{"id":625,"date":"2026-03-20T15:16:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T06:16:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/vietnam-agri\/vietnam-cacao-chocolate\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T00:37:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:37:04","slug":"vietnam-cacao-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-agri\/vietnam-cacao-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"Vietnamese cacao and the bean-to-bar chocolate industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Vietnam tends to carry a strong image as a coffee-producing powerhouse. But in fact, Vietnamese cacao is rapidly drawing attention in the world's chocolate industry.<\/p>\n<p>Vietnamese cacao, once said to be of low quality, has seen its reputation change completely in recent years thanks to farmers' improved techniques and the rise of craft brands. This article explains in detail, from the reality of cacao cultivation in Vietnam to the Bean-to-Bar movement, the efforts of craft-chocolate brands typified by Maison Marou, and the relationship with Japan and the potential for imports.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"_1\">The current state of Vietnamese cacao and its main production regions<\/h2>\n<p>Vietnam's cacao cultivation area is about 10,000 hectares, with an annual output reaching about 11,000 tonnes. The main production regions are concentrated in the Mekong Delta, with Ben Tre, Tien Giang, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces as representative growing areas.<\/p>\n<p>Cultivation is also spreading in Dak Lak and Lam Dong provinces in the central highlands, and cacao with different flavor characteristics is produced from region to region.<\/p>\n<p>The cacao tree grows only in the tropical region near the equator called the \"cacao belt.\" Vietnam lies within this belt, and its hot, humid climate is very well suited to cacao cultivation.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Growing region<\/th>\n<th>Characteristics<\/th>\n<th>Main variety<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Ben Tre province<\/td>\n<td>Fruity acidity, the rich soil of the Mekong Delta<\/td>\n<td>Trinitario variety<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tien Giang province<\/td>\n<td>A balanced flavor<\/td>\n<td>Forastero variety<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dak Lak province<\/td>\n<td>High altitude and a complex flavor<\/td>\n<td>Trinitario variety<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ba Ria\u2013Vung Tau province<\/td>\n<td>Near the coast, a distinctive minerality<\/td>\n<td>Criollo variety<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"_2\">Why the Mekong Delta is chosen as a cacao region<\/h2>\n<p>The Mekong Delta is a farming belt spread across the basin of a great river in southern Vietnam. The Mekong River's abundant water and fertile alluvial soil create an ideal environment for cacao growth.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Tre province in particular is also called \"the sacred ground of Vietnamese cacao,\" with a history of full-scale cultivation beginning in the 1980s. Currently more than about 3,000 households are engaged in cacao cultivation, and quality control through <a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-agri\/vietnam-agri-cooperative\/\">agricultural cooperatives<\/a> is advancing steadily too.<\/p>\n<p>Because the dry and rainy seasons are clearly separated, another strength is that the timing of harvesting, fermenting, and drying is easy to manage. A stable annual harvest is also a great reassurance for buyers.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"_3\">The challenge of \"Maison Marou,\" a pioneer of craft chocolate<\/h2>\n<p>Maison Marou is a chocolate brand founded in Vietnam in 2011 by two Frenchmen. Under a \"farm-to-bar\" philosophy, it sources cacao directly from farmers within Vietnam and manufactures chocolate in a fully integrated way.<\/p>\n<p>Its quality is already recognized worldwide, having won several gold medals at the International Chocolate Awards. It has also been featured by influential media such as The New York Times and Le Figaro.<\/p>\n<p>In Ho Chi Minh City there is the flagship Marou Factory &amp; Cafe, where you can enjoy chocolate while touring the production process. It is also very popular as a tourist spot, and many travelers visit.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"_4\">Key features of Maison Marou<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Single-origin chocolate: it uses cacao from different areas such as Ben Tre, Ba Ria and Lam Dong<\/li>\n<li>The lineup centers on high-cacao types with a cacao content of roughly 68\u201380%<\/li>\n<li>The packaging is finished like a work of art, with motifs drawn from Vietnam's traditional culture<\/li>\n<li>It is also carried by department stores in Japan, building up a track record of exports<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"bean-to-bar\">What is bean to bar? Its significance and its spread in Vietnam<\/h2>\n<p>Bean to bar is a style in which a single maker handles everything end to end, from selecting the cacao beans to the finished chocolate bar. Unlike mass-produced chocolate, it pays meticulous attention to each step of origin, variety, fermentation and drying.<\/p>\n<p>There are mainly three factors behind the spread of bean to bar in Vietnam.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fair prices through direct trade with farmers<\/strong><br \/>\nBy cutting out middlemen, the return to farmers rises and sustainable agriculture becomes possible. It also directly boosts farmers' motivation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Expressing terroir<\/strong><br \/>\nJust as with wine, the climate, soil and variety of the growing area are reflected directly in the chocolate's flavor. This draws out the full character of cacao from each part of Vietnam.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An incentive to improve quality<\/strong><br \/>\nCarrying out the fermentation and drying steps carefully raises added value. It works as a motive for farmers to pursue quality.<\/p>\n<p>Vietnam currently has more than ten bean-to-bar brands, which are actively expanding their sales channels both at home and abroad.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"_5\">The quality improvement of Vietnamese cacao and its international recognition<\/h2>\n<p>The quality of Vietnamese cacao has improved dramatically over the past ten years. In the past many beans were under-fermented and were rated as strongly bitter and astringent. However, technical guidance provided jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and NGOs has spread, and the fermentation rate has improved substantially, from about 40% to more than 75%.<\/p>\n<p>Some growing areas have now earned recognition from the international cacao quality body for fine-flavor cacao (ICCO). Premium chocolate makers in France, Belgium and Japan beginning to source Vietnamese cacao is proof of this.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Evaluation item<\/th>\n<th>10 years ago<\/th>\n<th>Now<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Average fermentation rate<\/td>\n<td>About 40%<\/td>\n<td>About 75% or more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Fine Flavor recognition<\/td>\n<td>None<\/td>\n<td>Already recognized in some growing areas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Number of international awards won<\/td>\n<td>Almost zero<\/td>\n<td>More than 10 per year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Purchase price (vs. market average)<\/td>\n<td>Equal to or below<\/td>\n<td>1.5 to 2 times<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"oem\">Ties with Japan and the potential for import and OEM sourcing<\/h2>\n<p>Interest in Vietnamese cacao and chocolate is steadily rising in the Japanese market too. Maison Marou's products are sold at department stores such as Isetan and Mitsukoshi, and awareness is certainly growing.<\/p>\n<p>From the standpoint of food imports, the Japan\u2013Vietnam EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement), which took effect in 2019, is phasing down tariffs on agricultural products and processed goods. This is a major advantage for Japanese companies that want to source Vietnamese cacao.<\/p>\n<p>Cases of Japanese food manufacturers and chocolate brands partnering with Vietnamese cacao farmers and processors in OEM\/ODM form are also increasing. The progress made on small-lot support and traceability is attractive to Japanese companies.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"_6\">Points for Japanese companies in making use of Vietnamese cacao<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Farms that support certificates of origin and traceability are increasing<\/li>\n<li>Several processors handle trade starting from small lots (under one tonne)<\/li>\n<li>There are also several farms with organic certification, making it possible to develop value-added products<\/li>\n<li>Trade channels through local agents and agricultural cooperatives are being put in place<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"_7\">Summary<\/h2>\n<p>Driven by the strengths of growing areas centered on the Mekong Delta and by the rise of craft chocolate brands typified by Maison Marou, Vietnam's cacao industry has reached a stage where it is drawing global attention.<\/p>\n<p>The way the bean-to-bar philosophy delivers both farmers'<a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-agri\/vietnam-income-improvement\/\">raising incomes<\/a> income and quality improvement at the same time offers a useful reference, as a sustainable farming model, for people in agriculture. Economic ties with Japan are deepening too, and opportunities for import and OEM sourcing will widen further in the years ahead.<\/p>\n<p>As a new possibility for Vietnamese agriculture, the cacao and chocolate industry is one to watch closely.<\/p>\n<p>At VN AGRI, we share the latest information on Vietnamese agriculture.<\/p>\n<h2>You May Also Like<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-fermented-foods\/\">Vietnamese Fermented Foods and Agriculture: The Full Process of Nuoc Mam, Pickles, and Fermented Tea<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-herb-agriculture\/\">A Guide to the Crops Behind Vietnamese Cuisine: The Growing Regions and Agricultural Background of Herbs and Seasonings<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/vietnam-superfood-export\/\">The Complete Guide to Vietnamese Superfoods 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A thorough explanation of Vietnam's cacao cultivation and chocolate industry. We clearly convey, for agriculture and food professionals, the bean-to-bar movement centered on the Mekong Delta, success stories of craft-chocolate brands such as Maison Marou, and even the possibility of importing to Japan and OEM sourcing.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"swell_btn_cv_data":"","ssp_meta_title":"\u30d9\u30c8\u30ca\u30e0\u7523\u30ab\u30ab\u30aa\u304c\u4e16\u754c\u3067\u6ce8\u76ee\uff1fBean to Bar\u306e\u5b9f\u529b","ssp_meta_description":"\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc\u306e\u9670\u3067\u8a55\u4fa1\u3092\u9ad8\u3081\u308b\u30d9\u30c8\u30ca\u30e0\u7523\u30ab\u30ab\u30aa\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u3001\u30e1\u30b3\u30f3\u30c7\u30eb\u30bf\u306e\u7523\u5730\u3084\u30e1\u30be\u30f3\u30de\u30eb\u30a5\u306b\u4ee3\u8868\u3055\u308c\u308b\u30af\u30e9\u30d5\u30c8\u30c1\u30e7\u30b3\u306e\u6311\u6226\u3001Bean to Bar\u306e\u5e83\u304c\u308a\u3092\u6574\u7406\u3057\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u65e5\u672c\u3068\u306e\u8f38\u5165\u30fbOEM\u8abf\u9054\u306e\u53ef\u80fd\u6027\u3082\u89e3\u8aac\u3057\u307e\u3059\u3002","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,3],"tags":[82,6,8],"crop_category":[],"harvest_season":[],"class_list":["post-625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vietnam-agri","category-agriculture","tag-cacao","tag-vietnam","tag-agriculture"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":784,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions\/784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"crop_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/crop_category?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"harvest_season","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vietnam-agri.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/harvest_season?post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}