Teaching Marketing to Coffee Producers in Myanmar

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From June 15 to 26, 2020, F2F Volunteer William S. Nichols completed a Marketing and Branding assignment with the Hopone Coffee Cluster under the Myanmar Coffee Association. He trained its affiliated producers to use marketing strategies and branding to expand their consumer network and improve their coffee promotion. There were 27 participants; 18 men and nine women who work as managers, community facilitators, marketing staff, processors, etc. The training included an introduction to marketing, promotion, negotiation skills, branding, and finding prospective new customers. 

The Hopone Coffee Cluster is comprised of four companies/cooperatives: Green Gold, Indigo Mountain, Mudra and Naung Kham Kaung Ron since December 2018. The objective of the Hopone Coffee Cluster is to produce high quality, unique and natural coffee and share market information with its affiliated members. 

F2F Volunteer Bill Nichols has more than 30 years of experience teaching and working in marketing management, strategic planning, and consulting in many countries in America, Asia, and Africa. He is the founder of Nichols Consulting, which provides coaching, mentoring, and capacity building assistance to small and medium enterprises and non-profit organizations worldwide. He has completed almost 60 F2F assignments and has been in Myanmar several times, volunteering for the F2F program and sharing his experience.


The volunteer provided live lectures through Zoom, held question and answers sessions with the full group, and assigned homework exercises to teach them about the features and benefits of conveying their marketing message, how to create and deliver a one-minute (elevator) sales pitch, and how to employ the four Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. He also taught them negotiation skills, how to find prospective new customers and about branding. 

At the end of the assignment, the participants had become better marketers and did not see themselves solely as farmers. They had also learned how and why to build a stronger brand image, which will result in an increase in customer activity and consequently, in sales.

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