About
The Danu Nay-La story
My father, Mr. U Maung Nu, is an innovator and respected Danu farmer and leader. Our farm is in southern Shan State’s coffee epicentre, with over 10,000 coffee farmers on small plots of land.
My father saw the change from backyard farming to commercial practices and wanted to unite the farmers. Together, the farmers can improve quality and volume more efficiently. So, in 2018, he formed the Ywangan Coffee Association, and today, is the president.
Our 75 acres family coffee farm grows under native shade trees, including jackfruit, banana, avocado, and macadamia. Our farm is in Tatkone village, Ywangan township, southern Shan State. This farm is my father’s generational land.
I enjoyed going to the farm as a child as I grew up in Taung Gyi city with an aunt. My grandparents were very kind when I visited, and I relished all the fruits of their hard work, from vegetables to the fruit trees. I also worked side by side with my grandparents, enjoying the fresh air, and being able to play and roam in the nearby forests and mountain streams.
When I was 10, I moved to Tatkone village to be with my parents. On the farm, most of our 30,000 coffee trees are of the Catuai variety, although my grandfather’s first planting included S795 in 1942. Myanmar was then under British rule and our hillside region was a popular retreat for the English during the hot summer months.
Since 2019, we have rejuvenated our coffee by planting 1,000 Catuai seedlings each year. We have four employees on the farm, all women and three youth.
Our soils are red brown. The coffee trees flower from April to July. Harvest is from December to February.
The coffee is processed using the wet method, or the dry method on raised beds in the sun and constantly turned over a period of 14 days. We also have solar drying sheds which can dry the coffee in 10 days. Read more about how we farm coffee.
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“Our aim has always been to bring better futures and lives for the Danu ethnic group.”
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Ms. Mee Mee, Director, Danu Nay-La
Founding Danu Nay-La
Danu Nay-La company was established in September 2021. It is a father-daughter business. My father is the Managing Director, and I am the Director. We own the company 50:50.
Our aim has always been to bring better futures and lives for the Danu ethnic group. We started our business to support coffee, tea, macadamia, and honey farmers to earn a reliable living. We too were farmers from this area. We could not make a living working as individual smallholder farmers.
In 2018, we built the Danu Nay-La factory in Tatkone village, Ywangan Township, to process coffee and tea. The factory has a fully equipped coffee washing station (CWS) and tea factory. My father’s dream to support the farmers was fulfilled.
Part of our plan was for me to train in agriculture. In 2013, my father had supported me to undertake a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Yezin Agricultural University.
It is Myanmar’s only higher learning institution in agriculture.
I elected to study plant pathology and horticulture in my final year. After graduating, I worked with my father in good agricultural practices (GAP) and how to care for the soil and plants, and weed, prune, and harvest.
My degree enabled me to do what I love, helping farmers and sharing practical, hands-on knowledge.
Today, Danu Nay-La is a thriving coffee and green tea company. In 2021, we produced 150 tons of Arabica green bean and 4–8 tons of green tea. Our 2025 goal is 300–1,000 tons of coffee. Our specialty Arabica regularly cups at 84–86.
We have also expanded into honey, macadamia and turmeric the latter two are emerging markets for Myanmar.
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