This series showcases Toyota's activities in non-automotive fields. This time, we head to Thailand--for farming and coffee.
It’s said to come instead from Gesha, a region in Ethiopia where the variety grew wild. A little bean trivia for you.
Farmer Wi I. mentioned that last year, Toyota purchased as much as one ton of beans. In the village, people seemed happy, saying that rising incomes have enabled them to spend money on their children’s education.
So why Toyota?
So, why is Toyota involved in improving coffee in the first place? And what’s behind its large-scale purchases of beans? To find out, we headed to Toyota Motor Thailand’s headquarters in Bangkok.
We spoke with former chairman Ninnart Chaithirapinyo.
Ninnart C., Former Chairman, Toyota Motor Thailand
The Thai Royal Family and the Toyoda family have long shared a deep bond. Toyota Motor Thailand has been privileged with regular opportunities to visit the Royal Palace.
In 2018, when we visited Princess Sirindhorn, I tasted the coffee from the café run by the Royal Family, and it was excellent. When I said I wanted to serve it at Toyota dealerships as well, I was told that bean production was not keeping up with demand.
So, I offered to use Toyota's know-how to help improve productivity.
Things moved quickly from there.
Ninnart C., Former Chairman, Toyota Motor Thailand
We went to Nan almost immediately and spent two days seeing things firsthand. We then visited numerous successful farms across Thailand, brought in a renowned craftsperson from Nara, Japan, for advice, and I even trained as a barista myself to really understand the coffee. (laughs)
Last month, I reported to Princess Sirindhorn during a Royal visit. I told her that Phu Phayak has grown greener, the environment has improved dramatically, and the land is now blanketed in coffee plants. She smiled.
So where do all those beans Toyota buys in bulk actually end up? We were taken to see where they are used.
In Thailand, Toyota operates its own cafés. And the baristas behind the counter? Toyota employees. We sat down with TABT (Toyota Auto Body Thailand), the team behind the coffee project, to find out more.
Pravena N., President, TABT (Toyota Auto Body Thailand)
Part of this is also about reskilling that gives employees a sense of purpose during slow periods at the factory. In fact, Toyota employees are well suited to running a café, with skills in areas like work planning and inventory management.
Moreover, Toyota employees are accustomed to following standardized procedures, so the coffee brewed by our baristas is consistently high in quality.
At first, some didn’t always smile when serving customers—but they soon got the hang of it (laughs). There’s a lot to learn from moving from B2B to B2C, and now our customers seem pleased with the service.
Improve production. Purchase the beans. Serve the coffee. It's a virtuous cycle that creates value for everyone involved:
・Farmers: Higher-quality beans, a reliable bulk buyer in Toyota, and rising incomes.
・Customers: Delicious, locally sourced Thai coffee—available at prices more affordable than major import-reliant chains.
・Toyota employees: Meaningful work during slower factory periods, and new customer-facing skills that foster personal growth.
Growing with farmers—and the next generation
Noriaki Yamashita, President, Toyota Motor Thailand
All of this is part of our commitment to social contribution—to building a better forest, better coffee, and a better community.
At Toyota Motor Thailand, we also embrace the ‘best-in-town’ philosophy. Our motto is 'Together with Thai People,' and that spirit is woven into the café name TOGETA itself—a nod to “Together TOYOTA.”
Surapoom U., Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor Thailand
Young people are the ones who will shape the future. Toyota also offers pickup truck leases, so we can support young entrepreneurs who want to run mobile vending businesses. We've also opened outlets at universities to learn what flavors younger generations prefer and how they make purchasing decisions.
We want coffee to bring moments of joy to as many people as possible. We have five locations now, but we're aiming to expand further across Thailand. There are 77 provinces in total, so we still have a long way to go (laughs).
At a university café, one item in particular was drawing attention.
Space was tight, and staff kept bumping into each other during service. Toyota's kaizen team introduced a piece of karakuri familiar from the factory floor: a gravity-powered mechanical delivery device. Once a barista finishes a drink, it glides automatically to the serving counter.
Safer working conditions. Smoother workflow. No capital investment required. As an unexpected bonus, students began filming it and sharing videos online, turning the café into a popular spot and boosting business.
A car company and coffee. On the surface, the two couldn't seem more different.
But this assignment showed us that genchi genbutsu, the elimination of waste, problem-solving, and teamwork—the principles that define Toyota's DNA—can be applied anywhere. It was something we learned from the many smiles we encountered along the way. If you're ever in Thailand, be sure to stop by for a cup of coffee.