At a glance
- Roasts inPortland, OR
- Founded byJessie and Yo
- VisitorsRoastery not open to visitors
Wild Nomad Elephant Commons is one of the beloved local roasters we follow in Oregon: an independent roaster based in Portland. Here is what their own pages and public sources say about them, in our words.
Their story
Coffee comes from about 70 Karen farming families in the Chiang Mai highlands of northern Thailand, grown under existing forest canopy. The model gives farmers a reason to keep trees standing rather than clear hillsides for sun-grown corn, which also protects habitat that elephants use. Small batches are roasted in Portland, and bags ship free within the contiguous United States.
Co-founder Jessie grew up on a small farm near Damascus, Oregon. A January 2019 trip to northern Thailand, where she walked with Asian elephants in the forest, set the business in motion and led her to co-founder Yo. Yo comes from the Chiang Mai highlands and guided visitors for close to thirty years. In 2020, during COVID, he and his wife Bee planted coffee under the forest canopy with no buyer lined up, then encouraged neighboring Karen families to do the same. Each family grows, picks, mills and dries its own beans on plots within a shared forest, and the company says it pays them 40 percent above the local market rate.
What they roast
Single origins on the list when we checked: Forest-grown Thai arabica (Chiang Mai). Offerings change with the seasons, so this is what their own pages listed on 2026-09-28.
Where to drink it
There is no cafe. Bags are sold online, at the Saturday Market in Portland and at other events around town.
Address
The roastery's street address is not published.
Why buying from Wild Nomad Elephant Commons matters here
A longer term aim is to help elephant owning Karen families bring their animals home from tourist camps so they can roam the forest again.
Every bag bought from a Portland roaster pays roasting and cafe wages in Oregon, and the coffee reaches you days after roasting instead of months. That is the reason the club exists. Why local roasters matter.
About this listing
Listed as a local favorite. A listing does not mean Wild Nomad Elephant Commons is part of the club.
Are you Wild Nomad Elephant Commons? Email coffee@multnomahcoffeeclub.com to correct or remove this page.
More Oregon roasters
- World Cup Coffee, Portland
- Lost & Found Coffee, Portland
- Roseline Coffee, Portland
By Joe McRose, Multnomah Coffee Club. Updated . Facts from Wild Nomad Elephant Commons' own pages and public sources, read 2026-09-28.