Makin’ Bacon-A New Sustainability Project

Three years ago we started on a new journey-cultivating cocoa to provide a local source of funding for our ministry here in Thailand.

I am happy to report that our first cocoa trees are starting to produce fruit.  Our first orchard is now 3 years old and is selling about $100 a month.  The church orchard just sold it’s first kilo of cocoa.  This is just the beginning.  By this time next year we anticipate selling $1,000 a month. In two more years that should be $2,000 a month.

This brings me to our next business venture.  In October 2023 I started making smoked US style bacon

        110 pounds cocoa pods

and sausage patties (think Jimmy Dean style). I started marketing on a very small scale, just one or two posts a month on a Facebook page I made (Brook Falls Bacon). The response has been encouraging.  With minimal marketing I have built a small customer base.  I send orders all over Thailand.

        Brook Falls Smoked Bacon

The trial period is over.  I am convinced we can build this into a business that, alongside the cocoa orchard, can provide long term funding for Kingdom work here in Thailand.  We are at a crossroads.  We need to register the business and obtain the Thai FDA permits to go any further. That begins with having a dedicated building for the business.  (We are currently working out of the living quarters of our worker on the orchard.) Orders have pushed us to the limit of what we can do in his small room.

We have the blueprints for a 4×9 meter building that will be used solely for curing our bacon and mixing our sausage patties.  The current cost of constructing a simple building is about 10,000 baht a square meter.  Including a toilet, the building is 39 square meters so that would be 390,000 baht ($10,000).  There are a few special additions such as electricity requirements, and purchasing a large refrigerator and large freezer.  In total we are looking at about $15,000 to get this project up and running.

Plans for curing room

Our goal is to provide local funding sources for ministry opportunities.  Many of you invested in the cocoa project and it is starting to pay off. I am asking you to invest in this next project.  We are asking you to help us secure the needed funding to build this structure.

Based on our Business as Mission plan we would be making $800-1,000 a month in profit by June of 2025.  However this is all based on getting a structure that meets Thai FDA standards and provides adequate space to process our product.

I look forward to working with you to provide sustainable, long term funding for church planting here is Thailand.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at dsfilbeck@yahoo.com.

Send your contribution to : Thailand Sustainable Ministries P.O. Box 173983 Arlington, TX 76003  OR use our pay pal option. Please note Building Project