Boncafe Thailand now works with more than 300 hotels and coffee shops and restaurants around Phuket – helping them purchase coffee machines, supplying coffee and providing in-depth training for baristas.
Closely involved in the Phuket branch is Sales and Marketing Manager Chris Centlivres. Hailing from Lausanne, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, he loves his coffee.
He’s been in Phuket almost six years, spending four and a half of those with Boncafe Thailand, helping to market and develop the Phuket branch into what it is today.
Boncafe Thailand first started in 1991, part of the larger Boncafe, which has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Dubai. There are now 12 showrooms around Thailand.
Coffee machines for the home start from around B6,000, right up to the high end machines suitable for large production at resorts. The machines are imported from Europe and the United States.
The company sells its own branded coffee, either Arabica from the Chiang Rai area, or Robusta from Krabi, or various blends of the two.
Boncafe Thailand buys directly from farmers and then roasts it in its factory in Chonburi province, east of Bangkok. They also have a stack of imported tea and other beverage items such as a Sri Lanka tea range and green tea from Japan.
“Russians usually prefer strong black coffee, and Australians like the popular blends.
“It is pretty new for Asians to drink coffee. If you think back to 15 years ago in Thailand, there was no local coffee culture, and it was very difficult to get a decent espresso. Now, thanks to us and our competition, more and more people are drinking coffee.”
Many younger Thais living in Phuket tend to be more well travelled than their older relatives, and have often been to Western countries such as France and Italy, where coffee culture is strong and where people are far more likely to meet up in a cafe.
International corporations such as Starbucks moving into Asia have also had an impact, and made coffee more accessible, says Chris.
He believes there will always be a market for the B15 cup of instant iced coffee from local sellers, however demand may lessen as the new younger generation of Thais get into business and realise that good coffee doesn’t have to cost the earth.
There is also the stigma that good coffee has to be expensive, when really people only have to invest in the machine, Chris says.
For more information on Boncafe, see boncafe.co.th