Page 313 - Social Enterprise A New Business Paradigm for Thailand

in coffee shops presents certain challenges, such as maintaining an appropriate staffing balance,
OR has continued to prioritize their inclusion.

A major challenge in scaling the initiative lies in designing job roles and training programs that
accommodate the specific needs of the target groups. These include individuals with hearing

or intellectual disabilities, as well as older adults, each of whom faces different limitations in
performing various café tasks. As a result, effective job design and skill development have been
essential to ensuring that these employees can work successfully alongside others in a café
environment.

Akha Ama Coffee Co., Ltd.
Lee Ayu Chuepa (see Box 10.1 for details about his life and experience), founder of Akha Ama
and a pioneer of highland-grown coffee, describes the business as a social enterprise in three
key ways. First, farmers in his community are able to sell their coffee at prices above market

rates and can also contribute beans as equity in the processing business, earning additional
income through value-added production. Second, the company places strong emphasis on skills
development; currently, 40 percent of its workforce comes from Lee’s home community. Third,
the enterprise serves as a knowledge hub for farmers. Lee hopes to transform the company’s
roasting facility in Mae Rim into a public learning center that educates people about each stage
of the coffee production process.

Lee views his business as addressing three social challenges simultaneously: improving
economic well-being, creating employment and building skills within the community, and

protecting the environment, since coffee can coexist with forest ecosystems. In his view, a truly
successful social enterprise is one that generates profit from its core product while advancing
its social mission. Three years after opening its first store, Akha Ama Coffee earned recognition
on the global stage. Today, the company operates two locations in Thailand, one roasting facility,
and an additional branch in Japan. This case illustrates that social enterprises led by
entrepreneurs with strong business models, a constant drive to pursue opportunities, and a
deep sense of commitment can achieve lasting success.

Box 10.1 Lee Ayu Chuepa: Bringing Highland Coffee to the World

Social enterprises are founded on the idea of building a more responsible business world. This raises
the question: do such ventures require exceptional leaders or innovative breakthroughs to succeed?
More than 30 years ago, a young boy named Lee Ayu Chuepa was growing up in Mae Chan Tai, a
remote community in Chiang Rai Province. At the time, it was one of the most isolated villages in the
region. Lee could barely speak Thai and walked four kilometers each way to attend school in a
neighboring village. Yet through determination and resilience in the face of hardship, he eventually
became the founder of Akha Ama Coffee, operating three cafés and a roasting facility in Chiang Mai.
He has also begun laying the foundation for expansion into Japan, with the goal of opening
international markets for Thai coffee farmers. His coffee has appeared on the global stage for three
consecutive years, in London, Maastricht, and Vienna. Today, Lee is recognized as a pioneering figure
in both the Thai and global coffee industries.

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