Jackrich “Aun” Kanbutr is reviving Nong Khai through coffee, cocoa, and community-driven farming. From agrotourism to organic cultivation and social enterprise, his work connects heritage, sustainability, and people–turning his farm into a living story of culture.

When people are thinking of Thailand’s agricultural scene, cocoa and coffee might not be the first crops that come to mind. Yet a visit to Nong Khai reveals a farm that is rewriting that story. With its misty and tranquil landscapes, this border province is a destination where farming meets culture, offering visitors a look into a side of Thailand too often overlooked as the land itself becomes a storyteller.

Through cocoa and coffee, Jackrich “Aun” Kanbutr is telling a story of community and heritage. As he spoke to us over a cup of his signature “Americaco,” a blend of robusta coffee and cocoa grown entirely on his farm, served without milk to let the ingredients shine, we discovered how he celebrates local identity while inviting travellers to experience Thailand through a richer lens.

After more than 20 years working in hotels, Aun decided it was time to return home to Nong Khai. At first, he planned to grow rubber, seeing how many people in the area made a steady income from it. But once he tried, he realised the truth: rubber prices were unstable, profits shrank, and the risks outweighed the rewards. That pushed him to diversify and experiment with other crops. 

“While I was planting rubber, I often thought it was such a waste,” Aun reflects. “Our land is so beautiful, with its mist and stunning views. When I went to Chiang Mai to research coffee and cacao beans, I saw how high-altitude gardens attracted travellers, and it struck me. Maybe coffee and cocoa could be the key to bringing visitors to Nong Khai. If plants become the doorway, people will discover even more of my hometown.”

He added,

“Someone told me, on your drive back from Chiang Mai, stop at the coffee shops along the route. You’ll find so many hidden gems like cafés that value not just the beans but also the culture of their region. Visiting them gave me the experience and inspiration I needed to see what coffee could mean for us here in Nong Khai.”

His perspective expanded further from a piece of advice he received along the way. 

This led him to establish an agrotourism farm, an organic garden, and a café called Minority Café. Aun, who began with no prior knowledge, threw himself wholeheartedly into learning. He bought books, visited plantations, and researched every detail of coffee and cocoa cultivation. While he isn’t the first to grow coffee in Nong Khai, he has set both himself and his plantation as an example of success for other farmers, sharing his knowledge and encouraging them to try planting coffee as well.

“My family laughed at me at first, saying it was crazy to grow coffee here. Every farmer who tried had given up and cut the trees down. But I believed the problem was that they hadn’t used the right beans for our landscape, and perhaps hadn’t had access to the right knowledge and processes. That’s why I turned fully to farming and committed myself to learning. When I succeeded, it became a way to encourage others to try again, so the community could gain new sources of income.” 

Apart from farming, Aun also serves as president of the Coffee and Cocoa Social Enterprise in Nong Khai district. The group was originally founded with the aim of supporting and promoting the community, but needed to operate under the framework of a social enterprise. Today, it continues to play a key role in driving the growth of the local organic market. 

Minority Café: A Space to Share Knowledge, Culture, and Connection 

By opening his own agri-tourism farm and café, Aun has created a space to share knowledge, culture, and connection. Aun explains that his farm’s activities often highlight the hidden potential of plants we take for granted. For him, cacao and coffee is also a gateway into culture, tradition, and community wellness. 

“Thailand has such a wealth of herbs with countless properties. If I hadn’t studied cacao in depth, I would never have realised that what we usually consume is only the pulp, while the oil can be used in cosmetics or even medicine. There’s quite a lot of research showing cacao’s cooling, therapeutic qualities.”

This realisation sparked an idea: why not connect the richness of Thai massage culture with the organic produce grown on his land? Today, visitors to his farm can experience treatments using cacao oil as well, a practice that feels both refreshing and rooted in Thai wisdom. What began almost as a joke soon turned into something bigger.

“I remember telling a colleague, half-jokingly, ‘Why don’t we do facials?’ I’d seen hotels charging thousands for similar treatments. But then I thought this could be something real, organic, and accessible. It’s about helping locals see the potential in what they already have.” 

In combining cacao into experiences like facials and massages, Aun has found a way to safeguard more than crops. He’s protecting the wisdom, rituals, and spirit of his community.

“At the time, I was really into Avatar (2009). The story of guardians protecting their land and that spirit resonated with me. I related to that sense of stewardship of wanting to protect the land and our cultural heritage.” 

His activities on the farm don’t stop there. Aun also takes visitors through every stage of his crops from harvesting the fruit to exploring what coffee and cacao beans can become. It’s his way of showing that Nong Khai holds its gems, and that Thai farmers have something special to offer.

By helping people in the community to understand their own land, he shows farmers how to choose the right crops for their soil, avoiding problems of oversupply. In the past, Thailand’s fertile land made cultivation seem easy, but Aun believes farmers deserve more than just good fortune. With so much rich farmland across the country, he wants to inspire them to truly understand proper cultivation, rather than simply following trends. Today, Aun continues to refine his products and conduct research, as shifting weather patterns bring fresh challenges. The seasons no longer follow the same rhythms–rains come early, the cold is not always cold enough, and it falls on him to monitor his crops to secure the best quality.