My name is Adrina Sedhai, and I am co-founder of the Sustainable Agriculture Promotion (SAP) Company and coffee farm. I am proud to be a young Nepali woman producing coffee sustainably.
The SAP Coffee story started with my father, Mr Boj Raj Sedhai. He was an Agriculture Extension Leader in Chaurideurali rural municipality. He was also a Junior Technical Assistant in an integrated pest management (IPM) project for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
He worked as a coffee technician for seven years in Lamjung district. It was then that he started experimenting, training in coffee farming, and developing his knowledge of the market.
For seven years, he worked in coffee with a passion. He invested the time to plan and test the farm’s foundations, to make them strong for the future. He is passionate about farming and loves coffee plants like a second child.
We found his work fascinating and everybody in that village respected him for supporting smallholder farmers to grow organic coffee. He also helped poor families by encouraging them to send their children to school and giving them our old school books.
We didn’t have much money; I was on a scholarship at school. We were raised in poverty but always had a dream to help others through education.
I followed my father’s dream and passion to university. I am studying a BSc Agriculture at the affiliated college of Agriculture and Forestry University at Chapagau, Lalitpur.
We had a company for many years but in 2020, my father decided to close it due to the financial crisis and other challenges. I then took over the company and convinced him not to shut it down. Instead, I would help him to grow the business. We called it Sustainable Agricultural Promotion (SAP).
I now tutor the local children of poor families without any payment. This is my small effort to change the world. During college vacations, I visit farmers and help them where I can. SAP Coffee is both a product and service business.
My hope is that one day I will see our brand in other countries too, and that Starbucks will buy my coffee. Everyone in the world should experience Nepali coffee because it has the best flavours.
For now, I continue to gain more knowledge and skills to be competitive in the coffee business. I am also learning more about organic coffee. Within 5 years, we will expand SAP Coffee farm to 5 ha.
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My father gave me his knowledge and shared life experiences and I am proud to be his daughter. Working across two generations has given me a new perspective. His dedication and enthusiasm prompted me to study agriculture so we could build a farm based on good agricultural practices.
Adrina Sedhai, Co-Founder, SAP Coffee
Sustainability
We respect the environment
Customers
Honesty
Unity
Quality
We have trustworthy products
We work as a team with farmers
We care about our customers’ needs
We only make 100% natural, premium Nepali coffee
We are helping to build the sustainable, organic coffee industry in Nepal. To help support this, we would like to see some changes in the coffee sector.
Youth participation
Greater involvement of youth in coffee farming – they are energetic and can give their best at work.
Many poor Nepali youth go to foreign countries in search of work. If youth are involved in the local coffee industry, their innovations and ideas can help the country and lower unemployment rates.
Coffee varieties
We would like to see coffee varieties that are rust-resistant and tolerant of cold climates. We can develop a good value chain in the coffee industry by increasing the production efficiency of coffee plants through better practices and new varieties in the lower belt of Nepal.
