THE KAMPOT PEPPER STORY
In the region of Kampot
The arrival of Chinese pepper planters dates back to the 13th century. More recently, at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the French developed pepper growing on an intense scale in the region of Kampot. Annual production reached 8,000 tons, with more than a million pepper poles installed.
The region benefits from the traditional pepper growing knowledge and expertise handed down from one generation to the next. This explains the exceptional quality of Kampot pepper.
At that time, Kampot pepper was mainly exported to France. It has always had a reputation of being a high-quality pepper, one of the best in the world. Its flavor and unique aroma make it very popular with gourmet chefs.
best from Kampot reserved mainly for the discerning food trade in Paris
A French controlled Colony
Cambodia, exporting the majority of its pepper production to France, during the Civil war in Cambodia (1970-1975) the now disgraced dictator, Pol Pot, banned trade with France and the pepper plantations were destroyed.
'The Renaissance' during the civil war in the 1970s, pepper growing was abandoned. It gradually started again from 2000 onwards when the families of generations of pepper planters began to return to their lands. Kampot pepper is grown using traditional ancestral methods. New commercial outlets are enabling these families to restore plantations, and new plantations have also been established recently.
In 2007 these pepper plantations were being re-established within the favored areas of the Kampot region which has the perfect ‘territory’ for growing pepper with beautiful quartz influenced soils and the perfect tropical climate for the ancient domesticated forest plant to flourish.
La Plantation was established in 2013 by a dedicated French couple in the beautiful ‘Hidden Lake’ area of Kampot. The pepper plantations were established and the infrastructure for processing the peppers and several other spices were constructed. La Plantation is now one of the leading and most innovative producers in this famous region.
‘Appellation of Origin’
only pepper to use KAMPOT in is name
Kampot in 2010 was recognized by the United Nations as an ‘Appellation of Origin’ which allows all the pepper produced in this this small region as being the only pepper to use KAMPOT in is name.
{Similar to ‘Champagne’ and the Champagne Region in France}.
