PRODUCE REGIONS
MANDALAY AND MAGWE
Mandalay and Magwe share a border in Central region. We source green mung beans and red kidney beans here – 70% from Mandalay and 40% from Magwe.
It is very dry here and the sunsets and sunrises are spectacular. The skies are so full colour, orange and red, against hundreds of stupas, shrines, and distant mountains.
Farmers get up early, when it is cooler, to sow, reap, and care for their fields. The tropical heat makes the distant hills shimmer as the day heats up. The fields across these central plains are planted with rice and then later with green mung beans, red kidney beans and sesame seeds. The fields follow the majestic Irrawaddy River flowing through the landscape, fringed by trees.
These regions are large agricultural with farms passing from one generation to the next. Families live in traditional Burmese houses scattered through the fields. Magwe is a large region; an average family of five has 4–8 ha.
Farmers have a commercial mindset as they have grown major crops such as peanuts, pulses, rice and sesame seeds for many years. Their wooden houses store all their farming equipment while some build special storage units for their harvest.
We source our produce from four states: Bago, Magwe, Shan and Mandalay.
BAGO STATE
Bago State is only 60 km from our factory in Yangon. Bago’s soils and climate helps it to grow high quality black matpe and green mung beans.
Our farmers’ fields lie along the Bago State Forest and the Irrawaddy River that transects the Yangon River. The Bago Mountain range is home to bountiful forests of teak.
Bago is a big region and agriculture is a backbone of the economy. Youth are positive for a strong future and are a part of the family business unit.
SHAN STATE
In Shan State, we source niger seeds. They blossom into a bright stunning yellow flower, vibrant against the green landscape, red soils, blue skies and white clouds. Thousands of fields lie between the foothills of the Shan Mountain range and the stunning lake where the morning mist rises off the water. It is astonishingly beautiful and spectacular.
Our niger seeds are grown by ethnic minorities who follow traditional lifestyles with their local language, customs, and clothing. They still work side by side with traditional bullocks to plough the fertile fields and transport produce. Farming communities have worked with these bullocks for decades. They are excellent draught animals.
It is often a beautiful scene as the bullock cart transports our products to the collection point along the dusty track with the light from the setting sun shining through the dust. However, there is a growing trend of people purchasing Chinese tractors.
OUR PRODUCE COLLECTORS
New Moon Family has 6–10 collecting companies (depending on the season). Some have worked with our family for over 30 years. We train them in sourcing quality products. At the commodity exchange, they can look at samples.
Our collecting company in Shan State is run by Mrs. Daw Khin Ma. She has worked with us for 20 years and is very experienced. Women-run collecting companies are unique as commodity exchanges are mostly male dominated.
These small companies are an important part of our business. Each company operates in their region, drawing on local knowledge and extensive experience that means we can offer our customers the best produce.
These companies are also trusted by the farmers. We are a young company. We want to offer the farmers the best of both worlds – support from the collecting companies, and current agricultural practices to maximise their profits.
All our collecting companies are very experienced. We work closely together and are in constant communication. Over the years of our working relationships, their children have gone through school and higher education and many now have professional careers.
Our collecting companies: Nay La Win (Bago), Noble Tun and Pwint Thit (Mandalay), Win San (Aung Lan), Daw Khin Ma Ma and U Sein Win (Shan State).