In honour of the 2023 International Coffee Day (ICD), Café Amazon, Thailand's foremost coffee house chain under PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc. (OR), is uniting with coffee enthusiasts worldwide to share their passion for this beloved beverage. They are also committed to continuing their support for the millions of coffee farmers and all those involved throughout the entire coffee supply chain.
Aligned with OR's vision of "Empowering All toward Inclusive Growth," Café Amazon has long championed a model promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) while fortifying the sustainability of the coffee industry. Café Amazon is dedicated to playing a pivotal role in helping the coffee industry adopt sustainable, responsible, and inclusive practices in coffee farming and workplaces, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for everyone engaged in the entire coffee value chain—covering production, trade, retail, and coffee service. This ambition aligns with the spirit of the #CoffeePeople campaign jointly initiated by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the 2023 ICD, which seeks to advocate for a safe and healthy working environment within the coffee supply chain.
An Innovative Coffee Brand from Thailand
Established in 2002, Café Amazon initially served coffee to customers within PTT Station networks. In 2012, Café Amazon elevated the coffee-drinking experience with its "Green Oasis" hospitality and ambiance, offering customers a space to meet, relax, and savour their distinctive aromatic signature coffee blend along with a variety of beverages and snacks. Over time, this coffee chain evolved into OR's franchise business, experiencing rapid expansion beyond fuelling stations and into various high-traffic commercial spaces, including local marketplaces, department stores, shopping malls, office buildings, and university campuses.
With a continuous expansion strategy to meet growing customer demand, Café Amazon has grown to become the world's 6th largest coffee chain in terms of the number of outlets, boasting over 4,400 branches across 11 markets in Asia. In 2022 alone, Café Amazon served a staggering 357 million cups of coffee and beverages to customers worldwide.
Café Amazon has consistently broadened its product offerings to adapt to changing consumer behaviours. With the increasing trend of home coffee roasting, they now offer a wide array of Café Amazon drip coffee bags and coffee capsules, allowing consumers to enjoy the convenience of freshly brewed coffee at home. Additionally, the recent launch of Café Amazon ready-to-drink products has made it easier for coffee enthusiasts to grab a bottle of coffee on the go at nearby convenience stores.
Evolving with an Inclusive Growth Model in Mind
OR has introduced new outlet formats to cater to evolving consumer needs, including Café Amazon concept stores that incorporate local design trends while maintaining environmentally friendly standards. They have also installed solar rooftops to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as part of the Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (TVER).
Furthermore, the Café Amazon for Chance project exemplifies OR's commitment to social and environmental responsibility by providing underprivileged and senior individuals with opportunities to work as baristas at Café Amazon locations. In addition, OR has expanded its collaborations with companies in which it has invested to develop new products and services, such as grab-and-go healthy food and snacks, integrated coffee makers, coffee equipment maintenance services, and parcel drop-off and pickup services at Café Amazon outlets.
Development of a Sustainable Coffee Production System
OR actively supports the cultivation of high-quality coffee beans through sustainable natural resource conservation systems in Thailand. To date, this support has contributed significantly to the approximately 5,800 tons of coffee beans that OR purchases annually for use in Café Amazon operations.
The green coffee beans served at Café Amazon are sourced domestically to support local coffee growers. OR has partnered with local coffee farmers to initiate research and development efforts aimed at establishing sustainable coffee farming practices in Northern and Southern Thailand. They seek to internationalise local Arabica and Robusta coffee bean production according to the Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) standard.
In 2023, OR launched a sustainable coffee farming project in Mae Jam District, Chiangmai, with the aim of supporting hilltribe farmers in creating a sustainable source of income through coffee harvesting. This project also contributes to land use efficiency, the expansion of green spaces, and the promotion of a healthy natural environment in hilly areas. The project introduces a Fair Trade scheme, ensuring local farmers receive equitable prices for their coffee beans, encourages shade tree cultivation for increased income opportunities, and promotes single-origin coffee farming in the area to create new specialty coffee from Mae Jam.
Café Amazon Chiangmai Milling Plant has been established in Mae Wang District to directly purchase Arabica coffee berries from farmers in the northern region. These berries are then processed into high-quality green coffee beans before being shipped to Café Amazon's roasting plant for the production of its signature roasted coffee products, which are distributed to Café Amazon outlets across the country. Additionally, an agricultural training centre has been set up to serve as a learning hub for local farmers, enabling them to enhance their knowledge and skills in coffee planting, production, and processing to meet sustainability coffee standards.
Recently, OR has partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in a knowledge exchange program to promote and support the expansion of coffee growing areas by adopting an integrated farming system for coffee and other crops. This initiative empowers coffee farmers in the northern and southern provinces of Thailand to increase productivity and income through sustainable coffee cultivation while improving the volume and quality of coffee production in line with international standards.