Xongdur prevails with moderation
Organic food company follows late King’s teaching to seek modest but sustainable growth, writes Phusadee Arunmas
There were several life lessons imparted by the late King Bhumibol to his people over the course of his reign, teaching them to be as self-reliant as possible. One such lesson was self-moderation — the search for modest growth that is sustainable instead of accelerated growth that carries big risks.
The late King included moderation as one of the three pillars of the self-sufficiency, explained as not doing too little or too much at the expense of oneself or others.
The two other two pillars are reasonableness and risk management.
The three pillars were aimed at encouraging Thais to develop their lives rationally while considering all involved factors and carefully anticipating the outcomes of their actions. This includes preparing to cope with the likely impacts and changes of various aspects by considering the probability of future situations.
One small Thai business that applies the late King’s moderation teachings is Xongdur Thai Organic Food Co, a small local enterprise that has grown at a moderate pace over the years and has recently become a major organic exporting company.
Founded 15 years ago with only 10 people and 1 million baht in capital to produce and process organic food products for consumers, today the company has nearly 100 employees and a network that exports to many countries.
The company was also approached by the global US-based food company Kellogg’s, to be one an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“I considered the proposal thoroughly and finally turned down the offer to be the OEM for such a big food enterprise,” said Suwanna Jiwattanapaiboon, managing director of Xongdur.
Following the late King’s philosophy, Ms Suwanna said she wanted the company to build up in solid phases rather than jumping into massive growth without failsafes against collapse.
“I recalled the teachings of moderation and thought about initial motivation when I started the business — I wanted to produce healthy foods for myself and my neighbours before expanding my clientele. I did not think about being a big business, I thought about being a sustainable business,” she said.
She said if she accepted Kellogg’s proposal, she would need significant capital to expand her organic plantation quickly to increase production and that would lead to a large loan that she would need for running the huge operation to feed people in the US — far from her vision when she started business.
“Then, I went back to the basic teachings of the late King and decided to grow modestly, but with stability,” she said.
Ms Suwanna said she decided to create her organic farm network to increase the number of organic products as well as gradually create consumer networks.
Her plantation and production network cover major organic farmlands in central Thailand, which is not only a major rice bowl for the country, but also has fertile lands for other fruit orchards and organic crops.
From being a small one tambon one product firm, today the company produces several types of heathy organic food suitable for several types of clientele, including babies, the elderly, patients and healthconscious people.
The moderation method steered her to think reasonably and always evaluate herself before expanding further. Ms Suwanna said Xongdur was awarded a “Self-Sufficiency Award” by the government in 2010.
Today, Xongdur is a famous organic Thai food company that exports to several countries, including in Asia, Europe and the US.
“For me, the self-sufficiency method is not just a philosophy, but it is the teaching that reduces human suffering, suitable for those who want to live with sustainable happiness,” said Ms Suwanna.
I wanted to produce healthy foods for myself and my neighbours before expanding my clientele. I did not think about being a big business, I thought about being a sustainable business. SUWANNA JIWATTANAPAIBOON Managing director, Xongdur