Phoenix from the Ashes: Comeback of Myanmar Coffee Beans

Hardly any coffee place in the world remains unmapped. So, how could it have happened that Myanmar had disappeared from the World Coffee Atlas? Coffee cultivation has a long tradition in Myanmar: coffee plantations have existed since the 1930s. When the military regime came into power, coffee cultivation turned neglected and the crop more and more forgotten. However, with the opening of the economy in recent years, coffee has returned to Myanmar. Since the establishment of the Myanmar Coffee Association, an association of various stakeholders from the industry in 2014, Myanmar has seen a revival of the coffee industry. A huge 80% of Myanmar coffee is Arabica. Myanmar Arabica coffee is mainly grown in three regions: Shan State, Chin State, and Mandalay. Ywar Ngan (Shan State) is the heart of Myanmar specialty coffee. Currently, only a small portion of Myanmar’s coffee output is exported.