Thailand

History

Although Arabica plants were introduced to Thailand as early as 1849, commercial coffee production remained marginal for over a century. The industry's modern trajectory began in 1969 when King Bhumibol Adulyadej launched the Royal Project, which promoted coffee as a sustainable cash crop to replace opium cultivation in the northern highlands. By 1976, Thailand officially became a coffee exporter, and the sector continued to develop through international cooperation projects in the 1980s. While the country historically relied on traditional, sweet coffee drinks, the late 1990s saw a shift toward espresso-based models driven by domestic chains and international brands. Today, Thailand has established a thriving specialty coffee culture where the majority of production is consumed domestically, focusing on high-quality Arabica from the northern provinces and Robusta from the south.