A much relished but seasonal southern bean, <i>sator</i>, is now available all year round in a dried form which the producer claims offers almost the same taste as freshly harvested beans.
Also known as bitter beans, stink beans or cluster beans, they are usually grown in the southern provinces and harvested from June to August. They are an ingredient in many local dishes and an economic crop in the region.
Eaten raw they have a strong odour which tends to linger on a person's breath.
Conventionally they are pickled or frozen for storage. However, Nakhon Si Thammarat resident Chomnad Sripaoraya spent time working with researchers at Wilailak University on processing the beans in a different way.
With the support of the National Innovation Agency, Ms Chomnad set a goal to develop a product with a long life while maintaining its taste and freshness, and rather unique odour. It took her more than two years to achieve this.
The dried bitter bean marketed under the Chomnad brand was launched in mid-2017. The producer says it will regain its natural quality after being soaked in water for a few hours.
With a limited budget for marketing, Ms Chomnad has used word of mouth in targeting customers, especially restaurants and Thais living abroad.
The market has gradually expanded and she now has a good response not only from Thais living overseas but also in other Asian countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar. It is also available in some states in the US, in South Korea and Brazil, but the market there is still small.
Ms Chomnad wanted to first create awareness of her brand and will soon register her business and develop an export plan. She plans to develop similar dried products utilising other local plants in the near future.