From modern Israeli irrigation technology to messaging systems to update global coffee prices, coffee production in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam has come a long way since the first time the French brought coffee beans to this land more than a century ago.
“In the past, I used to carry coffee to the market by bike. Now I check the price of green coffee with my mobile phone before I leave, ”44-year-old farmer Ama Diem cheerfully told AFP news agency journalist visiting his coffee farm in Buon Ma Thuot. .
By sending a message with the syntax “CA” to number 8288 from any mobile phone number in Vietnam, farmers will immediately receive a text message on Robusta coffee futures on the London market. , or arabica coffee prices in the New York market from a data provider.
Coffee farmers are now very “awake”. They understand that the price of coffee, the world’s second most traded commodity after oil, can fluctuate very quickly. “We only bring coffee to the market as long as we can sell it at a high price. We check prices continuously, ”said Mr. Diem.
Vietnamese coffee farmers have changed the global market of this agricultural product. If you drink a cup of coffee this morning, it is very likely that you have consumed a few Vietnamese coffee beans that big companies like Nestle or Costa Coffee have bought and processed.
Vietnamese Coffee – First World
According to AFP data, within 20 years, Vietnam went from contributing less than 0.1% of world coffee production in 1980, to about 13% of global coffee production. in 2000. This spectacular increase in Vietnamese coffee production was attributed in part to the decline in world coffee prices in the 1990s.
Vietnam is currently the second largest coffee producer in the world in terms of output. However, the weakness of Vietnamese coffee is that the robusta coffee is bitter, unpopular, and Vietnam mainly exports unprocessed green coffee.
“Vietnam is a surprising phenomenon,” said Jonathan Clark, CEO of Dakman Coffee Export Company. According to Mr. Clark, last year, Vietnam’s coffee exports soared to nearly the same level as Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer and exporter.
In 2012, Vietnam exported 1.73 million tons of coffee, valued at about $ 3.67 billion, accounting for more than 50% of the global robusta coffee market. This type of coffee is often used to process instant coffee.
Mr. Clark said, coffee consumption in Asia is on the rise and roasters are keeping an eye on Vietnam – a country that does not levy coffee exports – to build factories, expanding the presence in regional markets.
Vietnamese Coffee – First World
In the context of the slowdown in coffee consumption in the US and Europe, the world’s largest coffee restaurant chain Starbucks also highly appreciates the Vietnamese market, where the middle class is growing fast and people have a tradition of passion. love coffee. According to Mr. Jinlong Wang, Starbucks Chairman in Asia-Pacific market, Vietnam market has a lot of “great opportunities”.
Last February, Starbucks opened its first store in Ho Chi Minh City. As expected, the company will open hundreds more stores in Vietnam in the near future, because this is a market that it describes as “dynamic and bustling”.
According to Dang Le Nguyen Vu, Chairman and CEO of Trung Nguyen Coffee Group, who is considered the “coffee king” of Vietnam, the soil in the Central Highlands is considered perfect for growing coffee. Also according to Mr. Vu, world coffee consumers are used to drinking arabica coffee with 1.5% caffeine, but they should “wake up” to enjoy robusta coffee with 2.5% caffeine power.
Mr. Vu, the founder of Trung Nguyen coffee shop chain, with 55 existing stores in Vietnam and 5 stores in Singapore, is very enthusiastic about making a mark for Vietnam’s robusta coffee on the coffee map. of the world.