Long before, Vietnamese cinnamon has been regarded as a noble and high-value spice with a lot of benefits in people’s daily life. This article hopes to provide you with the basics you should know from its characteristics, products, and benefits to the trading aspects.
See more: Good cinnamon factories in Asia
Contents
- 1 Definition of Vietnamese cinnamon and its quality
- 2 Cultivation areas of Vietnamese cinnamon
- 3 Vietnam cinnamon production and production trend
- 4 The process of Vietnam cinnamon production
- 5 Vietnamese cinnamon parts and their benefits
- 6 The commercial potential of wholesaling Vietnamese cinnamon
- 7 Vietnamese cinnamon import steps
- 8 Top 3 Vietnamese cinnamon wholesalers and exporters
Definition of Vietnamese cinnamon and its quality
Vietnamese cinnamon trees are one of Cassia species and are woody, perennial plants that are considered a local delicacy where it is grown due to the requirements on high-quality soil and strictly tropical climate conditions.
Vietnamese cinnamon
The quality of Vietnamese cinnamon (cassia species) is considerably higher than that of the same type in other regions. This is explained by the two following characteristics, including soil and climate which requires strict conditions for the smooth growth of Vietnamese cinnamon
soil and climate
| Soil | Climate |
| Vietnamese soil quality is suitable with the smooth growth of cinnamon trees, which allows this plant to have more concentration of essential oil than the plants grown in other areas | Vietnam is well-known for being an extremely tropical climate, bringing the best overall development for cinnamon trees |
Cultivation areas of Vietnamese cinnamon
Vietnam has been recorded to be one of 5 countries having the largest cinnamon tree growing areas, with about 80.000 hectares. The two large and typical cultivation areas in Vietnam are Yen Bai and Quang Nam.
- Yen Bai province
Yen Bai province
– Square meters: Yen Bai accounts for the biggest proportion of Vietnamese cinnamon growing area and also has the highest cinnamon bark output among areas in the country.
– Soil: thick, moist, has a lot of humus, and is easy for water to drain
– Climate: The average annual temperature is 22.7°C, annual average rainfall over 2000 mm – 3000 mm; Average humidity is 84%
– Growth density: 2500-3000 trees/hectare
- Quang Nam province
Quang Nam is also a typical area growing Vietnamese cinnamon in the country.
Quang Nam province
Below are some characteristics of this cultivation area:
- Square meters: large and continues to expand
- Soil: thick, moist, easy for water to drain
- Climate: the average annual temperature is 22°C, annual average rainfall 2300mm, average humidity is 85%
Vietnam cinnamon production and production trend
Each year, Vietnam produces a large amount of cinnamon. This country is one of the world’s leading suppliers of cinnamon.
Annual output of Vietnamese cinnamon
According to the General Department of Forestry, Vietnam’s cinnamon bark reserves are estimated at 900,000 – 1,200,000 tons, with an average output of 70,000 – 80,000 tons per year. Vietnam cinnamon production in 2019 reached 41,408 tons, accounting for 17% of global production (according to the FAO report). The country had approximately 571,120.00 hectares under cinnamon cultivation. In 2019, Vietnam cinnamon production in export worth 172.45m USD, an improvement of 28.63% from 2018’s whole cinnamon export of 134.063m USD. The annual rise in the value of Vietnam cinnamon between 2017 to 2018 was 29.992%.
Vietnam cinnamon production and trade duty on world rankings
According to statistics from the World Spices Association, Vietnam cinnamon production ranks third in the world. This spice is strongly consumed in the markets of India, the Middle East, Japan, Korea, the US, and European countries, achieving export revenue of about 400 million USD/year. Over 70% of this country’s imported cinnamon in India comes from Vietnam.
Besides producing a large output of cinnamon, Vietnam also exports cinnamon with an export value among the top in the world. According to data from the World’s Top Exports, Vietnam was a country exporting the highest dollar value worth of cinnamon in 2021 with $252 million, accounting for 23.3% of the world’s cinnamon export value. In addition, Vietnam also imports a large amount of cinnamon each year. In 2021, Vietnam accounted for 32.18% of global cinnamon imports with 162.01M US dollars in value, ranking 1st in the world. Vietnam mainly exports cinnamon to India ($92.22M value in 2021), the US ($7.14M value in 2021), and Indonesia ($7.14M value in 2021), according to Tridge data.
Trends of Vietnam cinnamon production in the coming years
During the period 2000-2010, the price of cinnamon fell, causing many farmers in Indonesia to cut down cinnamon trees and switch to other trees, leading to an imbalance between supply and demand that caused the price of cinnamon to increase, especially from 2016 to present.
A rise in Vietnam cinnamon production areas
The demand for cinnamon production is growing faster than the global supply, currently estimated at 8-12%. Because of this, many areas in Vietnam have promoted cinnamon cultivation in the hope that the large output sold at high prices will help them improve their lives. This situation is leading to a massive shift in Vietnam cinnamon production. Vietnam cinnamon production and price are forecasted to continue to increase in the coming years.
Vietnam cinnamon production: Development prospects
Currently, Vietnam mainly exports raw or only preliminarily processed cinnamon. Up to 70% of varieties of Vietnam cinnamon are produced by local people according to their own experience. Farmers are used to old practices, not paying attention to the application of advanced science and technology to production. Therefore, Vietnam cinnamon quality has not been trusted by high-end markets.
Vietnam cinnamon production: Development prospects
Regarding the sustainable development of the cinnamon industry in the coming time, Vietnam cinnamon focuses on producing high-value, certified raw materials according to international technical standards, with guaranteed and stable quality. In addition, it is necessary to control the supply chain as well as increase export output to the EU and North America.
The process of Vietnam cinnamon production
There are 5 steps for Vietnam cinnamon production. The key point is that we need to learn the cultivation characteristics for cinnamon to grow healthy and give a good yield.
Collect good mother plant seeds
The first step in Vietnam cinnamon production is to choose seedlings with good growth from 15 years old or older, not peeled or cut off leaves, and free from pests and diseases. Currently, cinnamon seeds are still collected scattered in natural forests or planted forests. Therefore, seedlings should be marked and cared for to get seeds for many years.
The collected seeds will be cleaned of the outer flesh and dried, preferably sow immediately after the treatment. In case of storage, seeds must be dried but protected from strong sunlight, then mixed with slightly moist sand in the ratio of 1 grain / 2 sand (seeds can only be stored for 1 month).
Choose favorable soil properties and altitude
Soil condition for Vietnam cinnamon production: Cinnamon can grow on many types of soil such as moist, humus-rich soil, loose soil, red soil, yellow soil, sandy soil, hilly soil, acidic soil (PH 4-6), nutrient-poor but well-drained soil (except for limestone soil, sandy soil, waterlogged soil). In order for the cinnamon tree to grow well, it is recommended to plant in places where it still has the nature of forest land, soil with medium to thick layers, newly recovered forest land after shifting cultivation, and scattered shrubs.
Favorable soil properties and altitude for Vietnam cinnamon production
Altitude requirement for Vietnam cinnamon production: Cinnamon is often grown in places with an altitude above sea level such as the North: 200 m; Central region 500 m; 800 meters south. Cinnamon trees grown in high areas tend to be short, and slow to grow, but have thick and oily bark. When low, cinnamon trees are often susceptible to pests and diseases, thin bark and less oil in the bark, shorter life cycle.
Ensure favorable light, temperature, and humidity conditions
Light condition for Vietnam cinnamon production: Cinnamon is a light-loving tree, but at its young stage it needs to be shaded. At 3-4 years old, the tree needs to be fully illuminated. The more light, the faster the plant grows and the higher the quality of the essential oil.
Temperature condition for Vietnam cinnamon production: The plant is suitable for hot and humid climates. The suitable temperature for plants to grow and develop well is 20 – 30C. However, cinnamon is still resistant to cold (up to 0C – 1C) or to a maximum temperature of 37 – 38C. Vietnam cinnamon growing areas have an average annual temperature of 20 – 29C, which is favorable for this plant’s growth.
Water condition for Vietnam cinnamon production: Cinnamon trees often grow naturally in areas with rainfall from 2000 to 4000 mm/year. The appropriate rain condition is from 2000 to 3000 mm/year. Annual rainfall in cinnamon-growing localities is usually about 1600 – 2500 mm; air humidity is above 85%.
Sowing seeds and taking care of plants
Cinnamon is grown mainly in the spring crop. The soil must be sufficiently moist with the size of the planting hole being 40x40x40 cm.
To provide a good cinnamon yield, It’s crucial to take care of the plants:
Keep the soil moist, especially in the early days, to create favorable conditions for the seeds to germinate. After about 15 days, the seeds have germinated and after 45 days at the latest, they will all grow.
Cinnamon plants
The next step of Vietnam cinnamon production is to take care of the plants: Remove the straw, then make a cover about 60cm high. Remember to kill weeds, keep the soil moist, and prevent soil from erosion, especially after planting.
Fertilize plants 1-2 times. If the plants are stunted, it is possible to add nitrogen sulfate fertilizer with a concentration of 0.3% at a dose of 1 liter/m2. To monitor pests, use Boocdo 1% dose of 1 liter/4m2 to spray the room. When the tree is sick, it is best to uproot it and burn it.
Harvesting and preliminary processing
The last step of Vietnam cinnamon production procedure is to harvest and preliminary process.
Farmers harvesting cinnamon
On a single cinnamon tree, it is possible to extract all the bark at once and cut down the tree, or to harvest the bark many times over many years on a single tree. Cinnamon bark harvested in the fall has more essential oil content than cinnamon bark harvested in the spring season. When exploited in the right season, the bark is easily peeled off the trunk, not broken or stuck to the stem.
While peeling the bark from the trunk, the farmers should pay attention to obtain a beautiful, standardized shell of all products right from the time of cutting, so that the cinnamon bark bars are straight, even, and without holes. When peeling off the bark from the trunk, it is necessary to be gentle. You can also clean the cinnamon stick before incubating to avoid mold. Preliminary processing is an indispensable part of the Vietnam cinnamon production procedure.
Vietnamese cinnamon parts and their benefits
Parts of Vietnamese cinnamon trees that farmers harvest are the bark, wood, and the remaining ones as leaves, branches, and roots.
The bark of Vietnamese cinnamon
All of the typical products of Vietnamese cinnamon trees are made of bark, including tubes, sticks, cigarettes, broken cinnamon, cinnamon oil, and cinnamon powder.
Products made from the bark of Vietnamese cinnamon
The bark is considered the most valuable part of the Vietnamese cinnamon tree because the major amount of essential oil is taken from the bark through the distillation method.
The benefits that Vietnamese cinnamon bring to people will make you amazed and impressed because it is used in many different industries, here are some:
- Spices used in food making
Vietnamese cinnamon is used as a special spice in the confectionery industry or flavoring agent, etc.
Vietnamese cinnamon is used as a spice in cooking
- Ingredients in consumer goods making
Some typical consumer goods made from Vietnamese cinnamon are soap, perfume, cosmetics, etc.
- Medicinal herbs in health care
Vietnamese cinnamon has been famous for its anti-cold features and is considered by Vietnamese as one of four high-value medicines including Ginseng, Velvet, Cinnamon, and Phu.
Vietnamese cinnamon is used as medicinal herb in treating diseases
Some typical health problems that can be cured by Vietnamese cinnamon are adjuvant, poor blood circulation limb spasms, damaged heart, and spleen, small pulse, digestive and respiratory diseases, etc. Besides, Vietnamese cinnamon also helps active blood completion events, saves blood vessels information, and makes the body warm.
The leaves, branches, and roots of Vietnamese cinnamon
Aside from the most valuable part of the Vietnamese cinnamon trees which is the bark, farmers also take their leaves, branches, and even roots to get cinnamon oil through the distillation method.
Vietnamese cinnamon essential oil
Cinnamon oil is high not only in the values but the benefits as well. Below is a table of chemical compounds and their content found in Vietnamese cinnamon in Yen Bai:
| No. | Chemical compounds | Unit of measurement | Claimed index | |
| 1 | Cinnamaldehyde | % | ≥ 83 | |
| 2 | Ethyl caprylate | % | 0,34 – 0,38 | |
| 3 | 7-Methylbenzofuran | % | 0,24 – 0,28 | |
| 4 | 4-(1-hydroxyethyl) benzaldehyde | % | 0,86 – 0,90 | |
| 5 | Germacrene D | % | 0,39 – 0,43 | |
| 6 | Iso caryophyllene | % | 0,23 – 0,27 | |
| 7 | Alpha-Amorphene | % | 0,96 – 1,01 | |
| 8 | Cadinene | % | 0,26 – 0,31 | |
| 9 | 2,2-Diethoxyacetophenone | % | 0,21 – 0,23 | |
| 11 | Phenol,4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxy | % | 0,26 – 0,32 | |
| 12 | Hexadecanoic acid | % | 0,99 – 1,03 | |
| 13 | Oleic acid | % | 0,75 – 0,79 | |
| 14 | Stearic acid | % | 0,53 – 0,58 | |
| 15 | Bis (2 Ethylhexyl!) phthalate | % | 4,86 – 4,93 | |
The Vietnamese cinnamon essential oil is taken advantage of in two main fields which are the health care and beauty industry.
Vietnamese cinnamon helps cure physical and mental health problems
In terms of healthcare, people used Vietnamese cinnamon stick to cure both physical and mental health conditions. Physically, for example, it helps improve the bad conditions of flu, cold, cough, teeth-related problems and enhances the activity of brains and digestive ability, etc. Besides, the oil in Vietnamese cinnamon is also applied in the treatment for people having long-term anxiety and depression. Another amazing benefit Vietnamese cinnamon brings to us is the ability to prevent and banish insects, helping bring people a clean and fresh living environment.
Role of Vietnamese cinnamon in the beauty industry
Turning to its applications in the beauty industry, many advantages in the face, body skincare, and treatment for acne have proved the Vietnamese cinnamon oil to be a wonderful multi-benefits product.
The wood of Vietnamese cinnamon
People take advantage of Vietnamese cinnamon wood for materials for handicrafts making.
High-quality Vietnamese cinnamon wood
In particular, some special and favored applications of Vietnamese cinnamon wood in daily life are:
- sets of trays, kettles, cups
- plates made of cinnamon wood, etc.
Handcrafts made from Vietnamese cinnamon wood
Due to the high-quality wood and its high concentration of cinnamon oil from Vietnamese cinnamon trees, the wood brings a lot of benefits in different fields, creating job opportunities for local people and preventing deforestation which helps protect the environment.
The commercial potential of wholesaling Vietnamese cinnamon
Wholesaling Vietnamese cinnamon brings in significant profit since Vietnamese cinnamon is high and good in quality plus the increasing demands and its big import markets all over the world.
Trading Vietnamese cinnamon in bulk
Increasing demand and big import markets of Vietnamese cinnamon
Big import markets of Vietnamese cinnamon are Europe, Indians, etc. These nations have a large population with nearly 700 million of the population for Europe and roughly 1,3 billion of the population for India. According to 2018 statistics, India was the biggest cassia importer in the world and the biggest exporter of cassia for India is Vietnam.
Another reason why you should participate in the Vietnamese cinnamon wholesale business is due to the increasing demand for culinary spice diversification of foreign areas. Besides, the getting-to-be-richer population has started trying and preferring dishes with the use of cassia. Cassia is also an important part of many food recipes that Indians are in favor of.
Vietnamese cinnamon is a special ingredient in many recipes
Not only applied in food aspects but there is also an increasing demand for cinnamon as an ingredient in the health care and beauty industries. As mentioned in number 3 about the benefits of Vietnamese cinnamon, it is considered as an amazing organic multi-benefits spice used largely in both physical and mental health treatment as well as in cosmetics industries. It seems hard for the firm position of cinnamon (especially Vietnamese cinnamon) to be replaced at this time owing to its as-though-endless demand.
The role of Vietnamese cinnamon in the beauty industry
It is its abundance of advantages in different aspects of life that has made Vietnamese cinnamon become a worldwide cargo.
A small piece of information you might want to note down is that people in cold areas are more in favor of Vietnamese cinnamon due to its anti-cold features
Little risks on the quality of Vietnamese cinnamon in the shipping and storage process
To explain, there are two main reasons why Vietnamese cinnamon importers can be at ease with the product quality in the process of shipping and storage, including the nature of the product itself and its packaging of it.
Vietnamese cinnamon’s packaging
Nature of Vietnamese cinnamon
Due to being a woody and perennial plant, Vietnamese cinnamon is slightly affected by pesticides and fertilizer. Moreover, Vietnamese cinnamon is hard to have fungus during storage because of the high concentration of essential oil and the standard humidity assurance when shipped <12%
Good packaging of Vietnamese cinnamon
Vietnam and China are two nations famous for growing and exporting cassia cinnamon, however, Vietnam seems to have a better reputation among the spice big importers.
Exported Vietnamese cinnamon’s packaging
Many cinnamon importers tend to import Vietnam’s cinnamon since the products are packed loosely in transparent boxes and are not in the form of bundles, which is better for them to inspect the impurities. Vietnamese cinnamon exporters are also highly evaluated in their reliability than others.
Duty-free on importing Vietnamese cinnamon
One big advantage of importing Vietnamese cinnamon is that the products became duty-free after the India-ASEAN FTA (free trade area between India and ASEAN countries) was signed.
Vietnamese cinnamon import steps
Step 1: Find the Vietnamese cinnamon suppliers
Places to find a supplier:
- Internet
- Yellow pages (online and offline)
- Government office
- E-commerce exchanges
Places to find a Vietnamese cinnamon supplierPlaces to find a Vietnamese cinnamon supplier
Signs of ghost Vietnamese cinnamon suppliers
Be careful of scams from ghost Vietnamese cinnamon suppliers
- Short operation time
- Mainly trading by cash, not through banks because of fear of law and regulations violation
- Always urge clients to send money without clear and thorough consultation of the products and other related problems in the process of buying the Vietnamese cinnamon products
Tips for a good choice of a prestigious Vietnamese cinnamon supplier
What to focus on to find a good Vietnamese cinnamon supplier
Before deciding on a Vietnamese cinnamon supplier, you may need to check the following information to see whether it is a reliable one or not:
- Business/Company information
- Products origin
- Products quality (you may want them to send you products samples before deciding to buy in bulk)
Step 2: Find information on duty and taxes
Duty and taxes of Vietnamese cinnamon products are important
You can ask your Vietnamese cinnamon suppliers for more information on this or simply to go search information on the internet (make sure the website where you get the information is prestigious, the best choice is that the site should be under the management of the source nation or belongs to the source nation itself.
Step 3: Find a suitable freight forwarder to import Vietnamese cinnamon
Places to find
Places to find the right Vietnamese cinnamon freight forwarder
- The FITA (The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations)
- The WCA
Tips for a good choice of a prestigious freight forwarder to import Vietnamese cinnamon
Make sure the forwarder of your choice:
- has a good reputation
- has a lot of right experience in import and export customs
- have an explicit pricing structure (not include extra fees that you do not notice)
- offer a cargo insurance
Source: https://k-agriculture.com/
Top 3 Vietnamese cinnamon wholesalers and exporters
If you are concerned about large and prestigious Vietnamese cinnamon wholesale and export businesses, take a look at the top 3 list of these companies in Vietnam
K-Agriculture
K-Agriculture is the largest and the most prestigious Vietnamese cinnamon wholesaler and exporter in Vietnam with many years of experience in processing & manufacturing high-quality products made of cinnamon, in importing and exporting the best Vietnamese cinnamon-related products to a wide range of cinnamon consuming markets from the US, UK, Europe to African countries, India, etc. Being a giant in trading cinnamon products internationally in Vietnam – the biggest broken cinnamon, split cinnamon and cinnamon stick exporter since 1996, K-agriculture is proud to bring buyers broken cinnamon with uniform quality standards and affordable prices.
K-Agriculture, the largest and most prestigious Vietnamese cinnamon wholesaler and exporter in Vietnam
- Products range: tube, cigarette, broken, split cinnamon, cinnamon oil, and cinnamon powder
- Possesses a Vietnamese cinnamon factory with a huge area of warehouse and factory (> 10,000 sqm), high output (~2,000 tons/year), a big number of staff (307)
- Certificates: organic
- Supporter: Vietnam Ministry of industry and trade
Contact information:
Phone: +84855555837 (Ms. Kris)
Email: info@k-agriculture.com
Website: https://k-agriculture.com/
Visimex
Visimex is also considered a large and prestigious unit of trading Vietnamese cinnamon products.
VISIMEX
- Products range: split, broken, cigarette cinnamon, cinnamon powder, round cinnamon, squared cinnamon, etc.
- Certificates: ISO 9001:2008, HACCP, ISO 22000
- Partner: Helvetas
SUNRISE INS
Sunrise INS is famous for Vietnamese agriculture products in general and Vietnamese cinnamon products in particular.
SUNRISE
- Products range from the cinnamon sticks, split cinnamon, tube cinnamon, broken cinnamon.
- Certificates: BRC – A, Organic, Kosher, HACCP.
In conclusion, this article provides you with the information you need to know about Vietnamese cinnamon. Hope you find this article useful. Please leave a comment for further explanation from experts from K-agriculture which is one of the biggest factories in agriculture in Vietnam!
