Growing Bourbon yellow coffee under avocado canopy

In the middle of the coffee land of Me Linh, Lam Ha, the coffee gardens are still green, waiting for the day the fruit ripens. However, a family is harvesting strange yellow coffee fruits.

Mrs. Tham harvests Bourbon yellow coffee

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Van Thanh and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tham, Village 2, Me Linh Commune, Lam Ha District, are actively harvesting coffee. Unlike traditional Robusta coffee gardens, where farmers wait for the fruits to ripen evenly and spread out tarps to pick them all at once, the couple diligently selects each fruit one by one. Ms. Tham said that this is her family's Bourbon coffee garden, which is picked and processed in the style of picking ripe fruits and wet processing. A very special thing is that this coffee garden is grown under the shade of Boot avocado.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham shared that, like most farmers in Me Linh, her family also grows coffee and avocado. During the period when avocado prices were high, she and her husband switched to growing pure Boot avocado. Then avocado prices dropped and coffee prices increased, so they planned to replant coffee. But replanting Robusta coffee would mean cutting down the Boot avocado garden that was bearing fruit, so they thought about finding another way. After much research and learning about different coffee varieties as well as their economic value, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh decided to change completely, switching to trying to grow the famous Bourbon coffee variety of Cau Dat, Da Lat.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh went directly to Cau Dat to learn about the Bourbon coffee variety. He told us that he had heard farmers here talk about the precious coffee varieties. Realizing that the Bourbon coffee variety - a branch of Arabica coffee that produces large fruits and is suitable for growing under the canopy of other tall trees, he decided to bring the variety back to plant in his home garden. He said that in Da Lat, he saw Bourbon coffee growing under the canopy of roses. Therefore, in Me Linh land, under the canopy of avocado gardens, Bourbon coffee can grow. So in 2021, he boldly brought nearly 1,000 Bourbon coffee trees back to test-plant right in his family's avocado garden.

Caring for Arabica coffee is different from traditional Robusta coffee, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham shared. Arabica coffee is planted more densely, requiring more care and more fertilizer than Robusta coffee. The couple also researched and learned from Da Lat farmers how to care for Arabica coffee. And, not disappointing people, in the 2023 coffee crop, the Bourbon yellow coffee trees have produced their first fruit crop. “Bourbon yellow coffee produces very large beans, when the trees started to bear fruit, my family was really happy because we were successful. Previously, Me Linh used to grow Arabica coffee but the yield was not as high as Robusta, and it was also more difficult to care for, so later, people switched to Robusta. Luckily, my family's coffee garden has really adapted to Me Linh's soil,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham happily shared.

Ms. Tham said that in 2023, the Bourbon coffee garden will yield 3 tons of fresh coffee. This year, it is expected to yield 5 tons of fresh coffee. Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham also admitted that in terms of productivity, Arabica coffee is not as high as Robusta coffee. In return, the value of Arabica coffee is much higher. “Our family does not pick and sell in bulk, but proactively harvests and processes coffee. The family picks each ripe fruit, then wet-processes it at home, dries it and saves it for sale to Bourbon coffee lovers. Currently, my family mostly supplies to those who love Arabica and to some coffee shops, not selling coffee beans in bulk,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham shared, adding that although growing and processing Bourbon coffee takes a long time, in return, the economic value is higher. According to her, families with small land areas that can take careful care and pick each fruit can grow Bourbon coffee instead of Arabica and Robusta coffee which require large areas.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham, Bourbon yellow coffee is suitable for her family because it is grown under the avocado tree canopy. The 5-year-old avocado trees are very tall, creating a wide canopy, suitable for coffee varieties that prefer diffused light like Arabica. At the same time, the shade under the avocado tree canopy has lowered the average temperature of Me Linh land, helping cold-climate coffee varieties like Bourbon have a suitable growing environment. Therefore, coffee and avocado are symbiotic, easy to care for and still ensure stable productivity.

Ms. Tran Thi Khanh Hoa - President of the Farmers' Association of Me Linh Commune, Lam Ha District, assessed that the Bourbon coffee garden of Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh and Ms. Nguyen Thi Tham's family is the only golden coffee garden in the commune. She said that the coffee garden is very beautiful, well cared for, bears fruit regularly, and is of interest to many surrounding farmers. This is also a new model, growing coffee under the canopy of fruit trees, bringing diverse harvests to farmers, while still ensuring a green rural environment.

Source: http://baolamdong.vn/kinh-te/202410/trong-ca-phe-vang-bourbon-duoi-tan-bo-3a402a1/