Coffee and craft
Starbucks Thailand joins with the SUPPORT Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand (Public Organisation) or SACICT in assisting Thai artisans to bring their crafts to customers nationwide through the campaign titled “We bring crafts to life in harmony with the contemporary lifestyle”.
The products include handmade bags, natural-dye cotton outfits for teddy bears and woven trays, and can all be purchased at Starbucks stores in Thailand.
“We are grateful to have a chance to work with SACICT and provide an opportunity for Thais at the district level to promote their innovative arts and crafts and generate income. We are also giving a boost to Thai handicrafts by showcasing their uniqueness to Thais and foreigners. Customers can buy these crafts through our 303 stores in Thailand,” said Murray Darling, managing director of Starbucks Coffee Thailand.
So far, three products are available. The handmade bag is produced through a collaborative program between SACICT and the Department of Corrections that trains underprivileged inmates of the Central Women Correctional Institution as part of the Kamlangjai Project under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajarakitiyabha. The project aims to provide assistance to as well as support and inspire women in prison to self-develop so they can find work and become worthwhile members of society once released.
Another product is natural-dye cotton from the Nong Bua Daeng hand-woven natural dye colour groups in Chaiyaphum, which is creatively sewn into outfits for Starbucks’ teddy bears. The group is well known for its use of locally available natural ingredients, such as blue from indigo which is extracted from the leaves of certain plants and yellow from the core of the jackfruit tree and Coscinium fenestratum, which are found in Surin and Sri Sa Ket provinces. The wastewater is treated after the dyeing process, thus reducing contaminants and making the water safe for discharge into the environment.
Woven tray is also a folk art product that draws on Thai wisdom from the descendants of SACICT craftsman from Varni Southern Wickery in Phatthalung province.
“We are delighted with this collaboration from the private sector in supporting the handicrafts created by SACICT members in various provinces, who order the raw materials and creatively produce them as community handicraft products so that we can distribute them internationally. We believe that this collaboration between SACICT and Starbucks will help generate income for these local craftspeople while also showcasing Thai handicrafts and promoting these distinctive works to the public,” said Amparwon Pichalai, CEO of SACICT.
The handmade bag is now available at the store while the teddy bears with natural-dye cotton outfits and the woven trays will follow shortly afterwards. For more information, visit www.Starbucks.co.th
