About this coffee…

Son La is a region in the North of Vietnam which is famous for its tea plantations, however Son La also has many coffee plantations at the altitude of 1000m which is unusual for Vietnam, where the Central Plateau rarely reaches altitudes beyond 600m. It also has fantastic coffee growing conditions such as fertile soil and high temperature fluctuation between day and night positively impact the coffee bean quality. Coffee production goes back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when French colonialists began planting coffee in Son La and other northern provinces.

In the past decades, Son La has developed into a major Arabica coffee producing hub of Vietnam. The Son La coffee association was established in 2017 with the main purpose to develop and promote a sustainable coffee sector in Son La.

The province currently has nearly 18,000 hectares of coffee, with last year’s production at more than 25,000 tonnes. Coffee farming helped local people improve incomes and living standards in the last few years. However, coffee growers in Son La province faced disadvantages relating to limited farming level and trade understanding. Farmers mostly sold raw coffee at low prices.

The region in recent years has seen investment and support from non profit organisations to revitalise the coffee industry. The region had issues with old coffee trees which produce low yields and also many farmers haven’t the money to implemented measures to ensure sustainable growth and make their farms more resilient to climate change. The coffee is also grown in a very hilly region which causes challenge for transportation with many farmers transporting the coffee on the back of motorbikes.

The farmers used to sell their coffee to wholesalers and didn’t appreciate the high quality of the coffee that they were producing however in recent years they have focused on developing their ‘brand’ and this has lead to an increase in price per kilo which has lead to an increase in the quality of living in the region. A future development for the farmers is investment in equipment and training to process the coffee themselves which in turn increase the value per kilo.

Origin:  Vietnam 

Region: Son La Province

Estate: Various

Producers: Bich Thao Son La Coffee Cooperative

Varietal: Catimor

Altitude: 700 - 1200 masl

Processing: Honey Process