Vietnam's coffee exports in February 2023 reached 180,000 tonnes, earning 393 million USD, up 26.3% in volume and 26.5 per cent in value on month. (Photo: kinhtedothi.vn) In the past, Vietnam has had many programmes on coffee sustainable development.However, it is necessary to develop a value chain from production toconsumption.
Vietnam needs to reposition its coffee brand, focus on continuing to replant,build brands, and process refined products, said Minister of Agriculture andRural Development Le Minh Hoan.
The minister said that the important thing is the place of Vietnamese coffee onthe world coffee map. Customers like Arabica coffee but Vietnam is the largestRobusta coffee producer.
If Vietnam wants to have a reputation on the world coffee map, it mustdetermine whether to develop Arabica coffee or maintain production of Robustacoffee, or mix these two coffee lines, according to Hoan.
Coffee is widely considered as more than just a drink. Many products aredeveloped from coffee trees such as coffee flower honey, fertiliser from coffeegrounds, and dyes for fabrics, yarns and shoes.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is still producing and exporting raw materials.
If Vietnam's coffee industry wants to increase the value of coffee by 5-10times, it must review the product lines, market trends and demand. Forprocessed coffee products, it is necessary to understand the needs of customersto provide suitable products.
At present, very few companies make brands of Vietnamese coffee to export tothe world. Thailand has high-class coffee, selling for up to 50-100 USD per cupin 5-star hotels around the world.
Regarding building a Vietnamese coffee brand in foreign markets, Le Huu Nghia,general director of the Le Thanh Company and chairman of LEKOFE Coffee BeverageCo, Ltd, said foreign consumers had the habit of using branded coffee made bylocal producers. "Vietnamese coffee has a good taste, is of better qualityand is cheaper, but they do not pay attention."
Vietnam's enterprises must sell raw coffee to factories processing brandedcoffee products.
Therefore, the businesses that want to build a coffee brand to increase thevalue of Vietnamese coffee in foreign markets needed a methodical strategy, Nghiasaid.
Besides that, it would be necessary to focus on communication for consumersabout clean and quality coffee, and for farmers about growing coffee underinternational standards, he said.
This month, the 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival takes place from March 10 to14 in Buon Ma Thuot city to gradually make Buon Ma Thuot a destination on theworld coffee map, contributing to raising the value of Vietnamese coffee in theglobal market.
In recent years, at world-leading coffee competitions, such as theInternational Catering Cup, Vietnam's Robusta coffee bean brand has beenrecognised by experts and won awards.
Reputable organisations such as Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and Fairtrade, havecertified Vietnamese Robusta coffee to meet international quality andstandards.
At the World Barista Championship in September 2022, Takayuki Ishitani, theJapanese champion in 2017 and 2019, used Vietnamese Robusta.
Now, Vietnamese Robusta coffee is consumed in more than 80 countries andterritories. Vietnamese coffee has recorded strong growth in exports tocountries consuming a large volume of coffee.
In the first 10 months of 2022, Vietnam's coffee exports surged by 58.2% to 494.9million USD to Germany, 78.7% to 57 million USD to France and 91% to 28 millionUSD to Canada.
Italy – ranking first in terms of coffee consumption and home to the espressoand cappuccino – has also increased coffee imported from Vietnam, the Kinh tedo thi (Urban Economy) newspaper reported.
In January 2023, Vietnam's coffee exports to Italy reached 17,270 tonnes,earning about 36 million USD, up 79% in volume and 81.5% in value compared toDecember 2022.
According to the General Department of Customs, Vietnam's coffee exports stillmaintain second place in the world, after Brazil. Vietnam's coffee exports inFebruary 2023 reached 180,000 tonnes, earning 393 million USD, up 26.3% involume and 26.5% in value on month, and 28.7% in volume and 22% in value onyear.
However, in the first two months of this year, Vietnam's coffee exports reached323,000 tonnes, worth 703 million USD, down 13.1% in volume and 14.6% in valueover the same period of 2022./.
VNA
