Resistance fighters are attacking the junta with a new eponymous weapon: Rebels green tea.
The revolutionary product was introduced early this month by the Loikaw People’s Defense Force (PDF), an armed resistance group in Lokaw, the capital of the southeastern state of Karenni.
Rebels green tea is from southern Shan State, a tea-growing area. It was launched to help finance PDFs in Loikaw and Ywar Ngan, a neighboring township of southern Shan State, through sales to the diaspora in countries around Myanmar.
Ko Min Thu Kyaw, one of the brand’s creators, said the goal of Rebels is to deliver a long-term revenue stream to the revolution. Money raised from sales of Rebels will be used to support the revolution.
So far, PDFs have been relying on donations.
“We really appreciate the public for constantly donating to PDFs and the revolution, but the armed resistance cannot survive in the long run without a regular income,” explained Ko Min Thu Kyaw, a member of Loikaw PDF who is in charge of marketing Rebels.
Armed resistance to Myanmar’s junta began mushrooming in late 2021 after peaceful protests against the coup in February of that year were met with increasingly bloody crackdowns. To evade arrest and prison, youths who opposed the junta fled to areas under the control of ethnic armed groups to sign up for military training.
After learning armed combat, many started their own resistance forces, including PDFs, vowing to fight the junta’s military all the way to its deepest roots.
Inspired by the sacrifice and determination of young fighters, people inside Myanmar as well as citizens living outside the country showered PDFs and other resistance groups with donations so that they could buy food and weapons.
Even today, more than three years on, the war against the regime is driven by the support of the people. There is no international assistance in sight, but as time drags on, revolutionary fatigue is a rising concern.
“People are getting tired of supporting us in the long run,” Ko Min Thu Kyaw explains.
He had been organizing short-term fundraising projects for the revolution when he realized a new model was needed. And then he thought, “Why not start a business?”
Selling a product at an affordable price could help create employment and support the revolution at the same time. Moreover, it could give something back to those who, in many cases, have already given all they have.
The goal is to sell people something they need instead of burdening them with donations, he explained.
He and other resistance fighters brainstormed possible products and chose tea.
“We picked it out of the other options because dried tea leaves are a famous product from our region of Karenni and southern Shan State,” Ko Min Thu Kyaw said.
Still, it took another year before Rebels tea was born. It took a lot of planning, Ko Min Thu Kyaw explains. Then, money had to be raised for investment capital and a workforce had to be recruited. It mainly comprises young people who fled their homes to join the revolution.
Rebels debuted on July 6 in Thailand, where a few million Myanmar nationals reside. Min Thu Kyaw said Rebels has been well-received as sales have already expanded to five more countries: Singapore, Australia, Dubai, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
It also has an intangible quality.
Abstropus, a Myanmar photographer, says that drinking Rebels puts those who lost their lives in the revolution back in focus. “The other day I tried to visualize them through the steam rising from the tea,” he explains. “Whenever people drink Rebels, they will think of the lost rebels more,” he adds.
The brand is being embraced in Myanmar, but Min Thu Kyaw is worried that the junta may clue in. Once the generals realize who’s behind it and where the profits go, they’ll likely decree that drinking Rebels is an act of “terrorism.”
Still, with foreign sales already strong, Min Thu Kyaw says Rebels will deliver a new revenue stream to the revolution in two months.
“All profits will flow to Loikaw PDF and Ywar Ngan PDF,” he said. The latter is a resistance group in southern Shan State.
Turning Rebels into a business that could support the revolution for the long term was not easy for Min Thu Kyaw and his team. He and the other members of the small team behind the brand don’t have business backgrounds.
“We are testing the water for the time being” he said, but is quick to add that they will introduce Rebels coffee soon.
In Thailand, Rebels tea is available in restaurants and shops popular with the diaspora in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Mae Sot.
The owner of Chiang Mai’s Outlaws Bar & Grill said foreign tourists are showing interest. “After they taste Rebels green tea they buy three or five packs,” she said, explaining that is a high-quality product.
She identified a couple of possible barriers to the international market, however.
“If they aim for the international market, they need to improve the packaging and have a variety of flavors,” she said, explaining that, to be more successful, the brand needs to diversify its customer base.
