The next day in Kampot area we went to visit a pepper farm about an hour from the hotel property. A driver, Mark picked us up in a tuk tuk for our 3pm sunset tour. We spent an hour walking the farm property to learn about the harvesting process and then enjoyed a pepper tasting before heading to a high platform to watch the sunset over the farm and countryside. The pepper plants do best with shade and grow quite tall and grow for 4-5 years! We had to suit up to go into the production areas, it was an advanced facility but there is still a lot done by hand.
At the farm we learned that a lot of different kinds of pepper can come from the same plant depending on how it is processed. For example, red pepper comes from a ripe plant, black pepper comes from a young peppercorn that is dehydrated and sun dried. White pepper is the inside of the green pepper and is bathed in a different process. We also learned about other spices, including lemon grass (photo below) and fruits when we met some of the farm workers who were harvesting long chilies. The property is owned by a foregin couple who run it as a social enterprise producing not only quality products but also contributing to local economy and education.
There are over 100 workers, with accommodation and meals provided for those who want them. Plus, beyond supporting teachers and students at a nearby school, they provide scholarships for advanced study for promising students to go to university and they offer free English classes at the farm on weekends in the ‘children’s house’. You can see La Plantation, the pepper farm we visited in this video:
La Plantation Pepper Farm
Our last night in Kampot we returned to the city centre to enjoy a pizza and pasta! This was our first non-Cambian meal and it was delicious, the couple who owned the restaurant were from Venice. We ate too much and played euchre before heading back to the hotel to pack! Kampot is an interesting place looking to develop its tourism more so if you are thinking about a trip check it out.
Thanks for reading!!!!
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