This is a very difficult time and it looks like we are going to be challenged for some time to come. The restaurant,hospitality and many other industries have been devastated by the pandemic. We all know that this will not last forever but we still have a hard road ahead.

The farmers in Cambodia and farmers around the world are suffering as well. Kampot Pepper farmers are losing ground to the large growers that are no longer buying the pepper but buying the farms. Last year almost one quarter of the smallest growers (under ¾ acre) either lost or sold their farms or abandoned the business because they cannot sell their pepper. During the first few months of the pandemic sales evaporated. They have begun to pick up but not at normal levels. We need to help save and restore this ancient farming system.” 

We have come up with a COVID-19 Response Plan and although our main online focus has been to charities and non-profits we have opened up our online, community-based distribution system to anyone effected by COVID-19.

During the pandemic we have increased the community partner share from 35% to 50%. This is our way of helping out in this difficult time.

So please open your own store by clicking here and we will create a custom, branded store for you within a couple of days. If you have a logo or want to make one please email it to us and the Thank You text you want at the top of your store.

We know that this is not the same as regular employment earnings but it can add up. If you had 100 friends get ten friends each to purchase their pepper from your store that could add up to $15,000.00 over one year. Social impact purchasing works.

Be well, be safe.

Here’s a screen shot of the top section of a custom store with logo and Thank You message:

Welcome to our new US site for community-based, Fair Trade distribution of Kampot Pepper – the Best Pepper in the World. It has been somewhat of a long and winding road to get to this point.

Just figuring out the logistics, legal and regulatory requirements to get Kampot Pepper into North America has been a long and sometimes frustrating process. However, we did it – even though it took about 18 month from initial research to landing the inventory in North America it was worth the effort as we now have almost a ton of the ‘Best Pepper Ever’ in our warehouse.

We are working with a social enterprise packager, Starworks, that employs disabled people to package and handle our product. Our mandate is to embed social purpose into every aspect of this enterprise and so our customers will know that when they choose Kampot Pepper and Kampot hand-crafted Sea Salt they are not only helping small farmers but are contributing significantly to help alleviate food insecurity in North America , promote sustainable agriculture abroad and create good jobs that pay a living wage with the smallest eco-footprint possible.

We invite you to join us on this journey of making Best Pepper Ever and Kampot Sea Salt the tabletop choice for all socially minded folks in North America. Thank you for your support. BTW. Once you try Kampot Pepper – no other pepper will do it is the Champagne of peppercorns. AKUN CHIRAN!

I have been back in Phnom Voar, the heart of the Kampot Pepper region, for about a month and have been visiting small farmers as well as the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) that represents hundreds of small pepper farmers in Kampot and Kep provinces – the only areas that are allowed to use the GI (geographical indication) mark.

From the KPPA website:

Ancestral know-how

These pepper lovers, smitten with their product, proud of their traditional values and definitely looking into the future, are the keepers of an ancestral know-how, of a way of production where the man and his land make one with a unique goal: producing the highest quality pepper.

It is truly wonderful to witness the re-birth and expansion of such an ancient farming system that will help ensure the community and economic development of an area so devastated by civil war.

We are now working directly with KPPA to help build a Fair Trade distribution system for the Kampot Pepper Farmers. Here’s a short video I took at a local farm:

 

 

Welcome to KampotPepper.Gives bringing the best pepper in the world in a way that not only helps the small rural pepper farmers but helps charities, non-profits, schools and other groups to fund their work.

Cambodia is a remarkable country with a rich, and in modern times, tragic history. Angkor Wat is certainly the most well known living monument in Southeast Asia, if not the world. Many consider Angkor the eight wonder of the world. Of the seven classical wonders of the world only the Great Pyramid of Giza exists to this day. Angkor Wat is an active temple, not just an archeological monument.

There is another wonder of the world from Cambodia, at least from a culinary perspective, and that is Kampot pepper. If you have never tasted the exquisite yet subtle flavour of this ‘king of kings’ then you have something to look forward to.

I have always loved pepper, freshly ground pepper is my favourite spice. Pepper has been called the ‘King of Spice’ and centuries ago when introduced to Europe from Asia it was referred to as ‘Black Gold’. My first experience of the delight of Kampot pepper was when I went to Kep, a small seaside community on the Gulf of Thailand, famous for its crab market. I had been told about Kimly Restaurant and that it served some of the best seafood in Southeast Asia. I was not disappointed. This began my journey into the world of Kampot pepper.

 

In 2012 I brought back a half a kilo of Kampot pepper and began to use it in my cooking as well as freshly ground on the dinner table. Over the next few years I continued to bring back black, then the red and white peppercorns. I gifted most of the pepper to friends and family Last year I decided to try and experiment and brought back six kilos and held a fundraiser for a local foundation of which I am a member and it was so successful that…. well, the light went on. People love Kampot pepper, the small pepper farmers definitely need a Fair Trade distribution solution and so I decided to make it available on the net. Now when you buy Kampot Pepper, the best pepper in the world, you are not only helping the small pepper farmers in Southern Cambodia but you can choose a local cause to support as they get the retail portion of the sale.

A culinary note: The chef at Kimly told me of a little trick he uses and that is prior to preparing his food for the day he takes a number of peppercorns and pours hot water over them and let’s them sit. He then uses the liquid and the softened peppercorns in his sauces and his pepper dishes. I tried it with sauteed vegetables, a beef stew and my favourite chicken soup recipe. WOW! What flavour!