Vietnam's Arabica coffee is small in volume, at only about 5% of total coffee production, but its high quality has drawn international attention in recent years. Compared with Robusta, Arabica is characterized by a delicate flavor and rich aroma, and demand in the specialty-coffee market is surging.<\/p>\n
Vietnam's Arabica is produced at about 50,000\u201360,000 tonnes a year, and several varieties are grown, such as Caturra and Catimor. Expanding high-quality Arabica production is at the core of the Vietnamese coffee industry's value-adding strategy.<\/p>\n
Arabica cultivation is limited to cool highlands above 1,000 m in elevation. The main growing areas are Lam Dong province<\/a>(around Da Lat) and, in the northwest, Son La province<\/a>. In Lam Dong province, an environment with an annual average temperature of 18\u201322 degrees and an elevation of 1,200\u20131,500 m is ideal for Arabica cultivation. In Son La province, ethnic-minority farmers grow it using traditional methods, producing a distinctive flavor profile.<\/p>\n Arabica's harvest season runs from November to March of the following year. Cherry picking\u2014selecting and hand-picking only fully ripe fruit\u2014is the mainstream. After harvest, it is processed by the washed (water-washing) or natural (natural-drying) method. In recent years, anaerobic (anaerobic-fermentation) processing using fermentation techniques has also been introduced, producing coffee with a distinctive flavor.<\/p>\n Vietnamese Arabica coffee is exported to the EU, Japan, the US, and South Korea. Specialty-grade coffee sometimes trades at a high price of more than US$10 per kg, three to five times the price of ordinary Robusta. Spurred by awards at quality contests, its international reputation is rising rapidly, building new brand value for Vietnamese coffee.<\/p>\n Interest in Vietnamese Arabica is rising, centered on Japanese specialty-coffee roasters. Direct trade, in which Japanese coffee importers deal directly with farms in Da Lat and Son La, is also increasing. Raising recognition as a single origin in the Japanese market is a challenge, but its high quality raises expectations for expanded imports going forward.<\/p>\nCultivation methods and harvest season<\/h2>\n
Exports and market trends<\/h2>\n
Connections with Japan<\/h2>\n
Reference information<\/h2>\n
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