The K'Ho people make coffee from the hills of K'nớ.

K'nớ, the affectionate name for the former Đưng K'nớ region (now part of Đam Rông 4 commune), has long been known as the ancestral home of the K'Ho Cil ethnic group. Surrounded by ancient forests, it boasts an ideal temperature and climate for producing coffee beans that fully embody the essence of nature.

Each coffee bean is carefully selected and processed.

Located approximately 50 km from the center of Lam Dong province, the former Dung K'no commune has a total natural area of ​​nearly 19,860 hectares, of which over 90% is forest land. Over 94% of the population here are K'Ho ethnic people, whose main crop is coffee. About 10 years ago, the Lac Duong Arabica coffee brand was granted to several organizations and individuals meeting the required conditions, and subsequently expanded throughout the former Lac Duong district – as a way to affirm the prestige and position of the Arabica coffee brand in the domestic market in particular, and the international market in general.

Of the nearly 4,000 hectares of coffee plantations in the former Lac Duong district, Dung K'no commune accounts for approximately 900 hectares, with an average yield of over 400 tons of green coffee beans. The local people have primarily earned their living from coffee cultivation since 1996, using traditional farming methods, mainly relying on manure and minimizing the use of chemical fertilizers.

That is also the main reason why, despite the low yield, the Arabica coffee beans from the mountains of Đưng K'nớ are still plump, possess a distinctive, rich flavor, an unforgettable aftertaste, and are especially suitable as raw materials for processing high-quality Arabica coffee.

One of the pioneers in building the Coffee K'nớ brand in this area is Mr. Phi Srôn Ha Pôl (K'nớ 1 village). Born and raised in this land, having received an education and returned to contribute to his homeland, Mr. Ha Pôl harbored the dream of creating a unique brand for the coffee beans that are intertwined with the childhood memories of so many children like himself.

According to Mr. Ha Pol, in the past, farmers mainly produced and sold fresh coffee beans to local traders. At that time, coffee cultivation methods were still old-fashioned, based on the habits and conditions of each family. The quality of the coffee beans was also inconsistent, leading to frequent low quality assessments and price manipulation. Later, several companies came and highly appreciated the raw material area in Dung K'no. They began guiding farmers on more standardized coffee cultivation processes, care, and harvesting methods. As a result, coffee production in the commune has become increasingly organized.

“One of the factors that gives K’nớ coffee its special flavor is that this land is covered by 90% natural forest, with an average altitude of over 1,500 meters above sea level, an average rainfall of over 2,000 mm, rain distributed from April to January of the following year, and fog year-round. These favorable natural conditions, cool climate, and fertile soil of a still-untouched land have produced coffee beans that are not only rich in flavor but also retain the resilient spirit and genuine, rustic nature of the indigenous Cil people,” Ha Pôl explained.

Each coffee bean is hand-picked by farmers on the steep hillsides, then undergoes a traditional processing method: sun-drying or natural fermentation, followed by roasting using modern technology, ensuring uniformity and preserving the layers of aroma. And in the homes, you'll see entire families, from the elderly to the young, diligently sorting through the coffee beans, removing bad ones and picking out impurities… These are things never before seen in this remote rural area.

“Each cup of coffee carries a story, a slice of the mountains and forests,” says Ha Quynh, owner of IQ Bidoup Coffee. Like Coffee K'nớ, IQ Bidoup Coffee has been nurtured by Ha Quynh from the very beginning, under the green pine trees. On his family's 3-hectare farm, he cultivates organically with all his love for the red basalt soil of the Central Highlands. Although it's still in its early stages and the annual production isn't high, the joy of receiving positive feedback from customers grows stronger every day.

Besides diligently experimenting with coffee processing and roasting methods, they also focused on building a brand and spreading the message about K'nớ coffee to customers nationwide. To date, both products have been recognized by the People's Committee of the former Lac Duong district as achieving OCOP 3-star standard. Through various channels, each coffee bean from the hills of K'nớ has traveled with customers to markets in developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United Arab Emirates…

These days, a mist still blankets the land and people of K'nớ, but each person harbors better aspirations. The distance from K'nớ to the commune center is no longer far. From there, the dreams of coffee farmers in K'nớ will become more complete and easier to fulfill, contributing to building the position of Vietnamese coffee in the market.

Hong Tham

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nguoi-k-ho-lam-ca-phe-tu-nui-doi-k-no-381421.html