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FAHTHAI
PIONEERING
Starling Farm's
Anna Him is
leading the pepper
renaissance
Because red and white pepper are more difficult
to produce, only a few hundred kilogrammes are
made available each year.
Anna believes Kampot pepper’s unique taste
owes a lot to its place of origin. The spice is
grown only in a few districts clustered between
the mountains and the sea in Kampot province
—
areas that are known for their mineral-rich
soil, salt-heavy air and high rainfall. Caves in the
nearby mountains are home to millions of bats,
whose guano is mixed with cow dung to make an
unusual – and highly effective
—
natural fertiliser.
Assuming that Kampot’s pepper producers
can meet demand while maintaining their
uncompromising approach to farming, the future
looks bright for the region’s famed spice. When
Starling Farm began in 2002 there were only a
dozen families farming pepper; these days there
are about 126 families and counting. Starling
Farm alone employs 40 full-timers and brings
about 30 seasonal workers on board at harvest
time. “We have peace and we’re happy about it,”
farmer Em Han says. “Now we can work. Now
we can make a living.”
The spice is
grown only in
a fewdistricts
clustered
between the
mountain
and the sea in
Kampot province
- areas known for
mineral-rich soil,
salt-heavy air
and high rainfall
A M B I T I O N
