Chiang Mai Coffee Expedition

The CircularTrace Team successfully completed a two-day expedition to the heart of Thailand’s coffee highlands, Chiang Mai, on October 17–18, 2025. The visit explored specialty coffee production with a focus on integrating Circular Economy (CE) principles and promoting Edu-Tourism.

Coffee cultivation in Northern Thailand traces back to the Royal Project Initiative introduced by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the late 1960s. The project encouraged mountain communities, particularly the Akha and Karen tribes, to replace opium cultivation with sustainable crops such as Arabica coffee. Today, Chiang Mai has become one of Thailand’s leading specialty coffee regions, known for its unique terroir and strong social mission.

During the expedition, the team learned how local farmers apply circular economy practices by transforming coffee waste into valuable products while reducing environmental impact. Coffee cherry pulp is repurposed into specialty teas to create additional income opportunities. Coffee grounds and pulp are composted into organic fertilizers to reduce dependency on chemical products. Farmers also implement simple filtration systems to process wastewater from wet-milling activities for reuse in irrigation.

The team also explored Chiang Mai’s Edu-Tourism model, which combines coffee farming with educational tourism activities. Visitors can observe every stage of coffee production, from seed propagation to processing, participate in sustainability workshops, and interact directly with farmers to better understand ethical coffee production.

The Chiang Mai Expedition strengthened CircularTrace’s commitment to promoting regenerative coffee systems where economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability can thrive together.