee business, OR also wants Amazon Park to be a new tourist attraction in Lampang, which is a secondary tourism province, said Suchart Ramarch, president of OR.
This is another way to boost revenue and support the local economy.
Amazon Park is among OR's projects to promote business sustainability, which pays heed to environmental and social development, especially the quality of life of people and communities.
So far OR has expanded its coffee house chain under the Cafe Amazon brand to 4,045 shops nationwide.
The company also has nearly 400 coffee shops across 10 countries in Asia and the Middle East.