Viego Global

Being the world’s largest exporter of Robusta coffee, Vietnam is offering an abundant source of quality coffee at a cheaper price. This ideal sourcing hub is opening huge business opportunities for the international coffee buyers. There are many ways to source your coffee beans from Vietnam, and direct buy from coffee farms is definitely something you should take into consideration. To help you get acquainted with the international trade in Vietnam’s coffee market, we’ve created this guide on how to buy directly from coffee farms in Vietnam. This essential guide will cover the following:

1. Is Farm-direct sourcing always a good choice?

Direct buy from coffee farms or cooperative is the approach involving sourcing green coffee beans directly from your preferred farmers or producers in Vietnam. Although it may sound like a good approach to reduce costs by cutting out the middleman, it’s not that simple. For many reasons, buying coffee directly from a farm can be a difficult process for new business owners given all of the required taxes and permits. The main problem will be to have it prepared and shipped to your country. Taking into account these pros and cons before choosing this sourcing approach.

Pros:

• Lower prices;
• Transparency about farming practices and coffee quality;
• Building relationships with farmers.

Cons:

• Difficulty with exporting procedures;
• Language barriers;
• Increased liability.

2. How to buy your own coffee directly from the farms in Vietnam?

Know where your beans come from in Vietnam

The most important thing you should bear in mind is the location of the coffee farms or factories. In most case, the factories are located in provinces that cultivate coffee plants because right after picking up ripe cherries, producers need to process their coffee cherries promptly for the best quality. Therefore, knowing where Arabica, Robusta are grown in Vietnam is the key to get the best Vietnam coffee beans. Check out this map of coffee-production area in Vietnam:

Click to enlarge map (.jpeg 1.4 MB, opens resizable window) >>

Furthermore, coffee beans from each region in Vietnam have their own personalities and taste profiles due to different soil, altitude and climate conditions. In general, coffee from Dalat is known for their flavor from ripe fruits with sour taste and sweet aftertaste; Khe Sanh coffee has sour flavor with light body and honeyed aftertaste; coffee from Son La has slightly sour and pure taste, wild orange aroma and honeyed aftertaste. For that reason, choosing types of coffee from Vietnam that meet your customer needs require considerable market research. Getting through all of our guide on the series “Vietnam’s Coffee Market” to strike the right chord before making a decision.

Inspect what the coffee farmers can provide you.

When it comes to coffee farms, there is a huge number of them in Vietnam. However, finding quality farms is a big deal. You may need to vet them as much as possible before you decide to work with them. Therefore, before searching for farms, setting up a list of must-have criteria for choosing farms is of great importance. They all go around these invaluable questions:

• Be aware that not all farms or co-ops in Vietnam have infrastructure to prepare coffee for shipping. Ask them if the coffee you decided to buy is ready for exporting. Is it passed through the mill already or the screen size the right one already?
• Make sure that it is stored in a safe place. Confirm storage practices. Green coffee beans can lose significant quality when they are not stored properly. And it can completely change the quality of the final product.
• Which currencies are you negotiating your price? USD, Euro or VND? Remember to keep it in mind as currencies in developing countries fluctuates a lot.
• All about the payment. How and when do you pay your coffee? Directly at the farmer or once it arrived at your roastery?
• Have a look at contracts, insurances and responsibility; How do you manage if the coffee loses quality during the shipping? Who will pay for it?

Tips for easing the direct process:

When directly sourcing coffee in Vietnam, you will need to communicate and negotiate a lot with the farmers or factories to get the best deal. If they speak fluent English and can understand your English well, you may get away without a Vietnamese speaker’s help. Otherwise, you should consider engaging a Vietnamese speaker, preferably a native speaker who also knows the business culture to help make sure your farmers understand your expectations clearly and completely.

Do some research on the local exporters. Farms in Vietnam often sell coffee directly to some purchasing agent who work with local exporters or partner organizations created to assist farmers in exporting their coffee. If you opt to buy coffee directly from a farm, you’ll need to communicate with their preferred exporter or partners to discuss the shipping procedure.

A coffee farm trip to Central HIghlands in 2023/2024 crop. Source: Viego Global Team

3. Is importer sourcing a better option?

Buying coffee from an importer or a sourcing agent can eliminate much of the difficulties involved in the sourcing process. Sourcing agent can make the sourcing process easier if they sell the coffee you want. However, it also means you won’t have the experience and transparency of buying beans directly from a farmer. Here are the main pros and cons:

Pros

• Simplifying ordering procedure;
• Wide variety of product;
• Expert opinions;
• Logistics involved;
• Reduced liability.

Cons

• Higher prices

The decision on how you prefer to source coffee really depends on your experience. For first-time coffee buyers, we recommend using a sourcing agent that suits your needs and preferences because of the wide variety, simplicity and flexibility provided by this type of service. If you have more experience in coffee-sourcing, farm-direct sourcing could be a great approach to ensure quality and transparency with your farmers. As a conclusion, we recommend first looking for a local sourcing agent that matches your business ethics and carrying the coffees you want to buy.

Viego Global – Your Trusted Sourcing Partner in Vietnam

At Viego Global, we know it’s more than just finding the right coffee supplier since every step of the supply chain requires proper implementation in order to ensure Vietnam quality coffee beans are well delivered to clients. We always try our best to determine the best suppliers, including coffee farms and coffee collectors based on customers’ needs. During research on potential suppliers, discussion and factory visits, we inspect every single thing from business license, capacity, to past orders as well as the equipment and the workers’ competence. This is why Viego Global makes sure that you can reach the best coffee suppliers at the most competitive price from Vietnam.

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please leave your contact HERE so we could help you out easily.

For further information about HOW TO BUY COFFEE DIRECTLY FROM VIETNAM COFFEE FARMS?, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Vietnam Robusta Coffee has long made its name on the global coffee market. Vietnam is undoubtedly the paradise for coffee buyers who seek for Robusta coffee at a cheaper rate. Before diving into this guide, remember to check out our “Vietnam coffee market” blog series to have an overview of the coffee industry in Vietnam. In this essential guide to Vietnam Robusta, we will walk you through 4 best types of Robusta to buy in Vietnam.

Shipment of Robusta from Vietnam – the paradise of Robusta. Source: Viego Global Team

1. Vietnam Robusta Coffee at a glance.

The majority of Vietnam coffee beans – around 97% – are the Robusta variety, International Coffee Council data shows. Known for their bold, harsh, bitter flavor, and high caffeine content, Robusta beans are typically used to make cheap, mass-market commercial products, including instant coffee and supermarket blends. Robusta can be grown at lower altitudes, in hotter climates, and with less moisture. Main Robusta coffee growing provinces locate in the Central Highlands, including Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum. This area has many legends about coffee such as the Buon Ma Thuot brand. There are some geographic indications of the coffee regions (‘Buon Ma Thuot’, ‘Cau Dat – Da Lat’ and ‘Son La’) known for their quality, sweet aroma and strong flavor resulting from the soil characteristics. Since Robusta has fewer growing restrictions and has a generally less desirable flavor, it is usually sold for a lower price than Arabica beans.

2. Green Robusta Coffee from Vietnam

Green coffee beans are raw coffee beans that have not been roasted. In Vietnam, farmers will harvest the ripe coffee cherries and then process them under 3 main techniques. They are then dried to a moisture level of about 11% by either of three methods. Read the details of processing method on how Vietnam’s coffee beans are processed. The beans may be also wet polished to remove any silver skin remaining on the beans. As a result, the so-called green coffee beans are bagged, stored and shipped to importing countries for roasting and grinding.

Vietnam Robusta Coffee beans are packed in 60kg jute bag before shipment. Source: Viego Global Team

Green Robusta Coffee is the key product of Vietnam, bringing Vietnam second position in the world for coffee exports and No. 1 for Robusta coffee exports. Since green coffee is cheaper than other processed coffee, buying green Robusta coffee might be a smart decision financially. What is more, when buying green coffee beans, you are in full control of the roasting process, hence easily managing the cup quality. In term of green beans, various suppliers in Vietnam provide commercial Robusta and Fine Robusta, which means high quality Robusta as well.  Overall, main types are:

– Vietnam Robusta green beans washed/unwashed/honey with wet-polished or non wet-polished: grade 1 on screen No. 18, grade 1 on screen No. 16, grade 2 on screen No. 13;

For exporting to market with strict safety standard, various Vietnamese coffee farmers have been applying advanced agricultural production technology to obtain national and international certifications, such as 4C (Common Code for the Coffee Community); VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices); UTZ (UTZ Certified); and RFA (Rainforest Alliance). What is more, in Vietnam, green Robusta coffee beans are also verified with HALAL certification, which are highly preferred in Muslim-majority countries and in some Western countries. These quality certifications make it easy for coffee to be exported to the overseas market and meet the global customer’s requirement. Read more details of each quality certifications you need to take into consideration when buying coffee from Vietnam.

3. Roasted Robusta Coffee from Vietnam.

During the last decade, green coffee beans accounted for more than 90% of Vietnam’s exported volume. However, exports of highly processed coffee have increased in recent years. In 2016, nearly 63,000 tons of roasted and soluble coffee products were exported, customs data of Vietnam exports shows. Coffee roasting is a heating process that helps bring out the aroma and flavor of a green coffee beans. In Vietnam, while the methods vary from simple to the expensive ones, there are four main types of coffee roasts: Light roast, medium roast, medium dark roast, dark roast. Therefore, Roasted Robusta Coffee from Vietnam are categorized into four main types:

• Vietnam Robusta light roast coffee beans:

+ The beans are pale and dry-looking

+ Light roasted beans have the most caffeine and the most acidity

• Vietnam Robusta medium roast coffee beans

+ The beans are still dry, with more sweetness due to further caramelize.

+ Medium roasted beans have balanced flavor, aroma, and lower acidity, medium amount of caffeine.

• Vietnam Robusta medium dark roast coffee beans

+ The beans begin to show an oily sheen on surface

+ Medium dark roasted beans have a fuller flavor, more body, and less acidity.

• Vietnam Robusta dark roast coffee beans

+ The beans show visible oils on the surface

+ Dark roasted beans have heavy and full body flavor with spicy notes, low amount of caffeine

–> Find out how to check the quality of Vietnam coffee beans

4. Instant Robusta coffee from Vietnam

Instant coffee is also called soluble coffee or dried coffee extract. This beverage enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water to the powder and stirring. In Vietnam, a wide range of instant Robusta coffee is manufactured. There is a huge variety of instant coffee brands on Vietnam’s market, but these are the list of main categories of instant Robusta coffee:

• Robusta spray dried instant coffee powder from Vietnam;
• Robusta agglomerated Instant Coffee powder from Vietnam;
• Robusta freeze-dried instant coffee powder from Vietnam;
• Robusta decaffeinated instant coffee from Vietnam;
• Robusta 3in1 instant coffee mix from Vietnam: Robusta instant powder mixed with sugar cane and non-dairy creamer;
• Instant coffee can/bottle from Vietnam (concentrated liquid form).

5. Ground Robusta coffee from Vietnam

Ground Robusta coffee is made from whole coffee beans that went through the grinding process. Ground coffee varies in sizes, from very fine, fine, medium to coarse. For ground coffee, the brewing methods are different from instant coffee. It can range from Pour over, French press to Percolated or using Espresso machine. In Vietnam, people commonly drink coffee by using phin coffee filter with ground coffee. Other products that Vietnam coffee suppliers sell on the market is: Drip coffee bag from Vietnam or Whole ground bean from Vietnam.

Check out the grind size chart below to know which size is best suited to your brewing method.

Coffee Grind Size	Should use for
Finely Ground	Espresso
Medium – Fine	Moka Pots
Medium Ground	Drip Coffee & Vacuum Brewers
Medium – Coarse	Chemex Brewers
Coarse Ground	French Press & Percolators

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam
• Everything you need to know about Vietnam’s specialty coffee

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about VIETNAM ROBUSTA COFFEE – 4 MUST-BUY TYPES OF ROBUSTA IN VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

In part 1 of this blog post, we discussed on the first 4 quality certifications you need to be mindful of when sourcing quality coffee from Vietnam. Besides ISO 9001:2015, VietGAP, HACCP and GMP, these are the other 4 quality certifications that various quality coffee suppliers in Vietnam conforming to. Check it out to make sure you select to best coffee beans from Vietnam.

1. HALAL Certification for coffee from Vietnam

HALAL Certification is the document issued by the Muslim authority of the exporting country in which it guarantees that the features and quality of the products fulfill the requirements established by the Islamic Law. These are set of rule for its consumption by the Muslim population in both Muslim-majority countries and in some Western countries. For instance, in Middle East market, customers highly prefer goods certified with HALAL showing that the products are processed and produced according to the rules of the Qur’an and the Shari’ah law of Muslims. Therefore, when importing coffee from Vietnam to such regions, remember check whether your products are readily acceptable by Halal consumers. Coffee that are HALAL certified are often marked with a registered trademark Halal logo on their packaging.

To be certified with halal certification, the Vietnamese coffee suppliers must complete a series of tests to attest that the coffee product and processing environment are free from:

• alcohol, such as ethanol, and all liquid and solid intoxicants;
• all insect-derived products such as shellac, cochineal etc;
• human-derived products such as L-cysteine;
• blood and blood-derived products such as plasma;
• all animal-derived products such as fats, oils, gelatine etc., unless obtained from halal sources or specifically authorized by the UK’s Halal Monitoring Committee (HMC); and
• ingredients produced from genetically modified organisms.

In our international coffee trading market, possessing HALAL certification enables coffee manufacturers to label their finished products accurately and therefore expand their sales to additional consumer segments. Here in Vietnam, many coffee suppliers have access to the HALAL certified coffee. If you want to connect with any coffee suppliers in Vietnam providing HALAL coffee, don’t hesitate to contact us and check out a complete list of the most quality ones.

2. 4C (Common Code for the Coffee Community) for coffee from Vietnam

The Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C) is an independent, stakeholder-driven, internationally recognized sustainability standard for the entire coffee sector, aiming at anchoring sustainability in coffee supply chains. Through its global network, the 4C Association provides support services to coffee farmers, including training, access to tools and information. 4C Compliant Coffee is coffee that has been produced in accordance with the 4C Code of Conduct, a set of baseline sustainable practices and principles for the production of green coffee beans. Compliance can be demonstrated through the 4C Certification System and the 4C Certificates issued.

According to 4C Services GmbH, the organization operating 4C certification system, the 4C Code of Conduct comprises:

• 12 principles across economic, social and environmental dimensions based on good agricultural and management practices as well as international conventions and recognized guidelines accepted in the coffee sector
• 45 criteria, entailing specific check-points to be controlled during the audit in order to verify compliance with the respective criteria
• 3 compliance levels, allowing for a smooth entry into certification and ensuring the continuous improvement of the certified producers.

In Vietnam, 4C have helped improve quality and productivity, bring farmers greater incomes and enable the coffee sector to produce more coffee meeting the international 4C standards for exporting. According to CBI, the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries, Vietnam was the largest producer of 4C compliant coffee, with 523 thousand tons of coffee in 2016.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF 4C CERTIFIED COFFEE SUPPLIERS IN VIETNAM

3. RFA (Rainforest Alliance) and UTZ (UTZ Certified) for coffee from Vietnam

The Rainforest Alliance (RFA) is an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of business, agriculture, and forests. Rainforest Alliance Certified Seal guarantees that coffees are grown on farms that adhere to a rigorous standard with detailed environmental, social and economic criteria established by the RFA. Rainforest Alliance certification also promotes decent living and working conditions for workers, gender equity and access to education for children in farm communities.

UTZ is a certification program for sustainable farming of coffee, tea, cocoa and hazelnuts. UTZ focuses on transparency and traceability in the supply chain, as well as improves economic performance through productivity and farm professionalism. Certification requires compliance with mandatory control standards. In 2018, these two of the world’s leading sustainability certification organizations, UTZ and RFA merged to create a single certification. It helps simplify the certification process for farmers and empower companies to build more responsible supply chains. The merged organization is called the Rainforest Alliance and focuses on environmental and social issues such as Forests, livelihoods, climate and human rights.

With the aim to increasing quality image and the brand image of Vietnam‘s coffee, Vietnam is working hard towards greater coffee sustainability by adapting modern production models and developing the best production practices in the coffee value chain. According to ICC, International Chamber of Commerce, more than 200,000 ha, accounting for more than 30% of the total coffee growing area of Vietnam, were certified by sustainable development initiatives by the end of 2017. In the report of “Exporting sustainable coffee to Europe”, CBI stated that Vietnam was among top countries exporting UTZ certified coffee to Europe, with 173 thousand tons of coffee in 2017.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS IN VIETNAM CERTIFIED BY RFA

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam
• Everything you need to know about Vietnam’s specialty coffee

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about 8 QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND WHEN BUYING COFFEE FROM VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

When sourcing coffee in Vietnam, one of the biggest challenges you might come across is understanding supplier verification, and how it applies to the coffee beans. Quality control is essential, not only because of pricing considerations, but also to ensure that the suppliers conform to food safety legislation in major import markets. In the coffee industry, certification guarantee that specific rules and regulations of quality standards are met. It is meant to improve efficiency, sustainability and profitability for growers on the one hand, while enabling buyers to make more informed decisions on the product they purchase. Hence, looking for a certain quality certifications for coffee is a good approach to a quality coffee source. To help you sourcing quality coffee in Vietnam, we’ve created a list of national and international quality certifications and standards that good-quality coffee beans in Vietnam conform to. In the first part of the guide, we’ll discuss on 4 essential certifications in Vietnam as below. Read part 2.

Don’t forget to check out on our blog series on Vietnam’s coffee market, along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business

1. ISO 9001:2015 for Vietnam’s Coffee

The quality management system is the exact guarantee to produce quality product consistently. One of the system that has certainty and is recognized by many countries is the ISO quality management system and the most recent version is ISO 9001:2015. International Organization for Standardization explains that to produce quality products, the supplier shall apply the quality management principle, such as focus on the customer, optimize the leadership, employee participation, process approach, commit to quality improvement, use factual data in decision making, and build up supplier relationships. 

Based on that explanation can be stated that ISO is a system that ensures the increasing quality process of production. The production process that is worked continuously is a control process so that produce quality product. ISO is a document that can be applied to all business activity including the production of coffee. Every process will be worked with a clear quality standard. Take a look at the table below for some quality standard of coffee beans under ISO system: 

Here in Vietnam, various coffee suppliers have applied ISO certification to keep the consistency for increasing the quality export product. The size of coffee seed production has high quality and ISO ensures the standard is used properly.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO ISO 9001:2015 IN VIETNAM

2. VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) for Vietnam’s coffee

VietGAP (Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices) is practicing good agricultural production in Vietnam. It was implemented in 2009 to help foster the development of a modern agri-food system in Vietnam. VietGAP consists of the rules, orders and procedures that guide agricultural producers to produce, harvest and process agricultural products to meet a number of requirements. Producers applied this standard to ensure: productive technique; food safety; product traceability; protection  of environment  and health. For coffee production in Vietnam, producers learn new effectively techniques for their farms. The major objectives of new production techniques are for; protection their workers and the environment, and for more sustainability income. 

According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, VietGAP provides guidelines for the application of production methods covering food safety, environmental management, worker health, safety, and product quality. There are 12 sections in the standard namely:

1. Site assessment and selection;
2. Planting material;
3. Soil and substrate management;
4. Fertilizers and soil additives;
5. Water and irrigation;
6. Crop protection and use of chemicals;
7. Harvesting and handling;
8. Waste management and treatment;
9. Worker health and welfare;
10. Record keeping, recall, and traceability;
11. Internal audit;
12. Complaints and resolve complaints.

Farmers are subject to mandatory training and guideline production practices to receive VietGAP certification which is valid for two years. Hence, coffee from Vietnam produced under VietGAP are guaranteed for quality to great extent.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO VietGAP IN VIETNAM

3. HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) for Vietnam’s coffee

HACCP Certification is a system that recognizes that a food business has developed, documented and implemented systems and procedures in accordance with HACCP. HACCP is basically a tool to help identify and control food safety hazards that may occur within the food business. As coffee is produced in many countries under many different processes, different harvesting practices can lead to unreliable differences in the material. What is more, different processing methods may involve different ‘intermediate’ elements that could support the development of hazards.

According to The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), HACCP involves seven principles: 

1. Analyse hazards, for instance microbiological (e.g. bacteria, viruses, moulds, toxins), chemical (e.g. pesticide residues), or physical (stones, wood, glass, etc.). 
2. Identify critical control points. These are points in the food’s production (from raw to processed to consumption) at which a potential hazard can be controlled or eliminated. 
3. Establish preventative measures with critical limits (values) for each control point, such as a minimum drying time to ensure mould growth cannot progress. 
4. Establish procedures to monitor the critical control points (e.g. how to ensure that adequate drying occurs). 
5. Establish corrective actions to be taken when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met, such as disposing of potentially contaminated cherry. 
6. Establish procedures to verify that the system is working properly. For example, test drying facilities for leaks or contamination. 
7. Establish effective record keeping for documenting the HACCP system, such as records of hazards and control methods, the monitoring of safety requirements and actions taken to correct potential problems. 

In Vietnam’s coffee industry, many coffee suppliers have achieved HACCP certification. To gain this certification, the business is required to undergo an audit or assessment of its food safety and HACCP policies and procedures. Therefore, the quality of coffee produced under this standard in Vietnam is guaranteed for product safety.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO HACCP IN VIETNAM

4. GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) for Vietnam’s coffee

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is a set of operational requirements to ensure production of safe and quality food. The US FDA and other regulatory bodies worldwide highly recommend using GMP to ensure that products are consistently produced and controlled to quality standards. GMP compliance covers the minimum sanitary and manufacturing practices that are a prerequisite foundation to further implement other food safety management initiatives such as HACCP, ISO 22000. 

Few basic principles include:

1. Hygiene: Pharmaceutical manufacturing facility must maintain a clean and hygienic manufacturing area.
2. Controlled environmental conditions in order to prevent cross contamination of food or drug product from adulterants that may render the product unsafe for human consumption.
3. Manufacturing processes are clearly defined and controlled. All critical processes are validated to ensure consistency and compliance with specifications.
4. Manufacturing processes are controlled, and any changes to the process are evaluated. Changes that have an impact on the quality of the drug are validated as necessary.
5. Instructions and procedures are written in clear and unambiguous
6. Operators are trained to carry out and document procedures.
7. Records are made, manually or by instruments, during manufacture that demonstrate that all the steps required by the defined procedures and instructions were in fact taken and that the quantity and quality of the food or drug was as expected. Deviations are investigated and documented.
8. Records of manufacture (including distribution) that enable the complete history of a batch to be traced are retained in a comprehensible and accessible form.
9. The distribution of the food or drugs minimizes any risk to their quality.
10. A system is available for recalling any batch from sale or supply.
11. Complaints about marketed products are examined, the causes of quality defects are investigated, and appropriate measures are taken with respect to the defective products and to prevent recurrence.

Various coffee suppliers in Vietnam also obtain this certification in order to demonstrate a commitment to food safety.

CHECK OUT OUR LIST OF COFFEE SUPPLIERS CONFORMING TO GMP IN VIETNAM

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

Read part 2.

For further information about 8 QUALITY CERTIFICATIONS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND WHEN BUYING COFFEE FROM VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
• Facebook: facebook.com/vietnam.coffee.robusta.arabica.import.export
• Instagram: instagram.com/vietnam__quality__coffee
• Tiktok: tiktok.com/@vietnamcoffeeexport
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/https://www.youtube.com/@VietnamCoffeebeansViegoGlobal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/viego-global-green-coffee-beans/
• X/Twitter: https://x.com/ViegoCoffee

Or contact us directly at:

1. Whatsapp/Wechat: +84 90 827 90 98
2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com

Being the world’s second-largest coffee producer, Vietnam is currently a premier hotspot for international coffee buyers who are sourcing a quality coffee beans at a cheaper rate. Besides its wide variety of coffee products and large supply ability, the favorable shipping process is also attributable to its success story. In recent years, Vietnam has seen significant improvements in the country’s infrastructure, including modernizing its ports and roads, which help effectively streamlining the shipping process for international buyers. To help you get acquainted with the international trade in Vietnam’s coffee market, we’ve created this guide on how to ship coffee from Vietnam. This essential guide will cover the following:

Don’t forget to check out on our blog series on Vietnam’s coffee market, along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business.

1. Options for shipping coffee from Vietnam

In coffee industry, most buyers will opt for sea freight rather than air freight. Here in Vietnam, you can choose to ship coffee from Vietnam from one of three modes: FCL sea freight, LCL sea freight, air freight. 

FCL sea freight from Vietnam

FCL, or full container load, means your coffee fill an entire container, either 20-foot or 40-foot long. If you are shipping coffee at a high volume, you’ll save time and money by shipping FCL. Pricing for FCL is done as a flat rate, regardless of whether or not your container is completely full.  Indeed in Vietnam, many importers will not consider anything less than a container load: 19 to about 21 tons in a 20-foot container depending on the type of coffee.

LCL sea freight from Vietnam

LCL, or less than a container load, means your coffee do not fill an entire container, and will share space with other shipping consignments headed for the same destination. Exporters and buyers of small lots that are less than a container load face both logistical and cost constraints. Note that with organic coffee, it may not be shipped in the same container with other coffee because of the risk of contamination.

Air freight from Vietnam

Shipping by air is generally faster but much more expensive than shipping by sea. If a small lot of expensive coffee can bear the cost of paying freight for a full container then it may sometimes be just as cost effective to use airfreight instead.

Shipping is the final step when you have gone through the processing of researching, contacting coffee suppliers and signing a contract with them in Vietnam. Most international coffee buyers would outsource to Vietnam Freight forwarder, who provide you with a full set of services and shipping options to get your coffee from the factory in Vietnam to its desired destination.

2. Most popular terms to ship coffee from Vietnam

The shipping trade terms or “Incoterms” for shipping coffee from Vietnam vary based on the forwarder and their service. There are a lot of Incoterms but here in Vietnam, the coffee trade mostly uses three basic contract conditions: FOB, CIF, and EXW. And especially, among these three shipping terms, most coffee contracts are effectively FOB – in that the the buyers pay the freight. Buyer prefer this because they can negotiate rates of freight that individual exporters or producing countries may be unable to obtain. The following is a list of the most used terms for shipping coffee from Vietnam:

EXW (Ex Works) from Vietnam 

EXW is less ideal than FOB or CIF for international shipments. For EXW shipping, as a buyer, you shall arrange the full shipment, from the supplier’s warehouse to the cargo’s ultimate destination. The buyer is liable and responsible for almost every step. The seller is only responsible for the Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, and ensuring that the goods are available for pickup at the named place, usually their factory, at a time agreed with the forwarder.

FOB (Free On Board) from Vietnam

Free On Board shipping simply means that Vietnamese supplier is in charge of the shipment until the shipment is loaded on the international port of departure. The responsibility falls on you, and/or your freight forwarder to arrange the rest of the shipment.

CIF (Cost, Insurance, And Freight) from Vietnam 

Under the CIF Intercom, the seller is responsible for your coffee until they are exported to a port named in the sales contract and are fully loaded onto a transport ship. CIF shipping tends to include insurance as well.

CFR (Cost And Freight) from Vietnam

CFR shipping is an international shipping intercom that features the benefits of CIF shipping, without the required insurance.

DAT (Delivery At Terminal) from Vietnam

DAT shipping means the supplier is responsible for your coffee until they’re delivered at the international terminal of arrival.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) from Vietnam 

DDP is also known as “Door To Door” shipping. The seller arranges the entire shipment from Vietnam factory until the goods arrive at your location, as well as all fees, taxes, duties, customs.

3. Shipping Documents Required for Coffee trading in Vietnam

Coffee transactions are carried out by transfer of title rather than by the physical handing over of coffee not only in Vietnam but also all over the world. Title to goods is represented by the bill of lading, accompanied by a set of additional documents, together known as the shipping documents. Following the relevant customs procedures when importing coffee from Vietnam is one of the most crucial aspects of doing business. In Vietnam, coffee is not an export prohibited item or an export restriction. Therefore the company can carry out normal commercial export procedures, without having to apply for an export license. The following are additional documents to ship coffee from Vietnam that shall be requested by authorities in Vietnam: 

Bill of Lading

BOL (Bill of Lading) is an essential document for all international cargo shipments. The BOL is used for sea shipping, while for airfreight an airway bill is applied. The document will be used as proof that you’ve legalized the transfer and allow you to unload your shipment on the destination port. 

Business Invoice

The business/commercial invoice you use is going to be used as proof of value for the goods when you have to make a customs declaration in your country. 

C/O form B

The ‘Certificate Of Origin’ document is an essential document that certifies the origin country of the goods. If you manufacture in Vietnam, you need this document as proof that the products were manufactured in the country. Vietnamese government agencies can issue this document, and if you’re using a supplier, they can sign this document for you. Some shipping companies also offer CO services. All countries that signed a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam can benefit from a CO because it qualifies them for tax exemptions upon import.

C/O form ICO 

ICO certificates of origin are issued for every international shipment of coffee from producers to consumers (whether the importing country is an ICO member or not), and are used to monitor the movement of coffee worldwide. The forms contain details of identity, size, origin, destination and time of shipment of the parcels in question.

Insurance certificates ( If any)

The vast majority of the trade in coffee today is on FOB terms. In the case of CFR and FOB contracts, you as a buyer have to cover the insurance ahead of the contractual shipment period. Without this stipulation the coffee might be loaded without any insurance cover in place, leaving the exporter at risk.

Certificate of Quality, Quantity, Weight Packing List

Sales contract 

Phytosanitary of Certificate

Fumigation

4. Coffee Export tax and HS CODE in Vietnam

According to Chapter 09 of Vietnam’s import and export tariff in 2020, Robusta coffee beans or Arabica coffee beans, whether roasted or not roasted, with decaffeinated active ingredients are applied the following: 

HS CODE: 0901

Export tax: 0%

5. Shipping port in Vietnam

Vietnamese ports are located throughout the nation, in the North, Central, and Southern, giving Vietnamese factories an advantage in fast shipping their merchandise internationally. Along its 3,200km-long coastline, the country has a total of 114 seaports serving an important role in global trade. Let’s take a look at these the largest ports of Vietnam – Saigon port (south), Hai Phong port (north), and Da Nang port (central): 

Saigon Port – Ho Chi Minh City

Port code: VNSGN

Saigon Port, the oldest ports in the country with more than 130 years old, has had the highest throughput and productivity per annum of the country for years. Located in the southern region, the port covers the entire South-East and the Mekong Delta. The container traffic through the Port of Ho Chi Minh City accounts for over 65% of Ho Chi Minh City’s market share and more than 40% of that for the country. The port has an enormous 280,000 m2 warehouse and a 3km pier.

Hai Phong Port – Hai Phong City

Port code: VNHPH

Hai Phong Port is currently the shipping hub of northern Vietnam. Well connected with southern China, along the Vietnamese northern economic corridor, and close to Hanoi, the port lies in a convenient location for international transport. Hai Phong Port has an advanced network system with the newest technology. Its container yard area includes over 700,000 m2, and the port capacity is 10 million tons of cargo per year.

Da Nang Port – Da Nang City

Port code: VNDAD

Lying at one end of the East–West Economic Corridor, an economic corridor connecting Vietnam with Laos, Thailand, and Burma, Da Nang Port is the third largest port system in Vietnam. With the total area of nearly 300,000 m2, the port is currently serving an increasing number of large cruise ships docking. The port is undergoing a huge upgrading, including expanding Tien Sa Port in to boost the capacity of receiving ships and increase the warehouse area up to 50ha. The expansion of Tien Sa port will contribute to making Da Nang port a modern facility able to accommodate container and tourist ships with high loading capacities.

Here is the list of other big international seaports in Vietnam:

• Vung Tau Port – Vung Tau city
  Port code: VNVUT
• Quy Nhon Port – Quy Nhon city
  Port code: VNUIH
• Quang Ninh Port – Ha Long city
  Port code: VNQNH
• Cua Lo Port – Vinh city
  Port code: VNNGT
• Dung Quat Port – Quang Ngai province
  Port code: VNDQT
• Chan May Port – Thua Thien Hue Province
  Port code: VNCMY 

Optimizing your global business in Vietnam with Viego Global

Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Our services are designed to to handle every single step of your business in Vietnam for you, from coffee R&D and coffee sourcing, coffee quality assurance, production support to coffee logistics. Please contact us HERE for further support! 

For further information about HOW TO SHIP COFFEE FROM VIETNAM?, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

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With nearly 20,000 ha yielding 60,000 tonnes each year, Son La is currently one of the major Arabica coffee producing provinces in Vietnam. If you have been seeking for high-grade Arabica from Vietnam, then Son La Arabica coffee is definitely the “diamond” you should not miss out. Read on to find out more about specialty coffee of Son La, Vietnam. 

In order to provide a deeper insight on Vietnam’s Coffee Market, we’ve created this series along with tips on how to select the best beans from Vietnam for your business. Jump to: 

• A start-to-finish guide to coffee beans market in Vietnam
• Best types of coffee beans to source in Vietnam
• How to find wholesale coffee suppliers in Vietnam
• Essential guide to checking the quality of Vietnam’s green coffee beans
• 4 Most common mistakes when sourcing green coffee beans from Vietnam
• Everything you need to know about Vietnam’s specialty coffee

A long-established history of Arabica cafe plant in Son La, Vietnam

Sơn La province is the second-largest producer of Arabica coffee in Vietnam. Its coffee dates back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when French colonialists began cultivating coffee in Son La and other northern provinces, turning this region into a significant producer of raw Arabica coffee for the French coffee industry of the time. Since then, coffee has been gradually developed, contributing to the incomes of the local minor ethnics, and helping them eradicate hunger and reduce poverty. Coffee production has become part of the locals’ lives and everyday practices. After more than 70 years of development, Son La coffee has become a specialty of Sơn La province and has been firmly positioned in both domestic and global markets.

The quality of Son La’s Arabica coffee is not inferior to Brazilian Arabica coffee

Son La’s ideal geography for high-quality Arabica

In Son La, coffee plantations are concentrated in Son La city, Mai Son district and Thuan Chau district, which are all high mountainous regions. The extraordinary aroma and taste of Son La’s Arabica coffee are attributable to the terrain, soil and climate of the geographical area there. Son La’s specialty coffee is grown on steep slopes at the foot of low mountains with an altitude of 900m to 1200m. This growing area in Son La has a similar location to Minas Gerais region of Brazil. The soil here is soft and nutritious, with good water absorption and retention. Moreover, Son La’s climate is rainy and cold, with high rainfall in the summer. Therefore, Arabica coffee trees here grow well for high quality beans.

Local’s experience in picking and processing Arabica coffee 

In addition to the terrain, soil and climate of Son La province, the producing experience over the time of the locals here is also an essential factor contributing to the coffee quality. During the cultivating process, the farmers will dig around the foot of the coffee plant in order to increase the soil’s softness. And then, they will use leaves and grass to cover the root, cut and shape the coffee plants’ foliage in order to maximize the amount of sunlight received. When there is hoarfrost, the farmers will frequently water the coffee plants’ foliage to help them develop well. Regarding harvesting process, they will hand pick the ripe coffee cherries instead of plucking the off both unripe and ripe ones. This is the technique that differentiates Son La’s Arabica coffee to the others. Most common processing method applied in Son La is natural process. Although Son La’s farmers use the same processing method as other coffee-producing areas, the coffee here is dried naturally by sunlight, and therefore does not suffered from any mechanical impact of machines used for drying coffee beans.

Wide range of coffee products with large capacity of high-quality Arabica from Son La, Vietnam

Mr. Hoang Van Chat, Secretary of the Son La Provincial Party Committee, stated that Son La had over 18,000 hectares of agricultural land growing Arabica coffee, with an annual output of about 60,000 tonnes of coffee beans. In the past, Son La Province produced and offered mostly green coffee beans.

In addition to green coffee beans, in the past 5 years, many domestic coffee businesses have been conducted to provide the market with various kinds of products, such as roasted coffee beans, traditional-style coffee filters, instant coffee powder, coffee grounds or even coffee husk tea.

Protected geographical indication for Son La coffee

On September 28, 2017, Son La Province received a certificate of protected geographical indication for its coffee products. This indication lays the firm foundation for Son La’s Arabica coffee to enter the global market and helps promote sustainable development of the domestic coffee sector.

Aware of the economic value of coffee, local authorities have decided to list it among key types of industrial crops to promote economic restructuring. The provincial agricultural sector has provided technical guidance for coffee farmers, while encouraging businesses to join linkages in planting and selling coffee products. Son La Province has created various mechanisms and policies to support and develop coffee planting in a sustainable manner.

Since 2014, the province has provided support for seven households in Chieng Ban Commune of Mai Son District, 35 households in Chieng Co Commune of the city of Son La, and two households in Phong Lai Commune of Thuan Chau District to pilot drip irrigation using Israeli technology. The results show that coffee plantations using drip irrigation systems with Israeli technology provide higher yields compared with those not using this irrigation technology. The province has paid special attention to registering protected coffee products and managing the use of the “Son La” geographic indicator for coffee products.

Source: Thanh Tam, Vietnam Economic News

Viego Global – Your trusted sourcing partner in Vietnam

Are you sourcing coffee beans from Vietnam? Do you need a source of high quality coffee? If you want to connect with any qualified coffee producers in Vietnam that pay strict attention to their beans, please comment below so we could help you out easily. Being presence at the factory location, Viego Global has the capability to professionally source, manufacture and execute order providing maximum benefit to our clients in terms of delivering a wide range of products at the best competitive pricing. Please contact us HERE for further support!

For further information about WHY SPECIALTY SEEKERS SHOULD NOT MISS OUT ON HIGH QUALITY ARABICA FROM SON LA – VIETNAM, please refer to our other channels of Vietnam Coffee:

• Website: https://viegoglobal.com/category/vietnam-coffee-market/
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Or contact us directly at:

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2. Email: coffee@viegoglobal.com