BANGKOK, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the 2023 International Coffee Day (ICD), Café Amazon, Thailand's flagship coffee house chain of PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc. (OR), joins coffee lovers around the world in sharing the passion for the beverage while continuing to support the work of millions of coffee farmers, as well of all those involved in the entire coffee supply chain.

In line with OR's vision of "Empowering All toward Inclusive Growth", Café Amazon has long been endorsing a model of diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) while strengthen the sustainability of the coffee industry. Café Amazon is keen to take a pivotal role to support the coffee industry in realizing the need for sustainable, responsible and inclusive practices in coffee farming and workplace, for a better quality of life for people engaged in the entire coffee value chain from producing, trading, retailing, and serving coffee. This ambition is similar to the spirit of the #CoffeePeople campaign jointly initiated by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) on 2023 ICD to promote the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the coffee supply chain.

Innovative coffee brand from Thailand

Established in 2002, Café Amazon served coffee for customers in PTT Station networks. In 2012, Café Amazon took coffee drinking pleasure to an extra mile with its "Green Oasis" hospitality and ambience where customers can meet, relax and enjoy the unique aromatic signature coffee blend with variety of drinks and snacks.  The coffee chain became OR's franchise business that has grown rapidly, with outlets expanding beyond fueling stations to various commercial spaces with high footfall, including local marketplace, department stores, shopping malls, office buildings and university campuses. 

With a constant franchise expansion to serve growing customer demand, Café Amazon is currently the world's 6^th largest by number of outlets with over 4,400 branches across 11 markets in Asia. In 2022, Café Amazon had served 357 million cups of coffee and beverages to customers worldwide.

Café Amazon has continued to broaden product offerings to keep up with changing consumer behavior. With the rise in trend of home coffee roasting, a vast variety of Café Amazon drip coffee bag and coffee capsule allows consumers to enjoy the ease and convenience of fresh brew coffee at home. Recently, the launch of Café Amazon ready-to-drink products makes it easier for coffee lovers to get a grab & go bottle of coffee anytime at nearby convenience store.

Evolving business with inclusive growth model in mind

OR has created new outlet formats to cater to ever-changing consumer needs. These include Café Amazon concept stores that incorporate local design trends while maintaining a healthy environment, as well as the installation of solar rooftops to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Thailand Voluntary Emission Reduction Program (TVER). 

Furthermore, Café Amazon for Chance project integrates the concept of retailers with a social and environmental conscience by offering the underprivileged and senior people an opportunity to work in such positions as a barista at Café Amazon.

In addition, OR has also expanded collaboration with companies in which it has invested to develop new products and services, such as grab-and-go healthy food and snacks, integrated coffee makers and coffee equipment maintenance services, as well as parcel drop-off and pickup services at Café Amazon outlets.

Development of sustainable coffee production system

OR supports Thai farming of high-quality coffee beans under a sustainable natural resource conservation system. To date, this support has contributed to a considerable portion of approximately 5,800 tons of coffee beans OR purchase annually for use in Café Amazon operations.

Green coffee beans served at Café Amazon are from domestic sources to support local coffee growers.  OR has joined force with local coffee farmers to initiate research and development efforts in order to establish sustainable coffee farming practices in Northern and Southern Thailand and internationalize local Arabica and Robusta coffee bean produce according to Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) standard.

In 2023 OR established a sustainable coffee farming project in Mae Jam District, Chiangmai to support hilltribe farmers to create a sustainable source of income from coffee harvesting while positively contributing to land use efficiency, green space expansion as well as healthy natural environment in hilly areas. The project initiates Fair Trade scheme to provide local farmers with an equitable price for their coffee beans, encourages farmers to grow coffee under a canopy of shade trees for increased income opportunities and promotes single origin coffee farming at the area with aim to create new specialty coffee from Mae Jam. 

Café Amazon Chiangmai Milling Plant is established in Mae Wang District to purchase Arabica coffee berries directly from farmers in the northern region, then process them into high-quality green coffee beans before shipping them to Café Amazon roasting plant to produce its signature roasted coffee products for further distribution at Café Amazon outlets across the country.  In addition, an agricultural training center is set up to serve as learning hub for local farmers to improve knowledge and skills on coffee planting, producing and processing to meet sustainability coffee standards. 

Recently, OR partners with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in a knowledge exchange program to promote and support the expansion of coffee growing areas by adopting integrated farming system of coffee and other crops. The initiative enables coffee farmers in the northern and southern provinces of Thailand to gain increased productivity and income from sustainable coffee cultivation, while improving coffee production volume and quality according to international standards.