Through This Side Up, the coffee industry's 'good middleman,' we connected with Sai from Black Gold Trang Pepper, a pepper farm in Southern Thailand. Thailand is primarily known for using fresh spices like galangal, ginger, lime leaves, and lemongrass. They even frequently use fresh pepper, with strands of green berries cooked in a wok.

We had never heard of the province 'Trang' before. And we hadn't readily considered sourcing pepper in Thailand. But This Side Up's local contact knew Sai and her company, and that's how we connected. It's a very high-quality pepper variety that can only be grown in this specific area of Thailand, cultivated sustainably and combined with modern techniques. It sounded interesting, so we decided to go and have a look. After some WhatsApp contact, the appointment was quickly made, and I (Charis) traveled to Trang.

Trang turns out to be a real food hotspot within Thailand. So it's no surprise that after our arrival, we first had lunch at Sai and her family's 'regular restaurant.' Sai's father, responsible for the pepper plantation, joined us. They ordered a table full of local dishes. Wow. Next-level Thai food. That promised a lot of good things for this trip.

After lunch, it was time to visit the pepper farm. Sai's father has a passion for indigenous plants. Part of the estate therefore consists of a tangle of crops. Palm trees, berries, bananas, papaya, it all grows there. But for some time now, there have mainly been many rows of Piper Nigrum, the climbing plant on which pepper grows.

Trang pepper is a pepper variety that only grows in that region. It is an official 'GI', or Geographical Indication product. At Trang, their goal is to preserve this pepper variety and learn how to produce it as sustainably and efficiently as possible. They then pass this knowledge on to small farmers in the area who also grow pepper. This way, they can improve their harvests and, with them, their income. At Trang, they buy the pepper from these small farmers and process it consistently, so that they can offer pepper of the best quality.

During our visit, we can ask Sai and her father anything. Although her father doesn't speak a word of English, luckily Sai is a good interpreter. She studied in England and is therefore the designated person to do business for the family company.

The pepper plants are watered by a pond on the estate where they collect rainwater. A sprinkler system ensures that a fine mist is sprayed over the plants. This also helps control pests. Chickens also roam around, pecking at pests and loosening the soil. Fertilizer is made from animal droppings from farms in the area.

They have made a significant investment in solar panels, meaning almost all the electricity they consume can be generated that way. Setting up a pepper farm always requires a lot of time and money in the beginning. The pepper plants are all new plants, cuttings they have bought or received from other farmers in the area. They also got their knowledge about growing pepper from conversations with small-scale farmers who have been doing this for years. A pepper plant needs to grow for four years before you can harvest for the first time! That requires a lot of patience.

The plants are also delicate at first. If a root grows crooked, meaning not enough water and nutrients can be supplied? Then the whole plant dies. The harvest is lost. Picking is also a task that requires attention. This is all done by hand. Green pepper is harvested as soon as the first berries on a cluster begin to turn red.

However, at Trang, they have also specialized in red pepper. For this, all the berries must turn red and be harvested at exactly the right moment. If they are too ripe, they fall to the ground and are no longer usable.

The pepper is dried in the sun, in a kind of plastic tunnel greenhouse. At the time of our visit to the farm, they are working to further optimize their processes. There is a room where the pepper is packaged and ground. This room still needs to be approved by the Thai food and drug administration, but it looks neat, so that should be fine!

Trang's red pepper is in our newest product: the Pepper Experience!

Do you have any questions about the working methods of these farmers, our visit to Trang, or pepper in general? We'd love to hear from you!