Chiang Rai’s Doi Tung Coffee Will Now Be Served on Japan Airline Flights

CHIANG RAI – Passengers on Japan Airlines flights from Bangkok will be served coffee from the royal project from Dec 1 under an agreement made on Thursday between the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the Japanese carrier.

The foundation has exported coffee beans to Japan for years through its Japanese partners such as Mi Cafeto Co and Kalbi Coffee Fram Co.

Foundation chief executive M.L. Dispanadda Diskul said the collaboration with JAL will help expand the brand’s reach.

“We have been exporting coffee bean worth more than 10 million baht per year to Japan. Japan Airlines is the latest partner helping us boost sales,” M.L. Dispanadda said.

Hitoshi Morimoto, JAL’s regional manager in charge of Thailand, Indochina and South Africa Subcontinent, said the airline generally took a long time to choose and select new products to serve passengers on board, but it took only three months to reach the deal with the foundation.

“Having Doi Tung coffee on board is part of our corporate policy set to promote sustainable business and help local products,” Mr Morimoto said.

Japan Airlines operates two daily flights to Haneda airport in Tokyo, another two to Narita airport in Tokyo and one each to Osaka and Nagoya.

It carries 800,000 passengers out of Suvarnabhumi airport a year and serves them 300,000 cups of coffee.

Doi Tung coffee is one of the foundation’s flagship products.

A quick History of DoiTung Coffee

DoiTung coffee is single-origin, harvested only from the hills of Doi Tung. It is shade grown and undergoes careful processing starting from the selection of coffee species to roasting and packaging. DoiTung coffee is free from toxins and ochratoxin, which is believed to be the cause of tumors. It was granted a Geographical Indication (GI) registered with the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce in 2006.

From opium plantations to coffee forests:

Initiated by the Princess Mother in 1988, coffee is among the cash crops that substitute opium cultivation grown in Doi Tung’s economic forest. Providing a licit and sustainable income for the local people, the products of Doi Tung have been recognized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and carry the UNODC seal.

By Suchat Sritama