What do snakes and bombs have to do with our coffee? In 2005 the 20-year trade restrictions placed against Laos, Vietnam s neighbor, was lifted due to changing political systems. It is here in Laos that farmers produce a distinctive Canephora coffee that rivals Arabica varieties. These beans were exported exclusively to Europe which consider this species one of the best coffees in the world. This is due in part to the French who cultivated the first coffee crops in Laos during their occupation (1700-1950s). Bombs did what? Intense bombing spanning a decade forced the migration of farmers high up the mountains to distance themselves from the dangers below. The coffee adapted unexpectedly well to the high altitude, rich volcanic soil and ample rainfall. This created a rare & distinctive flavor found only in this particular region, being the only Canephora in the world grown from 1300 meters (4,265 feet) to 1920.24 meters (6,300 feet). Americans played a devastating role in this forced migration by dropping 266 million sub-munitions (Equivalent to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, around the clock for nine years). Currently, there are nearly 70 million unexploded bombs that are still killing and maiming innocent Lao people, including children, and we felt compelled to take action and do our small part to help heal this region. Today, our Snake Bomb coffee blend has developed a devoted following that has allowed us to make a small but significant difference and made us the longest consistent importer of high grade Lao Canephora in the United States. We are using the profits from the sale of our Snake Bomb coffee blend to: 1) bring awareness to the devastating aftermath of war that the Lao people face every day; 2) rally support from corporations and governments to give more aid money; 3) support the farmers in the region with long term trade that is equal to or above today s fair trade pricing. Awareness is the greatest weapon! Please join us by sharing Laos story and following our progress at: www.facebook.com/snakebombcoffee
2012 Breyting Community Roaster developed our donation programs in 2011. This involved collaborating with non-profit organizations as well as government initiatives that contribute in the areas of health (Snake Bites), UXO (unexploded ordinance) survivors assistance, advocacy, and community development. Mostly working with small non-profits and NGOs within Laos that are doing amazing work.
Farmers Our Snake Bomb coffee project sustained heavy financial loses in the beginning: water damage both from the monsoon rains and leaks in ocean containers, theft, corruption, lack of support from Development Banks and much more. However, we have remained committed to overcoming these obstacles so farmers can have free access to overseas markets, particularly the United States.
Beyond Fair trade & Organic Breyting Community Roaster is laying the ground work to develop our own web based transparent certification system that allows the customers to trace their coffee to the farmers who grew it and view documents that provide proof of payments to show that the farmers are receiving fair compensation, that women farmers are being equally supported (as women are responsible for 70% of the labor), view 3rd party organic reports and allow anyone to come visit our farming partners and facilities at any time.
Meet Jordan Meet Jordan Inthirajvongsy, she is one of our coffee buyers and is uniquely both a refugee of Laos and a patriotic US citizen who served in the United States Army for four years. What a complex feeling to know the county you love and served bombed your homeland and family. She is standing next to one of the 76,000,000 bombs that did not explode when dropped; most of these bombs still pose a real threat to Lao people.
9 Pictured is one of the 266 million sub-munitions (bombs) that were dropped on Laos equivalent to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, around the clock, for 9 years. Not sure if we can really wrap our minds around these numbers and the damage they caused, but just think about it for eight minutes.
300 Before water lines, electricity, housing, hospitals, schools or any industry can be built, the unexploded bombs must be removed from contaminated villages. It s a labor intensive and extremely expensive endeavor. Experts estimate it will take 300 years and billions of dollars to completely remove the unexploded bombs from Laos. 10 More bombs were dropped on Laos than Germany and Japan combined, at an estimated cost of $17 million a day (in today s dollars) for 10 years or approximately $62,050,000,000.00.
Our visit to COPE During our last visit to Laos, our team had the pleasure of meeting Mike Boddington, former Director at Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE). Mike certainly shed light on how we can be more affective in our efforts. We all walked away from that meeting with a deeper determination to make a difference for Lao people.
ORGANIC Over the last couple of years, Southeast Asia and in particular the Department of Agriculture in Laos have made a strong push to organize its own version of ACT (Agriculture Certification Thailand). This project has become quite successful and led to the formation of the LCB (Lao Certification Body). However it will be years maybe decades before all the villages and farmers we support become certified. In the meantime we are doing what we can to obtain and increase our certifications while not marginalizing the small family run farmers.
50,000 Snakebites are one of the most neglected public health issues in poor rural communities in South East Asia. Most villages lack accessible and adequate medical facilities, and as a result, it is estimated that over 50,000 people, many being farmers, needlessly die each year from snakebites.
Wok roasted coffee Pictured a farmer is wok roasting coffee for us to taste. We ended up purchasing their entire crop about 52,250 pounds. Apparently we were the first people to import from Laos in over 20 years. When the container went through U.S. Customs in Miami, the agents overreacted and surrounded the container with firearms because they thought the embargo was still active. (We are still not sure what dangers they thought loomed in the container?)
Awareness is the Greatest Weapon. Laos is the most bombed country per capita on Earth. A portion of the proceeds from every bag goes towards the removal of unexploded bombs (UXO), UXO victim assistance programs and anti-venom projects for snakebites.