On the coffee route in Laos

The south of Laos is far from the tourist circuits of the north of the country. It is the perfect destination for a discovery off the beaten track, meeting with hard-working and smiling villagers. Among the sites to explore, the Bolavens plateau is a must, famous for its countless waterfalls and coffee plantations.

The history of the region is tormented. In 1893, it was annexed by the French attracted by its fertile land. This lava land, at an altitude of 1300 m and at a stable temperature between 15 and 25° C all year round, which is conducive to the cultivation of coffee trees. But the Bolaven revolt quickly poisoned the colonial idyll. And during the Vietnam War, it was one of the most heavily bombed areas, because of its importance to Americans and North Vietnamese.

We have an appointment in Paksong, capital of coffee production in Laos, in a café bearing the scars of war.

 

 

 

After an - excellent - coffee, it is the departure; not in modern 4x4s but in old army jeeps.

"Robust, reliable and they go everywhere," says Khamsone, a true enthusiast of coffee culture, the region and its people, and owner of the Mystic Mountain estate.

“My parents moved to the region to find work. Throughout my childhood, I helped in the coffee plantations. With my savings, I bought my first hectare of land. I was only 16 at the time." His parents agreed that he should continue his studies. Khamsone learned English which enabled him to work as a waiter, in hotels and, later, as a certified guide. He invested his salary to buy a little more land. In 2010, he started planting his coffee trees for a first harvest in 2012 with two employees and a few extras. Today, he owns 18 ha of land, 10 ha of which are dedicated to organic coffee production, 5 ha are covered with avocado trees and there are also pepper plants.

 "On the remaining 3 hectares, I built lodges and campsites and I developed a program of visits to the plantation to discover the world of coffee, meetings with the villagers," explains Khamsone, anxious to offer work and life prospects for his workers (there are a good twenty of them) and for the families who live from coffee growing. “They get 2000 kip per kilo”. Which corresponds to about 0.11 € (the average salary is 1,300,000 kip, approx. 76 €)

 

 

 

A few solid houses and well-maintained villages show that there is work. “Several Mon-Khmer ethnic groups have lived on the plateau for 300 years. About 380 families make a living from coffee, each owning a hectare of coffee fields in addition to working for plantation owners. In the villages, next to the vegetable gardens, coffee plants are grown in very simple nurseries, the coffee seeds dry well protected in the sun.

 

 

 

It takes a lot of "cherries" (the fruit of the coffee tree which contains 2 beans), 6 kg, to obtain 1 kg of beans. After removing the skin, only 800 g remain. And roasting still brings loss .

But it's time to board the jeeps.

After the rainy season, the dirt road is dug with impressive ruts. No wonder you don't come across tourist buses there! Each passing vehicle raises clouds of red dust.

 

 

 

Khamsone and his family live in the heart of the plantations, in the middle of nowhere.

His wife is already waiting for us with the meal.

 

 

 

During a walk through the rows of coffee trees to reach the top of his "mystic mountain", he explains the cycle of life of the coffee trees. “Three years after planting, we can harvest for ten years. It is necessary to pass three times in order to pick only the very red berries. After ten years, we prune the bushes, which grow back after two years. »

 

 

 

It is in a very simple installation that he roasts 2 tons of beans at home. “I sell a lot of green bean,  A-quality and organic, which pays better. »

 

 

 

After a last coffee, the jeeps leave to cover part of the plateau. Cassava fields, herds, barely visible paths, branches whipping an arm at the window, fords, waterfalls...

Passing through abandoned crops, our driver, proud of his driving and of working with Khamsone, explains to us that foreign investors had been attracted by the fertile land of the plateau. "But they didn't know anything about the work," he said with a good dose of malicious pleasure. Like, for example, tall trees should have been planted to protect the coffee trees from the cold mist.

 

 

 

This cool mist that begins to fall, which hides the landscape, making the atmosphere a little unreal.

 

 

 

A single day away from the more touristy roads – even though visitors are not rushing to southern Laos – brings an unimaginable change of scenery. Suddenly finding ourselves in town leaves us a bit stunned…

After the Khamsone meeting, no one tastes their coffee without thinking of all these families who make a living from it!