In February 2026, a group of Thai rice farmers and cooperative managers made the journey from Thailand's northeast to the hills of Champasak province in southern Laos. They were there to see, first-hand, how another producer organization had built something that worked.

Their host was CPC, the Cooperative des Producteurs de Cafe du Plateau des Bolovens, a Fairtrade-certified coffee cooperative with years of experience managing premium funds, building farmer welfare, and navigating the demands of ethical export. The visitors were ten Thai rice producer organizations, each at a different stage of their own Fairtrade journey. The combination made for two of the most practical days of learning many participants said they had experienced.

Setting the Scene

The Bolovens Plateau sits at altitude in southern Laos, cooler than most of the country and well-suited to the coffee that CPC's members grow. CPC's story is one of gradual, careful growth. Over the years, its premium funds have financed 12 local schools-each equipped with clean water which collectively support over 7,000 children. In four villages, the cooperative has built healthcare facilities, which serve 3,500 community members, a community hospital, a coffee factory and roastery, and a network of village processing stations which is supporting numerous farmers and their families. These are not small achievements, and they were not achieved quickly.

When Fairtrade NAPP brought Thai rice producers to see this work, the idea was simple: learning is more powerful when you can walk into a room, visit a field, and speak directly to the people behind the results.

Day One: Understanding the Foundations

Training began on Wednesday, 18 February. The morning opened with CPC sharing its own story- how the cooperative is structured, how it manages relationships with international buyers, and how Fairtrade certification has shaped the terms of its exports. For farmers and managers newer to certification, this was grounding material. Not abstract theory, but a functioning example they could see and ask questions about.

The afternoon moved into some of the most pressing areas for Thai producers. Fairtrade NAPP introduced Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence, known as HREDD, a framework that is increasingly relevant within Fairtrade standards and in the context of evolving international trade requirements. Participants worked through what risk identification looks like in practice, and how effective grievance mechanisms can be built and maintained within a producer organization.

Day Two: Walking the Ground

Thursday began with a field visit to CPC's village processing station, where participants saw how coffee is handled after harvest and what investment in post-harvest infrastructure looks like at community level. The group then visited Ban Mai Chai Somboon, where CPC's farmer members spoke directly about what Fairtrade premium has meant for them and what planning looks like when it is done with intention.

CPC representatives walked the group through their premium planning and implementation history from the beginning up through 2025, and farmer beneficiaries shared their reflections on that journey. This was the kind of honest, experience-based exchange that no training manual can fully replicate.

The afternoon visit to a community hospital project funded by CPC's Fairtrade premium made something concrete: premium money, managed transparently and with clear purpose, reaches far beyond the farm gate. The group also toured the coffee factory and roastery, seeing what a mature value chain looks like when farmer organizations take an active role in shaping it.

What the Participants Are Taking Back

Participants left with a stronger understanding of cooperative governance and how to run organizations with greater efficiency and accountability. They also deepened their grasp of Fairtrade premium management, particularly the principles of transparency and strategic planning that determine how premium funds are used well.

The training resulted in a comprehensive HREDD manual developed in the Thai language. This resource will support ongoing learning within each participating organization and gives teams a reference point as they work to embed these practices in their daily operations.

In Their Own Words

The Value of Looking Across

There is something about cross-border exchange that a classroom cannot match. When Thai rice farmers see what Lao coffee farmers have built over years of consistent effort, what is possible starts to feel more real. The distance between where they are and where they want to go begins to look like a path rather than a gap.

Fairtrade NAPP's work across Southeast Asia is built on exactly this kind of connection. By creating spaces where producer organizations share not just knowledge but lived experience, it supports the kind of learning that sticks, and the kind of change that lasts.