My Life in 1952

Bangkok’s best Sunday brunch

The Square restaurant, on the 8th floor of Novotel Bangkok Fenix Ploenchit hotel hosts an extraordinary Jazz Brunch every Sunday from 11:30am to 3pm.

This is one of the city’s hottest Sunday spots right now, featuring jazz legend Jerry Byrd; great value for only 899 Baht ++.

I hit this place last Sunday to find a wealth of other media who were keen to check it out.

The atmosphere is one of soothing relaxation, and the food features foie gras, stunning lamb, baby lobster, Alaska and ostrich meat, among other treats.

This is shaping up to be the ultimate weekend brunch spot, and I recommend it over all of the pretentious buffet pretenders.

For more information, please visit: http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-7176-novotel-bangkok-fenix-ploenchit/restaurant.shtml

A heritage like no other

Ferrari, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic lunchboxes, has formally apologised to China for defacing an ancient national monument. Maybe they should apologise for all the other crap they’ve left their logo on and devalued also.

 

(In Photo): Typical athletic and handsome Ferrari driver keenly

heads to the Acer store, presumably to buy a Ferrari-branded

laptop that will set fire too.

Doi Chaang – Coffee Legacy, Bright Hope

Click here to read abridged interview with John Darch on coffee trading in Asia.

 

Doi Chaang village is a small community in the North-west of Thailand; it is an area which lacked the support of government or even a basic infrastructure until recent years. In 1983, His Royal Highness the King of Thailand visited the remote village and gave the farmers some imported Arabica coffee plants. It was an attempt to lure the growers away from the lucrative but damaging profession of cultivating opiates. Doi Chaang does indeed still nestle the drugs trafficking flashpoint of what is known as The Golden Triangle; a dark delta where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar converge to provide a notorious gateway for runners to expedite the delivery of their harmful wares. Today, opium growing in Thailand has all but been eradicated, yet the Doi Chaang village thrives under self-sufficiency. It is result of tireless initial work on the part of two men; John Darch, formerly a British-born mining CEO, and Doi Chaang village representative, Khun Wicha Promyong.

This opportunity to meet with both of them at the same time is unique, as this is a rare chance to chat to a company President at the same time as the appointed figurehead of the farming community which the initiative is designed to help.

Doi Chaang Coffee Company’s Bangkok HQ is a trendy coffee shop, a showroom for coffee-making hardware and also the organisation’s mission control. First to arrive was Khun Wicha. He is a successful businessman who encouraged the Doi Chaang farmers to unite and form a company to represent their shared interests. Wicha does not talk about dollar turnover; he talks in terms of the number of schools or hospitals he is going to build. It is a single-mindedly selfless approach to sustaining community development, and it’s driven by the production of a high-end gourmet coffee.

In the coffee shop lounge, visitors are able to view televised material showing documentaries by filmmakers who have travelled out to meet Wicha and the Akha hill people. His dedication to the villagers is impossible to refute; “I live for Doi Chaang, and it’s 24-hours,” he offers. “I sleep for two hours sometimes, but I work at night, in the day; whenever there is anything the village requires me to do. This is the driving idea behind Doi Chaang; this is how we started with nothing, and now we have schools, hospitals, a transport infrastructure, a coffee academy and an international business which is self-sufficient and growing.”

His trading partner, John Darch, is a congenial Englishman who lives in Canada but has worked all over the world, both in banking and mining. He is a successful and compassionate entrepreneur who freely admits to knowing nothing about the industry at the time when he was approached with the Doi Chaang cooperative proposal.

John explains, “I was developing Thailand’s first pot ash mine, so one day Sandra (Bunmusik, now General Manager at Doi Chaang) came to me and said, you must meet this gentleman; he is doing wonderful things for people who make coffee. I didn’t even know anything about coffee! I met with him out of politeness, but I was overwhelmed by the commitment that I saw. That’s how it started.”

Doi Chaang Village is located in the mountainous region of the Chang Rai Province of Northern Thailand. The village is home to the Akha hill tribe which cultivates and processes the coffee. The Doi Chaang Coffee Company is a unique partnership between the Akha hill tribe of Doi Chaang Village and John’s small Canadian coffee distributor, Doi Chaang Coffee Co. The Thai families cultivate and process the beans, while the Canadian firm finances, roasts, markets and distributes the coffee.

The Thai farmers own 50% of the joint venture, so they not only receive a better-than-fair-trade price for their beans, but they also receive a significant share (50%) of the organisation’s overall profit. This is the essence of the company’s trademarked mantra; going ‘Beyond Fair Trade. ‘

 

 

He says, “We believe that The Fair Trade Organisation has done a wonderful job in terms of raising public awareness about the need for a decent and reasonable deal for growers. But the minimum prices specified to be paid for the coffee beans is essentially like specifying a basic living allowance; it does little to break the cycle of poverty for many coffee farmers.”

With a total volume of 1700 tonnes a year, John describes the organisation as both a high-end gourmet producer and a role model for sustainability. With annual improvements in cultivation and with more areas planted and developing, the Thai farmers are hoping to be able to build up to a gross of 5500 tonnes over the next half a decade.

“Thailand is a good country for growing a great number of things. When we first tried to take the idea of gourmet Thai coffee to other territories, it was a tough sell. We presented the product to roasters in Canada, but they simply refused to believe that the high-quality bean we were showing them was from Thailand. Despite the difficulties, I pressed on because I believed in the concept and I supported the purpose; those were always the two key elements for me. So we looked at ways we could increase the quality of the product yet further, and consequently, increase the benefits the villagers enjoyed from the sale.”

He continues, “It’s fairly simple to me. If the farmers make more money, then they work hard to improve the quality of their product, and then look at ways to increase net yields, so it is win-win. This is why we consider ourselves to be a leader in terms of establishing a viable, profitable and renewable model for sustainability. Now it is showing real results in terms of the escalating volumes and an improvement in the quality of the finished coffee product.”

Here in Thailand, the company is most famous for Doi Chaang Civet, or ‘Kopi Luwak’; a bean which has been passed through the digestive tract of wild civet. Ripe coffee cherries are consumed by the animals which roam freely through Doi Chaang village. The cherries are then fermented in the animal’s stomach, giving this coffee its distinctively intense taste. John Darch’s son, also named John, or John Lek (Thai for ‘small’), playfully refers to it as “Crapachino.”

Wicha explained that the only coffee sold under Doi Chaang brand is from either the premium or peabury beans. Currently, 7% of total production is peabury and 46% premium. The aim is to raise that percentage to 60%, which will be the result of ongoing improvements in cultivation. One acre yields 600-700kg, with a total production footprint of 3000 acres. It was only 100kg before improvements in cultivation methods raised the output. Altogether, Doi Chaang total production is 1700-2000 tonnes. The growing altitude ranges from 1200 to 1600m above sea level, with the harvesting taking place between November and March.

The other 5000 acres of arable land has been planted and are at various stages of growth. Each year, the tribe plants 100,000 trees to reforest the region and provide shade for new coffee plants. This helps prevents soil erosion and encourages crop diversification. Fertilisation of the coffee plants is provided solely by the forest foliage, plus the skin, mucilage and parchment of the coffee cherries. It is a completely organic process. At no time are chemicals or pesticides used on the coffee plants or the surrounding environment. Sustaining soil quality in this way also encourages diverse crop production, which provides food for the farmers and products which are sold to help stabilise the community’s economy.

“Once the demand for this coffee increases, the farmers will be very much part of that growth. Until you establish a brand which is recognised internationally, there is no demand other than for your green beans,” John said. “So the surplus green beans are sold domestically. Right now, we have more demand for our Doi Chaang product than the green beans can support. In Thailand, our total sales are 200 tonnes of premium grade. This year, we have about 200 tonnes in Canada, and next year, we will sell 400-500 tonnes of premium coffee in Canada.”

Wicha elaborates; “We can only sell what we have. Korea asks us for 100 tonnes, but we can give them only 22 tonnes because we spare some for Japan, for Singapore, for Malaysia. We are waiting for the additional growing capacity to come on-line.”

 

 

John is palpably pleased of the progress made so far; “Here is an organisation of farmers who are here to improve their way of working to better the lives of their families. Wicha here in Thailand is focused just on quality; that’s his specific role. Doi Chaang Coffee as a brand is recognised as a gourmet, single-estate coffee. It was a painful process, learning about coffee for me! I don’t deal with the mechanics of coffee production, so I treat it like mining. I just believe in the purpose, and so I have people around me who are experts and specialists. Young John, for example, did the design of the bag and logo and we get a lot of compliments, so he deals with a lot of marketing and brand communication.”

John Lek is the CFO, so his involvement with Doi Chaang Coffee Co. is full-time too. He was a professional photographer previously, and so has an exceptional eye for detail and an ability to communicate messages to consumers and businesses alike.

“We sell into high-end grocery stores like Villa Market. It’s difficult to penetrate this market in Thailand. You have to pay money just to go into these stores, but all of the big, high-end grocery retailers request us to go in there, such as with the heavyweights like Siam Paragon and Emporium (top echelon luxury malls here in Thailand). The grocery stores are hardest because there is so much competition. But in Harrods of London, they wanted us to go in there for no charge because they really wanted to feature the Doi Chaang brand. We are the most expensive coffee in Harrods! The response in the UK has been excellent, and we see it as an exciting, and to a large extent welcoming, growth market.”

“The fastest growth in is in the coffee shops, where owners and managers are looking for something really high-end to offer as an alternative to the more mainstream coffee products; no-one else has the heritage and story of Doi Chaang, so it becomes a value-added gourmet product. As far as we are aware, we sell the only triple-certified coffee, meaning that Doi Chaang coffee carries Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade and Certified Organic certifications.”

John Darch Senior concludes with great pride; “In a commodity-based product like coffee, we are a new segment of fair trade; I guess you could think of it as a niche within a niche. The fact that our growers and their families own half of the distribution company is what makes us confident to use our ‘Beyond Fair Trade’ legend. We have proven that 50%-share combined with direct trade works in terms of sustainable business development as it benefits both the farmer and the distributor. It is a viable and scalable model, and so could represent a new direction for the industry.”

Korean Barbeque

Now is the winter of our . . . what?

 

Brian Jenner is a well-known and entrepreneurial freelance speechwriter based in Bournemouth, UK. He works in partnership with some very high profile FTSE-represented companies.

To read the full interview with Brian Jenner Speechwriter, please click here.

 

 

What made you decide or choose to get into this sort of career?

I was asked by someone at BP to write speeches for the Chairman. It was quite lucrative, so I asked myself, “How do I get more of this work?” I had worked as a journalist, which isn’t a very creative pastime, so I found speechwriting gave me more scope to use my humour and imagination.

 

Do you have a standard day or a standard type of `exercise’?

Were I to be an in-house speechwriter, I expect I would have to write three speeches a week. As a freelance, I have had three speeches a week, but it can be difficult to find work during some periods in the year. So I do other work, like running the UK Speechwriters’ Guild, producing newsletters and organising events.

 

What is the most common type of problem/call-out/enquiry to which you must attend?

People don’t have time to write the speech. Or they don’t have a clue what to say. You need to consult with the client to realise the objective, and then give them the tools to be able to convey what they need to.

 

What do you like most about the job?

The fact that you have to work very closely with people, and get ‘under their skin.’ It’s a personal experience; the consultation, the need to understand and convey key messages, sometimes being authoritative, sometimes with humour.

 

What do you like least about the job?

The biggest challenge is dealing with the British cult of the amateur, which would have you believe that anyone can write. The internet means that anybody can create a blog and call themselves a writer, and this is what industry professionals are up against.

 

 

What are the key responsibilities?

Discretion and sensitivity. Being able to deliver against the client’s brief, being able to understand, and to be empathetic and to realise the objectives.

 

What about academic requirements? Any formal demands, eg- A Levels?

You don’t really need any academic qualifications. In fact, academic training can be a disadvantage. Sadly, it is probably best to have written for someone famous. Most people can’t look at a page and say whether a speech is good or not, so it is about experience, not schooling.

 

What is the starting salary, and how does this increase over time with promotion?

There is no fixed career path for a freelance. An in-house speechwriter might get promotion to become a policy expert or head of communications, and so the money will go up from this point. Freelance is a different matter entirely, and there are often periods with no work coming in.

 

What advice do you have for someone who is looking to get into this as a career?

Most people fall into speechwriting rather than setting out to do it as a job. Make it a hobby initially, and hope you get an opportunity to work for someone eventually.

 

What are the most important qualities an applicant must and should possess?

The confidence to engage with top people, and to not be intimidated by the event or the client.

 

Any closing questions, comments or additional advice?

Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead!

 

http://www.thespeechwriter.co.uk/contact-speechwriter Brian Jenner Speechwriter

Gatekeeper to the intellectual’s life-long dream

Carole Blake is a founding partner of Blake Friedmann Literary, TV and Film Agency, one of London’s most successful independent literary agencies.

To read the full interview with Carole Blake Literary Agent, click here.

 

What made you decide or choose to get into this sort of career?
The agency was created in 1982, although both Julian Friedmann and I started our original literary agencies in the 1970s. Our philosophy has always been that we represent writers rather than one-off projects, planning long-term to build a client’s career in as many markets and across as many media as possible.

Do you have a standard day or a standard type of `exercise’?

We work closely with our clients through the respective editorial, contractual and marketing processes that lead to publication, or broadcast, or cinema release.

What is the most common type of problem/call-out/enquiry to which you must attend?
We are a literary, film and TV agency representing a broad range of fiction and non-fiction writers, screenwriters for television and film, and a small number of playwrights, directors and producers.

What do you like most about the job?

We are proud of our record of happy, enduring partnerships between the agency and its clients, and of our dynamic team of long-serving staff. This is why we have been trading successfully for so long. I am incredibly proud of our reputation.

 

What do you like least about the job?
The fact that we are able to help such a small number of writers each year, and an even smaller number of previously-unpublished writers.

 

What are the key responsibilities?
I work with my colleagues Isobel and Oliver on the book side, which can include any published literary work; fiction, non-fiction, illustrative or how-to. We do not deal with science fiction or children’s books, but apart from that, we receive 6000 unsolicited submissions every year. Julian (Friedmann, co-founder) looks after the film and TV side, and is supported by Conrad and Katie; we have more work on than we can deal with in a given day, so at busy times, we are not able to reply personally to everyone who sends us new material in search of representation.

What about academic requirements? Any formal demands, eg- A Levels?

No, although we would require extensive industry experience from anyone who considers joining us. We have a focused and highly experienced team, and with our agency’s good reputation, we are in a covetable position in so much as we would have a choice of applicants. We do not recruit often.

What is the starting salary, and how does this increase over time with promotion?
It varies with experience, and ensuing success once you are in the role. Most of the time, you are looking after a roster of established writers rather than hunting out a series of new writers. It’s too difficult and expensive to launch new writers for the most part, so most of the agency’s revenue is derived from maintaining relationships with existing writers and good publishers, and in marketing published authors.

What advice do you have for someone who is looking to get into this as a career?
Begin as a reader with an established agency. This is the ideal route in, and it will give you a way of becoming accustomed to the operations of the publishing industry. There is a lot to learn, and there’s more to the role of reader than just pouring through manuscripts.

Any closing comments or advice?

At the risk of sounding self-serving, my book “FROM PITCH TO PUBLICATION:  Everything you need to know to get your novel published” is regarded as the industry standard for training young editors and agents, as well as being a primer for authors.

 

http://www.blakefriedmann.co.uk Blake Friedmann Literary Agency

Heaven’s perfect job

Captain Chris Jakubowski is a senior crew member for Gulf Charters Thailand, a successful boat charter company operating in South-east Asia.

To read the full interview with Chris Jakubowski Charter Boat Crew Member, please click here.

 

What made you decide or choose to get into this sort of career?

If you have a love of boats and the ocean then a career in yachting means you are able to earn a living doing something that you love. That was my main reason for getting into this.

 

Do you have a standard day or a standard type of `exercise’?

A career onboard is filled with variety. Although there are regular tasks to perform such as maintenance, cleaning, boat preparations, etc, the nature of the sea makes every day interesting and different. The yacht can travel to a variety of different and stunning locations and you regularly meet new and interesting people. Whilst out on charter, yacht crew will be serving the guests, driving the tender, trimming the sails and completing a variety of other task. While in port, the main tasks are maintenance, repairs and preparations.

 

What is the most common type of problem/call-out/enquiry to which you must attend?

Again, the job is filled with such variety that is difficult to identify the most common problem you may encounter. It could be anything from a broken outboard to a torn sail, seasick guest, adverse weather conditions, technical or mechanical failures or any of a hundred other challenges.

 

What do you like most about the job?

Being around boats and on the sea; the challenges the work presents and the variety of people and places all make the job very satisfying.

 

 

What do you like least about the job?

Crew members on larger yachts will spend a lot of time dedicated to cleaning the vessel. Long periods can be spent on duty away from friends and family.

 

What are the key responsibilities?

Care of the vessel and the guests and anything that might involve. As Captain, you are ultimately responsible for the lives of the crew and safety of the vessel.

 

What is the starting salary, and how does this increase over time with promotion?

The salary is related to the size and location of the vessel and your role onboard. Your level of qualification and experience also affects your earning potential.

 

What advice do you have for someone who is looking to get into this as a career?

You will need exceptional training backed up with experience; that is extremely important.

 

 

What are the most important qualities an applicant must and should possess?

Seamanship, strong work ethic, personality, being a team player; also, a sense of safety and professionalism.

 

Any closing questions, comments or additional advice?

A life onboard is not for everyone. It can be very demanding. It takes training, time and experience to get into the industry and even more so to climb the career ladder. However, for those with the right qualities, ambition and appreciation of ships and the sea it can afford a long, exciting and satisfying career.

 

http://www.gulfchartersthailand.com Gulf Charters Thailand

Where there’s a will . . .

Ghislaine Bovy is a business start-up mentor who works tirelessly to help young people and those unacquainted with business get a foothold in the world of entrepreneurial adventure.

To read the full interview with Ghislaine Bovy Business Start-up Mentor, click here.

 

 

What made you decide or choose to get into this sort of career?

Being a Mentor is far from being a career; it’s volunteering work to help young entrepreneurs get their ideas into becoming business plans, developing the marketing plan with them, helping them find “Business Angels” who can help them get started, and finally see them through to either success or failure. My “real job,” or the corporate side of my work, is consultant in Marketing & Communications. I am a “swiss knife” marketeer helping companies with marketing and sales plans, branding, on and offline marketing, CRM (customer relationship management) and whatever marketing missions they would call on me for. For example, launching the first e-marketing campaigns for Xerox or streamlining events worldwide for Agfa, or handling media relations for GE. I have more than 25 years of experience in Marketing & Communications and work in 6 European languages – that helps!

 

Do you have a standard day or a standard type of `exercise’?

No, nothing is “standard” in start-ups. I usually either meet young entrepreneurs during events such as Westartup week-end or Bizcamps, or online, and end up being “required” for business plan development, study of marketing plans, presentation to Business Angels, but it’s an “ad hoc” volunteer work. I make myself available and young entrepreneurs are free to contact me at any time.

 

What is the most common type of problem/call-out/enquiry to which you must attend?

Mainly marketing plan development and presentation skills. Although many young entrepreneurs have clear ideas of what product they want to launch, they have difficulties making the necessary market research to clearly visualise if their product is viable, and at what price. Moreover, Web 2.0 (the exchange of information and sharing on the internet) start-ups can be brilliant but the young entrepreneur often lacks presentation skills, which means he or she needs some coaching before they make any presentation to Business Angels or potential partners.

 

What do you like most about the job?

I work on the future. Young entrepreneurs are the future and that’s why I enjoy working with them.

 

 

What do you like least about the job?

Seeing that some people just take advantage of me and let me down with no further news on their project. A relationship to a mentor must be more than the short-term “I need you” to become a long term relationship. I have been networking for so long that I’m still in touch with the assistant who worked for me in 1978, so I like fidelity and trust.

 

What are the key responsibilities?

Making sure I give the young entrepreneurs the right “tools” to go to the market with confidence.

 

What about academic requirements? Any formal demands, eg- A Levels?

Never. Academic…versus 25 years of experience; forget about diplomas.

 

What is the starting salary, and how does this increase over time with promotion?

No salary; being a Mentor is volunteer work for me. For others, their circumstances can be different. For example, some financial institutions are starting to offer this service to entrepreneurs, but earning significant remuneration is unlikely for the most part.

 

What are the most important qualities an applicant must and should possess?

Respect for others.

 

Any closing questions, comments or additional advice?

I would like to tell anyone looking for a job or wanting to start his/her own business that there are 3 key elements to success: work hard, work hard and finally work hard! Nothing else to say!

Asia’s best independent travel blog

 

http://www.off-the-path.com/

 

Sebastian Canaves-Borner is a freelance travel writer, blogger, entrepreneur and social media consultant.

He is currently working with Vivaldi Public Relations as a online marketing manager here in Bangkok.

Sebastian owns and operates Off-The-Path, Thailand’s leading travel blog about Asia, Europe and world wide travel destinations.

Please follow his adventures by becoming a fan of the site on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

 

“Sebastian Canaves-Borner’s is half German, half Spanish. He has studied Business in the Netherlands and

Journalism in Bulgaria. He was born in Spain and lived there for 13 years. Afterward he moved to Germany, followed by extensive travel

around the world. Sebastian has been in more than 50 countries, lived for a year in Australia, and speaks six languages fluently. Today he

considers himself a citizen of the world. You can follow his adventures on Off-The-Path.com.”

 

Thank you

Dave