What does Sawbwa mean?

The title, in Burmese, was that given to those of the royal bloodline of Shan - the area spread across Eastern Myanmar, plus the Thai and Chinese border region. This is the fertile, hilly region within which most of Sawbwa Coffee’s beans are currently grown. We chose the name because we wanted to create a brand worthy of the extremely fine and distinctive beans that are being grown in some farms of the region, and to do justice to the traditional opulence and sophistication of the Shan region and that of Myanmar as a whole. 

By creating a product which appeals in quality and brand to the higher end of the market in Myanmar, we hope that we can be a positive influence in helping these communities command consistently good prices for their harvests. Interestingly, the price of Myanmar green beans is noticeably higher than that of many international specialty beans, and stocks sell out fast. The organisations and cooperatives that we work with pass much of this onto the farmer - we hope to support the trend