…thanks to the ready market provided by Bhutan Mountain Coffee

Lhakpa Quendren

Samtse—Fifty-year-old Savitri Ghalley from Shazhenkha village in Pemaling, Samtse is preparing to harvest her first batch of coffee beans next month from some 100 Arabica coffee trees that she planted a year ago.

Savitri Ghalley ventured into commercial coffee farming after Bhutan Mountain Coffee from Paro signed an agreement with local communities three years ago to purchase coffee cherries.

Once languishing without a market, she revived her 15 dormant coffee plants, with each tree now producing about seven kilogrammes of coffee cherries. These cherries are sold at a farmgate price of Nu 60 per kilogramme directly to Bhutan Mountain Coffee.

“We have found a market after a decade of uncertainty, and we see hope in coffee farming. I expect the price to rise in the coming years,” Savitri Ghalley said.

She has replaced cardamom with coffee trees on her 20-decimal land, about half a kilometre from her house. She plans to expand her farm into a larger commercial operation if all goes well.

Bhutan Mountain Coffee is distributing free saplings to promote coffee farming and is raising an additional 2,000 saplings in greenhouses in each chiwog involved in coffee cultivation.

Community-driven farming has surged in Pemaling gewog, with nearly every household in the four chiwogs—Norgyeling, Nakeyling, Manigang, and Thangchhennang—planting at least 10 coffee trees.

Farmer Kul Bahadur Ghalley, 52, sells about 140 kilogrammes of coffee cherries each season from his 20 coffee plants. These trees are from a coffee project that was started a decade ago, which was later abandoned due to the lack of market.

“Coffee has become a reliable alternative, especially where other crops are damaged by wild animals like monkeys,” he said. “Thanks to Mountain Coffee, we no longer have to worry about market access.”

Norgyeling Tshogpa Kul Bahadur Ghalley said that farmers are encouraged to undertake large-scale commercial coffee farming. “All 145 households in my chiwog are growing coffee. We will distribute additional free saplings starting next year,” he added.

Nir Bahadur Ghalley, who manages the coffee saplings at Shazhenkha, said that there has been an increase in coffee cultivation, and with that, the demand for saplings has been rising.

Over the past years, Mountain Coffee has been purchasing coffee cherries from Pemaling, Tashichhoeling, and Namgyalchhoeling gewogs in Samtse.

Savitri Ghalley planted over 100 Arabica coffee trees on 20 decimals of land

Coffee farming began in these gewogs in 2012 and 2013, when a private project launched a community participation programme that distributed free coffee saplings to interested farmers. The project later failed, citing unfavourable climate conditions for coffee cultivation.

“Most of these plants were removed because there was no market for the cherries. When it first started, many showed interest, but later they were reluctant to resume due to past experiences,” a farmer said.

The arrival of Bhutan Mountain Coffee has been a game-changer.

According to the founder of Bhutan Mountain Coffee, Karma Chime, his company engages more than 600 coffee-growing households spread across Samtse.

“Our coffee is grown using shade-grown practices,” Karma Chime explained. “This method not only supports biodiversity but also helps in carbon sequestration, fighting climate change. Our farms combat soil erosion and protect the rich ecosystem of Bhutan.”

The engagement with local communities eventually led to the formation of the Foothills Farmers Cooperative. “This cooperative model allows farmers to benefit from economies of scale and access to resources they would not have individually,” he said.

Bhutan Mountain Coffee provides free seedlings, technical guidance, and a guaranteed market for their coffee beans. “This holistic approach ensures that the economic benefits of coffee cultivation are shared equitably among the farming communities, creating a sustainable livelihood for many,” he said.

Bhutan Mountain Coffee operates a processing factory at the Damdum Industrial Estate in Samtse, where raw beans are manually processed.  The beans are then roasted and packaged at Mountain Café Roastery in Paro – a café franchise – owned by Karma Chime.

Some of the popular Mountain Coffee product range includes house blend coffee, premium blend coffee, drip coffee, and coffee brew bags.

“The collaboration with the coffee farmers in Samtse has been win-win for the local community and Bhutan Mountain Coffee. We provide free saplings and technical guidance and we purchase the coffee beans directly from their door-step,” Karma Chime said.

Bhutan Mountain Coffee is planning to expand coffee plantations in other parts of southern Bhutan.