Towards building the Vietnamese Robusta coffee brand

Attending the event were Mr. Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee; global strategic partners including: Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), Trans -Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trading Company Limited; and representatives of many businesses, cooperatives, and experts in the coffee industry.

Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of VICOFA, chaired the discussion.

In his welcome speech, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van emphasized that Dak Lak is honored to be the "cradle" of Vietnamese Robusta coffee, with the geographical indication Buon Ma Thuot Coffee protected in 32 countries and territories.

The province has always been a pioneer in developing sustainable, high-quality coffee, with many outstanding results such as: achieving the world's first 4C-EUDR (non-deforestation products) growing area certification, digitizing 35% of the province's coffee area and successfully organizing 7 seasons of Vietnam Specialty Coffee (Vietnam Amazing Cup) since 2019. Provincial leaders are committed to accompanying all parties in developing the specialty coffee value chain.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van delivered a welcome speech.

Vice Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thien Van delivered a welcome speech.

At the seminar, VICOFA presented the current situation and solutions for developing the Vietnamese Robusta Coffee brand.

Accordingly, although Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of Robusta coffee (more than 1.8 million tons per year), it still has no official national brand, no separate cupping standards and has not been properly positioned. The Fine Robusta movement (specialty Robusta coffee) is thriving but still faces many challenges such as: lack of unified national standards, small production scale and limitations in traceability.

Delegates attending the seminar.

To address these limitations, VICOFA proposes that SCA and TPP join forces to support the development of a set of cupping standards for commercial Robusta; and develop a national promotion strategy for Vietnamese Robusta. The Association commits to contributing financial resources and coordinating the implementation of promotion programs, including a plan to organize a special booth on “Vietnamese Robusta” at the SCA Expo in the near future.

Regarding long-term development orientation, VICOFA proposed that SCA support three key areas: Building a set of national standards for Vietnamese specialty Robusta; training experts and improving capacity in the key Central Highlands region; supporting international communication to position “Vietnamese Fine Robusta” as a high-quality, sustainable and valuable choice in the global market…

Mr. Yannis Apostolopoulos, Executive Director of the Specialty Coffee Association - SCA, spoke.

Also at the program, SCA and TPP representatives presented papers on the potential market for specialty coffee consumption, SCA programs supporting producing countries and solutions for building the Vietnamese coffee brand in the US and globally. Delegates also discussed, contributed ideas and participated in tasting some samples of Vietnamese specialty coffee.

Concluding the discussion, Mr. Nguyen Nam Hai, Chairman of VICOFA, emphasized: The discussion was organized to implement the content of the Letter of Intent signed between VICOFA and TPP, and at the same time discuss the strategic cooperation plan to promote Robusta coffee and Vietnamese coffee culture to consumers in the US and global markets.

Mr. Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Members of Dak Lak 2-9 Import-Export Company Limited

Mr. Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Members of Dak Lak 2-9 Import-Export Company Limited, spoke.

The seminar attracted young entrepreneurs who are passionate about specialty coffee, and the community's deep interest in building and developing the Vietnamese coffee brand. However, this is a big problem, requiring a project, along with a joint effort and a methodical roadmap to achieve the set goals. Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee needs to be known and paid more attention by coffee experts around the world to develop globally in the near future.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/thoi-su/202511/huong-den-xay-dung-thuong-hieu-ca-phe-robusta-viet-nam-7c90ce3/