PTT’s retail arm to set up R&D centre for organic coffee breeds in Lampang

Speaking at its open house titled, "OR Sustainability: SDG in Action”, he said the move was part of the company's action plan to complete its sustainable development ecosystem under its own Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) direction, known as "Small, Diversify, and Green (SDG)".

The new landmark, he pointed out, covers over 600 rai (approximately 96 hectares) of land. The location will be transformed into an open organic coffee farm, demonstrating to individual Thai farmers how to plant, cultivate, and harvest premium quality Arabica and Robusta coffee breeds, he said.

Meanwhile, this site would serve as a centre for promoting and distributing coffee breeds, allowing PTT OR to expand its contract farmer network and increase the amount of coffee raw material used in its Amazon Cafe franchises throughout Thailand and abroad, he added.

"Currently, the country's coffee demand is around 80,000 tonnes per year, but domestic output is only 20,000 tonnes, with OR producing 6,000 tonnes. So, more work remains to be done," Disathat said, expecting the move to be another step towards increasing income for Thai farmers and playing a significant role as an upstream business for Amazon Cafe models.

Without an official name, Disathat dubbed the location Amazon Park, which will be completed within the next five years.

Hotels and other tourism-related services to welcome tourists may come later.

Apart from strengthening its sustainable strategy through its Amazon Cafe, one of its retail models, PTT OR is also focusing on converting its petrol stations nationwide into EV-charging stations in response to the growing number of EV users in Thailand.

However, transformation is a long-term commitment that requires time.

"We [OR] are reviewing the design and consulting with our partners. Initially, we intend to have EV-charging stations throughout Bangkok and the surrounding area for the next few years," he explained.

As Thailand's largest energy conglomerate business, Disthat said the company was now taking concrete action to sustain its long-term growth, as the trend of being environmentally and socially responsible is a requirement rather than a choice.

"It's time for practical action, no more drafting the plan," he noted.

According to its SDG action plan, PTT OR aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and net zero by 2050, expand green station nationwide, provide a digital platform to support local small and medium-sized businesses and offer an OR academy for employees and partners.