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Once again, after a year, a Czech expedition came to Cambodia to discover the beauties of Cambodia and spend time on our farms with Kampot pepper.To show them the best of Cambodia, we immediately set off from the airport to our friendly school, Kohchann Primary School, for a welcome. We had an important task – to hand over the money that we raised thanks to you and thanks to SIA Restaurant for the construction of a new library for the school!In total, we raised 2000 dollars, the much-needed amount for the completion of the building named SMART LIBRARY.We have been supporting the school since 2015, when it had only a few dozen students, classes were held in a wooden gazebo, and the children did not yet have uniforms.Today, the school has around 400 students and is doing very well.The welcome for the group was magnificent. The children sang, danced, played musical instruments, and had prepared for us Cambodian krama – traditional scarves that locals wear as the most important part of their clothing. Each member of the expedition was given a drawing by the children, and then we were led in a procession to the library.“Here we are building right next to the new building, it will be four classrooms in total,” the principal Makara proudly said.After the library, there was a photo session and the wiping away of the first tears of the newcomers, then we were invited to a traditional apsara dance, which is protected by UNESCO, and the children performed it for us in several variations.After this beautiful show, to which we were invited so they could teach us the dance, we handed over the last Czech gifts – mainly musical instruments and Czech memory games.After the official handover of the gift, we all began preparing to leave – the children have a break between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., when they go home by bike for lunch. Filled with emotions, we said our final goodbye with a bow and a loud “sok sabaj! ” which means “take care! ” and set off back with the group.

Do you remember our Facebook contest where customers had the chance to win a trip to Cambodia to visit our pepper plantations? Nikola and her boyfriend David just spent a whole week there discovering Kampot pepper and Cambodia through the eyes of our poorest farming families. We asked them to describe the entire trip as if we were there with them. Read about their experiences and see the impressions Nikola wrote down and photographed together with her partner. They welcomed us as if we were part of the family Their constant smile acted as a connection instead of language, because we struggled a bit with that. But “čolmoj“ and “nadraví“ were enough for us in the evening, and when not, our guide Dolphi and Google Translate helped express how good the dinner was. We were actually served snake soup, which we had seen whole just a few hours earlier. An experience for a lifetime! Kind of like seeing what a real pepper plantation looks like. We had many questions and received many answers. Too bad we couldn’t see the entire process of harvesting and preparing the pepper before it reaches the plate. But well, it’s not the season. That’s part of farming; you are dependent on nature.Even when you go to sleep. During the evening shower of water from a tub, a gecko watches you, and while you sleep on wooden planks, you cover yourself with a mosquito net to protect yourself from mosquitoes that would otherwise eat you alive. And supposedly, it’s not even their season. We also had a nice encounter with the local fauna Watering piglets or training dogs… And the afternoon herding of cows and the morning pasture were more of an event and fun than anything else. Early in the morning on the way back home, you pick a coconut from a palm and try (unsuccessfully) to cut it yourself, feeling the essence of hard but actually lightened farm life.The influence of the Western world hasn’t escaped here either. In the evening, phones with YouTube and a huge speaker come out. Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran play alongside traditional Cambodian food.But they also have Facebook. Which is great because we can stay connected with Kunthea’s daughter and her friends, who called us “sister“ and “brother“ and left me beautiful, cute messages. I really felt like a princess when five other little princesses kept telling me how beautiful I am.In short, we now feel like part of the family! :-)

Kampot salt is the best partner for our Kampot pepper. Last year, it even received the protected geographical indication PGI, which declares it as one of the best in the world. It is precisely the coarse-grained salt that you stormed before Christmas and was immediately sold out. So we set off with the Czech team directly to the plantation to collect it, and it is finally in stock! Even coarse-grained salt is hand-harvested, not mined The Kampot brine ponds lie, just like Kampot pepper, in the Kampot region. They are about an hour's drive apart, and we set off together there in the late afternoon when the sun was already setting. We were lucky! Small family farms around the salt pans that we support not only welcomed us with a smile but also didn’t let us wait long. "Here you have rakes, we are just collecting coarse-grained salt, come on! " And so we simply collected our coarse-grained salt together with them. How is such coarse-grained salt collected? You have to go barefoot into the salt pans with perfectly clean feet, you get a rake, and from the surface of the salt pans, you collect large salt crystals into the shape of a pyramid. You then carry these in a basket to the local storage. Production only in protective clothing All the salt is then transported to our processing site, which we also visited. The team could observe the strict hygiene processes subject to the high demands of ISO 9001 and HACCP certification; we also received caps and coats, and gradually went through all the machines needed for salt processing. First, there is a large dryer, then a sortex machine that sorts only perfect crystals which continue on for manual processing. In another room, Cambodian women receive the roughly sorted salt, which they then handpick and check crystal by crystal to ensure only 100% quality and purity reach you. In the packing room, we see all the types of salt we import for you – besides the coarse-grained Kampot salt for grinders, the finest and most delicate sea salt flower for final seasoning is also packed here, which was recently gently harvested from the salt pans because the sun was shining and there was no wind. This salt can only be collected under perfect conditions as it is very sensitive. Salt pyramids, which are formed by subsequent reboiling and are a true gem, are already all in the Czech Republic – there are very few of them every year, so we buy them all immediately upon harvest. For honest work, an honest reward - dinner with the farmers And since we were clever, for the well-done work the farmers' family invited us to their place for dinner with Cambodian soup and fruit from the farm. With a feeling of a job well done, we return to the accommodation and can now reveal to you that we brought back a nice couple of tons of coarse salt from Kampot, so hopefully it will satisfy all your demands!Enjoy your meal! :-)

During our journey across our farms, we received a truly exceptional invitation - to spend the night at the farmer's home. Since all members of the Czech expedition welcome such experiences, we all agreed and arrived at 6 pm, when it is already dark in Cambodia, at the agreed crossroads in the middle of the field. A delegation with flashlights picked us up - so we wouldn't be afraid of dogs, snakes, and other creatures on the way - and led us safely to the farmer's residence. Spending the night on the farm is a great honor for the whole family Therefore, they organized a truly generous dinner for us, which was, as expected, fragrant with Kampot pepper. Since we came directly from Kep, a seaside town known for crab, shrimp, and other seafood hunting, we brought the family an enhanced pile of crabs and shrimp. The farmer's wife took care of cooking them, while we, together with the farmer and his daughter, prepared the tables for dinner. Besides plenty of rice and meat, which Cambodians love, they baked us a sweet cake made from palm fruit, which was excellent. "My family recipe," the farmer's wife proudly says. The farmer then tells us about how talented his daughter is. “Thanks to you, she studies in the capital city and is the 3rd best in her class in mathematics and the 2nd best in singing, look! ” The daughter begins to sing – karaoke – as is the good custom at every dinner in Cambodia. The father smiles proudly, and the rest of us listen with respect to the traditional Cambodian song. After dinner, the ladies wash the dishes, and the gentlemen go into the dark jungle to catch a snake for the morning snake soup. The Cambodian song lulls us all to sleep, and we slowly go to bed – no other way than in a stilt hut. We sleep on the floor – but we do get a modest pillow and a fan – so that mosquitoes can't get to us. The morning on the farm starts early The morning on the farm starts early. Already before sunrise around 5 o'clock. Sleepily, we go down the ladder, and the morning activities are already waiting for us. First, cooking the promised snake soup for breakfast, then a lesson on climbing the coconut palm, and the rest of the crew goes to herd the cows. Upon return, the host plays us a favorite song on a drum made from snake skin, and then it’s time for running. Read that correctly – Cambodians never run, but one expedition member was so enchanted by the morning nature that he went for a run – and the farmer went with him. He kept an enthusiastic pace in flip-flops for a respectable 10 minutes and then happily returned with thanks and a smile. It was time to leave, so we quickly rinsed off one last time in the local shower – that is, a well with a plastic bucket – and set off back to civilization. Neither we nor our family will ever forget this experience for the rest of our lives. :-)

Have you ever been to Asia while it is winter here in Europe? Our .pepper. team regularly travels to Kampot in Cambodia. But not for sun or relaxation, rather for work. However, work that brings joy. To our farmers, to you, and of course to many others. Because year after year you write to us asking if you could experience a day on the pepper farm. And we are always happy to accommodate you. This year we took several travelers with us who are not afraid to get their hands dirty and experience a day completely different from what they are used to at home. Experience one single day with them. Through their eyes and words of our co-founder Klára, who accompanied them. We're heading out to the farmers in Kampot We all put on .pepper. t-shirts because our farmers can always tell that a visitor from the Czech Republic belongs to us by them. We arrange motorcycles, take scarves, and go. The group is full of enthusiasm – finally reaching the very heart of Kampot pepper!We ride through the orange landscape, dust swirling around us, palms, huts, waving families who already know us. We turn off to the fields. In front of the hut, the whole family welcomes us. Mother, father, older members, the children are at school, one stayed at home. We greet each other warmly, after all, we haven't seen each other for a year. We hand out gifts – this year we brought Czech games for the children, like 'Ludo' and 'Don't Get Angry'. And since Cambodians are a nation of musicians, we have Czech musical instruments for the farmers, mostly wooden ones. They shed more than one tear, mainly thanks to the harmonica. " Sit down, we’re opening a coconut! " The husband climbs the palm and knocks down a whole bunch.We chat for a while about how we are doing." The children are at school – one studies agriculture in Kampot, the rest are at university in the capital," says the farmer's wife. We finish the coconut and the husband with the family takes us to the farm. The group sets off cheerfully, but after an hour in the pepper fields they already feel tired. Under the scorching tropical sun " This heat is unbearable! How can they work in this?" I admire the care in planting each little plant and the tirelessness in watering them. We get the task of tying the growing pepper vines that climb the poles. The group tries to come up with a more efficient way of watering so that the farmers don’t have to work so hard. Enthusiastically, they nibble on the first peppercorns, which are still unripe. " When we collect them now, either we soak these green berries in salt flower, and we have fresh green pepper in salt brine, or we dry them into black dried Kampot pepper in the sun,"  I explain which stage of pepper ripeness we are currently at. If they came in March, some would already start to turn red. Lunch! “But you will cook it nicely our way!” our farmer says cheerfully. We go straight from the field into the house. The kitchen is dark and full of large pots, the huge fire is already blazing. A slaughtered chicken awaits us – the greatest honor you can receive. We cook poultry, gathered vegetables, and morning glory – a type of Cambodian grass that everyone loves with chili, garlic, and soy sauce. We complement all the food with fresh Kampot pepper on the stem, which we really enjoy. After the meal, we wash the dishes. And the farmers smile at us because it is exclusively women's work, while with us men have taken it up as well. For a while, we play Ludo and get to know the group and the surroundings of the farm and how it operates. “Everything here is organic, and that is thanks to Kampot pepper. We only fertilize with bat and cow dung. Other fruits, vegetables, and trees are the same. When the water comes and there would be chemicals somewhere, it would wash them into the pepper fields, and that is not allowed.” “Lea heuy!” Fatigue overwhelms us, so we say heartfelt goodbyes – with a deep bow and a handshake, some embrace in emotion. We leave because we still have a long and dusty road ahead and tomorrow awaits us another beautiful day. Already at the next farm. :-)

For us, an ordinary bike is a small thing. For the families of our farmers, it is almost a luxury. Therefore, we thank everyone who visited the Prague restaurant SIA in the middle of summer or subsequently participated in the private collection. Thanks to this, we donated 20 .pepper..bikes bicycles to the children of our farmers. Take a look at the joy and smiles we brought to Kampot. From Wednesday, July 19 to Tuesday, July 25, you could try the special Rabata grill menu with Kampot m pepper thanks to chef Jiří Štift at the SIA restaurant. From each order, we donated 10 CZK to our project .pepper..bike - bikes for children from the farmer families we support. We were surprised by how many of our fans and customers reached out saying they also wanted to contribute but could not visit the restaurant that week. After all, there is only one SIA and it is only in Prague. So the idea of a private collection was born. Before summer ended, we raised more than we expected. Today, 20 children have a new .pepper..bike parked at home. And from kilometers that they had to walk long hours every day, their journey has been shortened to minutes. We thank not only the SIA restaurant but also all donors, customers, and fans. You help us keep our promise - to improve living conditions in one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia.

When your passion for culinary creation combines with a love for travel, it can bring incredible experiences and discoveries both in the kitchen and beyond its borders. Kristína Nemčková is exactly such a personality – the youngest winner of the MasterChef competition worldwide and a chef with an indomitable passion for culinary adventures. Her story intersected with ours, and Kristína discovered not only the magic of Kampot pepper but also many of its secrets. Take a look at Kampot pepper through her eyes. At the end of 2022, Kristína found herself in Southeast Asia. During a planned trip from Singapore to Vietnam, a spontaneous idea was born to visit Kampot. Kampot peppers and salt pyramids or flakes from this region are often used in cooking, so she was tempted to see how Kampot pepper is grown and subsequently processed. She consulted with our Klára, co-founder of the .pepper..field brand. She connected her with our local colleagues, Ajja and Nicky. The journey’s adventures and beautiful moments were written down for you in an article on her website. Are you curious...? What two types of pepper are grown in Kampot? And on what is the harvested pepper then dried? Have you ever wondered how many kilometers the children of farmers have to walk every day to school? Or how exactly the auctions and purchases of the pepper harvest take place? You will find out not only that in the article Kristína’s experiences from Kampot. On farms in the heart of Kampot, she experienced unique moments. She befriended our farmers and had the opportunity to observe what happens, when, and how with the berries of the world’s best pepper. She learned that creating this exceptional spice requires not only quality soil and climate but also the love and care of the farmers. A peppery finishing touch Kristína decided to share her culinary skills with them. She cooked a dish for our farmers using Kampot pepper so that her hosts could relax for a moment and enjoy the joy of the taste and aroma of this spice. For her, this was not only a cultural connection but also a way to thank these hardworking farmers for their work. Therefore, we also thank Kristína for the opportunity to collaborate with her.

After two hours of exhausting motorcycle travel at noon and in 38 degrees, we arrive at the farm of our farmer Tav Bora. It is one of the 203 farms we support. We are welcomed with a hug and a broad smile. "Look, the whole family is smiling and has beautiful teeth, " I notice immediately, as this is not a given in Cambodia, quite the opposite.Healthcare – especially dental care – is extremely expensive. For us, this is a sign that our work makes sense. To help you understand – healthcare in Cambodia is costly, and therefore we try to motivate most of our farmers to invest the money from fair trade purchases into three areas – healthcare, school fees for children, and farm cultivation. But now about that smile. Our colleagues Aleš, Tom, and Lukáš came to the Kampot farms for the first time. They decided on their own and bought tickets because they wanted to experience Cambodia firsthand. The farmers are a bit shy; I am teaching them how to bow and greet properly.Farmer Tav Bora is cheerful as always and is preparing coconuts and fruit from the garden for us. Her husband, father, and three other daughters help her. "We are doing well, " she describes. "I have six children – three daughters and three sons – all of them are at university, just imagine! I am most proud of my daughter; she wants to be a doctor, look, she even goes to school on Saturdays, " she points to her daughter who is dressed in more festive clothes.We sit and talk. Our two Cambodians, Ajaa and Nicky – the heart of the project – who know the farmers very well, translate for us. Young people who themselves come from the street and now help us with this most beautiful project. This year was terribly difficult, and the war in Ukraine and its consequences at many levels have also affected our project, we agree with Tav Bora. She understands the situation well and that we are doing our best, and she confirms to us that just as she could always rely on us, so we can rely on her.She simply does not want to cooperate with anyone else. "You are the only ones who pay us official fair trade prices and the only ones who have always cared about us and been interested in us. There are others now who would like to buy our pepper, but we will only sell to them what is left, " she describes the situation. For us, this is extremely important because we feel that the support for the project also comes from the farms. We talk for about an hour about what troubles them. Our colleagues run around the farm and see for the first time the beautifully grown pepper trees.They join in picking the green peppercorns with the young farmers who are currently on shift. "This can't be possible, I never realized that picking peppercorn by peppercorn is such crazy manual labor! " complains colleague Tomáš, who has only been working for a few minutes. :-) Colleague Aleš is playing Czech memory game with the girls and explaining to them what kind of animals we have in the Czech Republic. The girls are excited and keep the memory game. They taste Czech dried apples and plums and completely forget about the time. Colleague Lukáš got lost on the farm and enthusiastically runs between the pepper fields and animals. The animals fall in love with him. The sunset slowly arrives and we all gather for departure. Klárka has black fingers from picking fresh green pepper, “just like Czech walnuts! ” she laughs. Lukáš wants to adopt a dog, Tomáš is nibbling fresh green peppercorns, David and Aaja are taking notes from the meeting with the farmers to keep improving. We sit sweaty and dirty on the motorcycles and at sunset we leave for the two-hour trip back to the city. We are tired but full of euphoria. Full of enthusiasm and love for the project, which when you see it on site, fills you with great happiness. And it doesn't matter if you are a graphic designer, event manager or take care of customers on the e-shop at .pepper..field.This goodness is then passed on further even in the details – to our customers – who know that the real and truly fair project with Kampot pepper is called .pepper..field. :-)

Mythical beauty, the ability to seduce with a glance, and otherworldly musical and dance talent are all characteristics of the magical apsaras, female beings of Southeast Asia who have become one of the cornerstones of Cambodian cultural heritage. Their legacy is now taught to little schoolgirls in Cambodia, and we had the opportunity to see one such dance performance! They can be compared to European nymphs or fairies These are otherworldly beautiful female beings who, with their stylized dance featuring typically bent fingers on their hands, could enchant any man. Depictions of dancing apsaras appear on the stone walls of temples, especially in the most famous one, Angkor Wat. There should be up to 3,000 images of these dancers there, which proves the significant status they held in ancient times. During the greatest flourishing of the Angkor period, these dancers had the task of performing sacred rituals, ritual dances, and welcoming important guests in the royal palace. They provided services that pleased both the senses and the spirit and became a colorful part of the already astonishing temple complex. The fame and significance of the apsaras gradually declined over time, but their art survived for many centuries and is still cultivated in Cambodia today. The local inhabitants are rightly proud of their Khmer past and still keep some of the ancient traditions alive. That is why the dance of the celestial nymphs is very popular in the country, and many young girls devote themselves to its training, starting already in early childhood. The dance creations are a sequence of complex hand movements accompanied by characteristic facial expressions There should be up to two thousand such movements, and if one of the dancers wanted to perform them all in sequence, it would take about two hours. The hand movements are also accompanied by hundreds of body positions. However, the movements are not just dance art; each movement holds a certain meaning and message. Thus, even a slight change can alter the communicated dance. The entire beauty of this art is emphasized by richly decorated costumes with floral motifs, complemented by shiny jewelry and elaborate crowns. Today’s apsaras exactly replicate the appearance of their ancient predecessors.