Thailand

The idea of a Coffee Club of ASEAN was conceived last June 17, 2009 on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Chiang Rai, Thailand comprising government and the private sector. The concept was proposed by members of the private sector in attendance with the support of government representatives. The club is comprised mainly of private sector members with the public sector encouraged to take an observatory role, according to Moenardji Soedargo of Indonesian company PT Aneka Coffee Industry and as head of the Coffee Industry Development Compartment of AICE (Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and Industries) who was elected as president of the nascent body.

"After negotiations with existing coffee associations from Thailand, and Vietnam, it was decided to establish a club as opposed to an association as ‘association’ connotes a very formal body," Soedargo told Tea & Coffee Asia. "There are existing clubs representing regional rubber and cocoa industries," he said.

Eligible members would include companies affiliated with various associations of member countries, to be expanded to include members from Singapore Philippines and Malaysia.

The basis of the club is to develop private sector initiatives designed to support existing relationships and to build up existing relationships between existing coffee companies.

"We try to think of ASEAN as a growing, emerging coffee consuming market, and of course there are also well-known and traditional coffee producers recognized the world over," Soedargo said. "So we have a production base and a growing lucrative consumer market. The challenges before us now are how to increase the consumption and how to improve the production base."

The club is still in the process of gathering ideas and a meeting to help determine the framework and establish the future direction is scheduled sometime during the last quarter of 2009.

"I am looking forward to having the participation of associations from ASEAN countries," Soedargo said. "From this base, introductions can be made to companies recognized by the appropriate associations and invitations sent out and applications considered."

Members of the club will be encouraged to share knowledge and experiences.

"Its aim is to enhance awareness of potential, in both upstream and downstream markets and to share information on the coffee industry as a whole," Soedargo told us. "The Club will serve as a platform for the introduction of new ideas and products, and will be a forum for discussion on ASEAN trade and the general promotion of coffee as a consumer product as well as a commodity."

While currently in a formative stage, the Coffee Club of ASEAN plans to hold regular meetings of associations and occasionally larger gatherings involving regular members of associations who want to get together.

"Fixed delegations representing existing associations is the concept at this stage as it would not be easy or practical to work with companies from all over the region," Soedargo said, adding that "The Club’s main base will be coffee associations. The private sector will serve as frontrunners for the promotion of the coffee industry within and ASEAN and beyond.