Chiang Rai Woman Cultivates Rose Empire Through Organic Value-Added Products

In Chiang Rai, Thailand, a woman farmer has cultivated a sustainable and highly profitable organic business centered around rose cultivation. Nopkao Janyo took over her family's farming business in Mae Chan district in 2012, aiming for sustainable agriculture that is considerate of human health and the environment. Initially starting with organic rice, she focused on rose cultivation due to the growing health consciousness and her love for flowers. She specifically chose Thai native varieties, "Mon Klai Kangwon" and "Mon Daeng Prasert," known for their strong fragrance, for premium rose tea production. The key to her success lies not just in selling fresh flowers, but in increasing added value through processing. While fresh roses typically sell for around three baht each and have a short shelf life, Nopkao meticulously selects harvested roses and carefully dries them in a hot air oven at 50-55 degrees Celsius for 24 hours. This process preserves the color, aroma, and quality of organic dried rose tea, which is traded at 5,000 baht per kilogram, dramatically boosting her revenue. Furthermore, she produces high-quality rose water for the food, confectionery, and cosmetic industries. Three kilograms of fresh roses harvested in the morning yield three liters of rose water, sold at 1,000 baht per liter. She also develops skincare products like lotions. "I no longer see myself as just a farmer. I am an entrepreneur working to increase my product's value," Nopkao stated, with plans to extract expensive rose essential oils in the future. Currently, she uses social media to directly communicate her farm's story to consumers and aims to expand her sales channels to international markets, driven by a desire to make her amazing organic roses from Chiang Rai known worldwide. Source: Chiang Rai Times