Kampong Speu Palm Sugar, Kampong Speu Province

Skor Thnot Kampong Speu begins with the sap of Cambodia's emblematic sugar palm. In the dry, sandy landscapes of Kampong Speu and neighboring Ang Snuol, deep, well-drained soils and low rainfall naturally concentrate the sap. Skilled producers collect it by hand during the December-to-May season and cook it rapidly without added substances. Working with local families, Confirel transforms this protected heritage into aromatic granulated sugar, paste and other Thnot specialties with rich, rounded sweetness.

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The sugar-palm landscape

Across Oudong and Samrong Tong in Kampong Speu province and Ang Snuol in Kandal, sugar palms rise above rice fields, village paths and sandy ground. This is the protected terroir of Skor Thnot Kampong Speu. Rainfall is among the lowest in Cambodia, while deep red-yellow sandy soils and an underlying gravel layer drain quickly. These conditions produce sap that is naturally concentrated and richly aromatic.

From fresh sap to stable palm sugar

The landscape alone is not enough. During the dry-season harvest from December through May, skilled producers climb each palm, prepare its flowers and collect the sap in bampong containers. The sap is handled quickly to limit fermentation, filtered and cooked in pans without added substances. Through careful evaporation and stirring, it becomes granulated sugar, paste, block or syrup -- each form carrying its own balance of texture, sweetness and palm-nectar aroma.

This same sap was also the starting point for Confirel's first breakthrough: working with CIRAD scientists, Dr Hay Ly Eang developed a filtration and stabilisation system that improved the sap's purity and prevented premature fermentation, making it possible to meet international food-safety standards -- work later recognised with a Palme d'Or at Natexpo Paris in 2005.

More than a sweetener, Kampong Speu Palm Sugar links an emblematic tree, a demanding seasonal craft and a rural economy. Its PGI protects not only a place name, but a living relationship between soil, climate, skill and community.

Cook with palm sugar

Thnot palm sugar sweetens the Beef Lok Lak marinade and the Banana Muffins batter, and its syrup flavours the Kemito and Khmerito coolers -- these and more are gathered in our Recipes section.

The communities behind the supply chain

Confirel works with local producing families, supports training and traceability, and purchases sap or traditionally prepared sugar for further quality control, packaging and market development. Under the Thnot brand, this heritage ingredient moves from village knowledge into beverages, baking, desserts, sauces, marinades and contemporary Cambodian creations.

This partnership now runs through Confirel's Palm Sugar Value Chain Enhancement Program, working alongside Khmer Enterprise and the Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion Association (KSPA) with a community of more than 130 producer families -- reviewing processing equipment, defining shared production standards, and planning the next stages of technology and quality upgrades together.

Read more about this partnership in our Journal.

From Kampong Speu to France

Kampong Speu Palm Sugar carries Geographical Indication protection in Cambodia (2010) and the European Union (2019). Confirel's own relationship with this terroir began at the company's founding in 2001, and by 2005 had grown into Confirel's first palm-sugar exports to France.