But in the last two years, families in Maejantai have been organically growing and processing coffee beans.

BBC: Thailand��s mountainous coffee journey

Coffee production uses large quantities of water and its processing can seriously affect water quality.

UNESCO: EDUCATION

The trend cuts across Latin American countries that depend on washed arabica beans, which require subtle growing techniques and processing, and are the type nearly always used in gourmet coffee.

WSJ: Coffee Growers Forge a Futures Recovery