Vietnamese coffee is one of the agricultural products bringing benefits to agriculture and the economy. Besides, Vietnamese coffee itself is representative of the Vietnamese cuisine and culture of a country with a millenary civilization.
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History of Vietnamese coffee
Brazil is the largest coffee exporting country all over the world, but the hometown of coffee originated in tropical Africa, and Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Reunion in the Indian Ocean. Until now, coffee is cultivated in over 70 countries and is mainly distributed in geographic regions near the equator such as the Americas, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
History of Vietnamese coffee
In the 1850s, the French brought the first coffee to Vietnam. The French initially grew coffee in Northern provinces like Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Ninh Binh, and some Central provinces like Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri. Then, the French commenced growing coffee areas in the Central Highlands.
In the 1990s, notwithstanding a developing country with an infant industry, Vietnam was proud to become the largest coffee exporting nation in Southeast Asia, and the second-largest coffee exporting country in the world just after Brazil. In 1938, Vietnam had 13,000 hectares of coffee cultivation in total which is equivalent to 1,500 tons of products.
Vietnamese coffee growing areas
At first, the main coffee trees planted in the Central Highlands were Arabica coffee. Unfortunately, after a long period of time, Arabica coffee gradually degenerated due to coffee rust. Thus, it was replaced step by step by Robusta coffee và Liberica coffee. However, in recent years, the Government started to re-promote Arabica coffee because of seeing the economic potential of Arabica specialty coffee.
Vietnamese coffee
The planting areas of Vietnamese coffee
There is a steady increase in Vietnamese coffee-planting plantations yearly from roughly 555 thousand hectares in 2010 up to nearly 684 thousand hectares in 2019.
Planting area of Vietnamese Coffee from 2010-2019
Vietnam has 3 large coffee-growing regions, including the Central Highlands, the Northern, and the Southern provinces. The Central Highlands region accounts for the largest proportion of famous coffee areas such as Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Lam Dong. With the location near the equator, the monsoon tropical climate of Vietnam is the ideal condition for coffee growth. Buon Ma Thuot City in Dak Lak province is recognized as the capital of coffee with its excellent coffee and numerous cafes on the ground of the terrain with fertile volcanic red basalt soil and highlands’ elevations.
Map of coffee-producing areas (2014) from ICO
Vietnamese coffee production process
- Harvesting coffee beans
Harvesting coffee requires a large amount of labor as well as ensuring the techniques when choosing ripe coffee beans, and picking coffee properly.
Harvesting coffee beans
Vietnamese coffee is hand-harvested and is done in batches in a crop to get the ripe fruit on the tree in the nick of time. This process can use machines but the quality of the beans will be uneven. Ripe fruit must reach a rate of over 95% before it can be harvested and the percentage of impurities should not exceed 0.5%.
- Processing methods of Vietnamese coffee
There are three methods that can be applied to Vietnamese coffee production, including the natural-dry process, washed-wet process, and honey-pulped natural process.
Processing methods of Vietnamese coffee
- Vietnamese coffee storage
After processing, coffee beans will be preserved in antiseptic warehouses with vast and ventilated spaces. Vietnamese coffee in bulk should be kept in large jute sacks that are 0.5m away from the wall and 0.2m away from the floor. It is recommended for Vietnamese coffee to keep moisture 12-13% not over 15% and avoid direct sunlight.
Vietnamese coffee storage
Types of Vietnamese coffee
There are three distinctive Vietnamese coffee categories, including Arabica, Robusta, and Excelsa coffee in immense plantations.
Vietnamese Arabica Coffee
Vietnamese Arabica Coffee
As one of the best Vietnamese coffee types, Arabica coffee plants are usually cultivated at an average altitude of over 1450m above sea level. The ideal temperature for this Vietnamese coffee plant development is between 15°C and 24°C.
The popular variety of Vietnamese Arabica coffee is Typica, Bourbon, and Catimor. The flavor of Vietnamese Arabica coffee depends on various factors, such as the variety, the altitude, and also the soil composition of the farm itself. Arabica coffee has a light, fruity and citrusy taste.
Due to its diversity in characteristics, the Arabica is mostly enjoyed by coffee lovers to explore the taste, aroma, and quality of the bean itself. And Arabica coffee is made into well-known Vietnamese specialty coffee valued by the Specialty Coffee Association.
Vietnamese Robusta Coffee
Robusta coffee is the most common Vietnamese coffee type grown mainly in Central Highlands. This Vietnamese coffee type has a large shrub with a height of 10 meters, can easily adapt to the soil compositions, and thrive at a low altitude – about 600 meters above sea level. They can also withstand hot temperatures (30°C and over) and full sun.
Vietnamese Robusta Coffee
Robusta has an oatmeal-like taste, somewhere between neutral and harsh. Unroasted Robusta beans smell sort of raw-peanutty. Especially after being roasted, a pleasant aroma will fill your mind. If you take a deep breath to enjoy, Robusta coffee will smell earthy.
The average caffeine content in Robusta coffee (2% – 2.5%) is higher than Arabica coffee (1.1% – 1.5%). This is one of the factors that makes Robusta coffee trees resistant to pests and flourish even in extreme conditions. In addition, Robusta has less sugar than Arabica coffee, so its taste is much stronger.
The popular variety of Vietnamese Robusta coffee
Therefore, with the high caffeine content, Robusta coffee is enjoyed alone in some countries, most of the Robusta produced is to blend with Arabica to increase caffeine for a stronger cup of coffee or to create thick and nice crema layers, which signify a nice cup for espresso. It is a basic ingredient used in instant coffee and used to extract coffee flavor for flavoring and preparation.
Vietnamese Excelsa coffee
Excelsa, also known as Liberica coffee, grows on vigorous trees with large leaves, but the trees are unproductive compared to other species. Besides, Excelsa coffee trees can thrive at medium altitudes 1,000 and 1,300 m above sea level, so they are usually grown to be wind-proof fences in Vietnam.
Vietnamese Excelsa coffee
The characteristic of this Vietnamese coffee type is a distinctive tart, fruity, dark, mysterious taste. It is used as a blending coffee to enhance the middle and back palate and lingering finish of the coffee. The processing and roasting techniques for Excelsa are not well researched, due to it being considered as commercially insignificant.
Comparative advantages of Vietnamese coffee
Worthy of being the second coffee exporter in the world, Vietnamese coffee is always highly appreciated by experts both in terms of output and quality.
Large-scale production of Vietnamese coffee beans
Vietnam is one of the largest coffee producers and exporters in the world thanks to climate and soil advantages and good coffee seeds.
Vietnamese coffee production in MY 2018/19 (from October 2018 to September 2019) reached 1.89 million tons, accounting for 18.8% of global production, recording a decrease in production due to extreme weather conditions.
Large-scale production of Vietnamese coffee beans
By MY 2019/20, contrary to ICO’s predictions about the Vietnamese coffee’s re-growth, Vietnamese coffee production continued to decrease by 5% compared to MY 2018/19 and accounted for 17.8% of global production due to the strong impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that makes farmers not to focus on caring coffee trees.
Vietnamese coffee production in MY 2020/21 will decrease by about 15% compared to the previous MY due to the impact of floods in October and drought in May and June.
The supportive policies from the Vietnamese government
The Vietnamese government has enacted general regulations to stimulate and guarantee Vietnamese coffee production. In the two years 2017 and 2018, there were many policies related to the coffee industry issued.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved the national product development framework project “Vietnamese high-quality coffee” with a total estimated budget of about 170 billion VND by 2030. Specifically, this project has set specific goals to develop a value chain in production and consumption and to build large-scale high-quality coffee material areas with drying and storage systems, preservation, and processing plants that are suitable for production scale. Hence, the income chain of coffee growers per unit of the cultivated area will be improved by increasing the value of coffee products.
The supportive policies from the Vietnamese government
Besides solving problems in coffee replanting, especially inquiries concerning the replanting process to gain preferential interest rates, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has promulgated the coffee replanting process under Decision No. 2085/QD-BNN-TT, dated May 31, 2016, with more specific regulations that will serve as a basis to help functional sectors in different regions organize replanting more effectively.
The massive incentives from EVFTA
When the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) became valid on January 1, 2020, Vietnam took advantage of this great chance to bring Vietnamese exports into a higher position. Specifically, the EU has completely abolished tariffs from 7-9% earlier on Vietnamese roasted, roasted, and processed coffee.
The massive incentives from EVFTA
Through the EVFTA, Vietnam has 39 geographical indicators (GI) that are used to identify product origins, including Buon Ma Thuot coffee. This offers Vietnamese coffee products a competitive advantage among European roasters and customers.
On the whole, it is apparent that Vietnamese coffee is supported by the Vietnamese governments in terms of taxes, interest rate reduction, changing production methods, and applying advanced technology.
Ways to approach reliable Vietnamese coffee suppliers
If Vietnamese coffee is something you’re planning to do regularly for your business, finding a trustworthy and reliable Vietnamese coffee supplier will make or break the process.
- Assistance through searching tools
Google is a tool for searching information with a total of 4.39 billion users and 6.9 billion searches on the Google Search engine on a daily basis. We can see the far-reaching influence of Google on a global scale. If you are unaware of Vietnamese coffee, just browse Google. Or you can find information about Vietnamese coffee suppliers on the Yellowpages website.
Furthermore, it is very useful to engage in online forums or groups on Facebook or LinkedIn in order to search or ask for every topic you feel inquisitive about.
There are heaps of enterprises updating their products on the Internet. You can also assess the company’s profile, as well as trust and relationships through a professional website with producing facilities, office addresses, or certificates.
- E-commerce Exchange
The E-commerce platform is software where businesses launch and manage their online stores, so it is a backbone of trading online. To be more specific, the platform provides features that allow enterprises to build their branded online storefronts to locate and purchase their products and services.
E-commerce Exchange
The most outstanding platform is Alibaba with over 100 years of experience and 1 billion consumers across the world until 2021 with a mission to connect worldwide businesses. Thus, there are a wide range of Vietnamese coffee suppliers updating their products.
- “Find suppliers” service
“Find suppliers” service
Now it is accessible to hire intermediary brokers who have an acute awareness of rice exporters in every nation. You can require them to do market research on rice suppliers and give you a list of rice exporters or even product samples from factories so that you can choose one of them easily. But you have to spend a lot of money on this service.
- Trade fair
Trade fair
Trade fair is a traditional method for your business to have direct interaction with a multitude of Vietnamese coffee suppliers, businesses, and manufacturers within a day. You can experience Vietnamese coffee first-hand at the trade fair.
Recommendation about reputable Vietnamese coffee suppliers
Below are Top 5 Vietnamese coffee suppliers that many traders believe to buy coffee in bulk.
Trung Nguyen Legend
Trung Nguyen Legend
Trung Nguyen Coffee Joint Stock Company, founded in 2007, is one of the most favorite Vietnamese coffee brands. The main products of the company include Trung Nguyen Soluble Coffee, Trung Nguyen Blended coffee, Trung Nguyen roasted coffee beans, Legend coffee, Weasel coffee, Trung Nguyen coffee shop.
The factory system includes Saigon Coffee Factory (Binh Duong), Trung Nguyen Soluble Coffee Factory (Binh Duong), Trung Nguyen Coffee Factory, Bac Giang Factory. The Vietnamese coffee products from the company are exported to over 60 countries globally, typically: USA, Canada, Russia, England, Germany, Japan, China, ASEAN, etc.
Vina Cafe
Vina cafe
Vietnamese Coffee Corporation – Vina Cafe is one of the special important agricultural enterprises of the state, making a great contribution to the development of Vietnam coffee industry – the key industry of Vietnam.
Vina Cafe’s main product line includes Blue Lake Coffee, Dak Ha Coffee, 2 in 1 Soluble Coffee, 3 in 1 Soluble Coffee, 4 in 1 Soluble Coffee, Vina Cafe Soluble Coffee, etc. The main export markets are Europe, America, and Asia.
K-Agriculture Factory
K-Agriculture has been one of the leading exporters of rice, coffee, cashew nuts, and spices in Vietnam.
K – Agriculture is also one of the first supply chain companies powered by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade with the goal of bringing Vietnamese agricultural goods to the international market.
K-Agriculture Factory
The company has supplied Vietnam robusta green coffee beans to major markets: EU, Japan, Africa… K-Agriculture always ensures sufficient supply and wholesale coffee products such as robusta, arabica coffee, coffee powder, green coffee. With a great affection towards Vietnamese coffee, the products will exceed customers’ expectations.
Contact information:
Email: info@k-agriculture.com
Website: https://k-agriculture.com/
Whatsapp: +84855 555 837
Son Duong Coffee Co., Ltd
Son Duong Coffee Co., Ltd
Son Duong Coffee Co., Ltd is a producer and supplier of Vietnamese coffee materials. Besides, the company also processes finished packaging of coffee beans and instant coffee 3in1 with HACCP standards. The company brings the quality of coffee from the excellent raw material areas such as Nam Ban, Buon Ho, Dak-Nia, Tram Hanh – Da Lat, and LangBiang plateau.
Green Raw Coffee Company
Green Raw Coffee Company
Green Raw Coffee Company is a Vietnamese coffee wholesaler run & managed by Vaima company limited. The company focuses on delivering the most common types of green coffee beans; or in other words, raw coffee beans cultivated in the Central Highlands region, Vietnam to the world’s buyers.
As a wholesale green coffee supplier in Vietnam, the business sources green coffees directly from local farms to offer good quality coffee beans to customers worldwide.
