Collection: Cambodia (Kampot)

During the Khmer Rouge regime, the emphasis in Cambodia (Kâmpŭchéa) was on the cultivation of strategic agricultural products, primarily rice, but also cassava and sugarcane. Other agricultural products were relegated to second, if not third, priority under the regime. This also applied to the cultivation of pepper, although "steak au poivre" (pomegranate) was on the leaders' menu and was grown solely for them.

Pepper cultivation only resumed in the 1990s, ten years after the fall of the Pol Phot regime. In 2010, the cultivation of Mrech Kampot, the Cambodian name for the Kampot pepper, received government support with the granting of its first national geographical indication (GI), protecting the name. The pepper was also included in the Ark of Taste under the auspices of the Slow Food Foundation.

The Kampot pepper's fame is partly due to its recent award of the European Protected Geographical Identification (PGI), which has led to a dramatic increase in sales in the EU. The label has significantly improved farmers' incomes. The Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) monitors compliance with the regulations governing the cultivation of a pepper bearing the Kampot name. Of the more than 350 pepper growers, nearly 250 are members of the KPPA, ranging from smallholders to large-scale farmers. Even more than its name, the pepper speaks for itself: undisputedly one of the most delicious peppers in the world!