The Coffee Program

The Integrated Tribal Development Foundation (ITDF)’s roots in the Thai highlands go back to 1961, when Richard Mann Sr. introduced coffee seedlings to rural villages as part of a United Nations opium eradication program — replacing a destructive trade with one that could sustain communities for generations. In 1990, ITDF established what became Thailand’s first fair-trade certified coffee co-op, and the work has never stopped.

Today, ITDF works directly with 400 farmers across 40 villages in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son — providing training, improved varieties, and processing equipment to produce coffee that competes at the highest specialty levels. Every purchase you make funds education, clean water, and economic development for these communities.

For roasters, that’s not just a feel-good story. It’s a supply chain with full traceability, a human narrative your customers will remember, and a sourcing partner who has been here longer than anyone else.