The central highlands region of Vietnam consists of the five provinces; Lam Dong, Dak Nong, Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, covering a total area of 54,700 square kilometers, equal to 16.5 percent of the country’s land mass. The region has a population of more than 5.1 million. Located on a plateau at an average altitude of 500-600 meters, the region has more than two million hectares of basalt soil suitable for growing Robusta coffee, rubber, pepper and tea. It has a total of 434,000 hectares of coffee plants, 80 percent of the country’s total coffee growing area. Cud Lie Mnong Fairtrade Agriculture Cooperative (CUDLIEMNONG) is located in Cu Mgar district of Daklak province in the central highlands of Vietnam. Cud Lie Mnong consists of 14 villages. The main crops in this area are coffee (mainly robusta), pepper and rubber.
In early 2008, the Dakman Company (a coffee processing company) began to work on improving the quality of coffee from the farmers in this area. They organised and provided training on 4C (Common Code for the Coffee Community Association) standards and GAP (Good Agriculture Practice). Then Dakman helped the farmers from the area to set up the producer group, CUDLIEMNONG. The cooperative received Fairtrade Certification in 2009 and currently has 84 members.
The investment for the coffee production (such as fuel for water pumps and fertilisers) comes mainly from the sales of coffee which the farmers store after harvest season and sell when they need cash for expenses. The cooperatives annual production capacity of Robusta green bean is approximately 346 tons but during the 2011/12 harvest productivity increased to 398 tons, 369 of which was sold as Fairtrade. Members have on average 0-4 hectares of land each for growing coffee.
Robusta coffee is mainly cultivated in Central Highlands, Vietnam. The main region focuses on five provinces of Central Highlands including Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Daklak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong. Several mid-land provinces such as Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau also produce robusta.
As you’ve already known, robusta is easier to cultivate than arabica. It requires a lower altitude of around 500m above sea level (asl.). Robusta is more probable to expose to direct sunlight with suitable featured temperature of highlands varying from 24oC to 29oC and yearly average rainfall of 1,000mm.
Vietnam has famous robusta growing regions such as Pleiku, Ayun Pa, Buon Ho, Buon Ma Thuot, Dakmil or Cu Kuin. The one which are most famous among them is Buon Ma Thuot known as Vietnam’s capital of coffee. In addition to that, Buon Ma Thuot’s robusta has been promoted as single estate coffee (as Buon Ma Thuot’s specialty). Moreover, in low lands such as Long Khanh (of Dong Nai) do contribute good robusta. Especially, several rural districts of Ba Ria Vung Tau which are next to seasides have been planted robusta coffee with good capacity.
Ben Loi (Loi’s port) in Xuyen Moc of Ba Ria Vung Tau with its small mountains and hills behind – suitable to plant coffees – is very close to the seaside. Photo by HangVTA.
In general, in comparision with arabica, Vietnamese robusta volume is a very huge number. Volume of Vietnamese robusta in recorded harvest seasons can be reached 1.5 to 1.7 million metric tons which are 25 times higher as compared to arabica (of 60 thousand tons). It is robusta that brings Vietnam to seize the world’s number #1 of robusta export.
Origin: Vietnam
Region: Central Highland – Daklak Province
Altitude: 800 masl
Varietal: Robusta
Grade: GR1
Screen Size: Scr16-18
Processing: Wet Polished (Wet-polished Robusta has much better quality, the product is more carefully screened, removing the silk, and impurities, making the coffee cleaner, purer & tastier)
Moisture Content: 12%
Cupping Notes: Cedarwood, Spicy notes, citrus buzz and short sharp acidic hit. Clean cup and long finish.
Small Batch Roasting: Roast For You Service – Terms & Conditions
Introduction
Small Batch Roasting now offers a service that offers personalised coffee roasting for customers who want to enjoy freshly roasted coffee tailored to their preferences. This article will discuss the Roast For You Service, its terms and conditions, and provide essential information for customers to make informed decisions when ordering.
Roast For You Service
When you choose to have your coffee roasted for you, we will roast the exact amount ordered and roast this for you to the selected roast profile you have chosen. Our small batch roasting process ensures that your coffee is roasted with care and precision, resulting in a high-quality, freshly roasted product.
Minimum Green Weight Requirement
Please be advised that the minimum green weight for roasting any one single origin is 6kg. Any orders placed with less than 6kg of each origin will be placed on hold and may cause delays in being dispatched. We will contact you to discuss how you wish to proceed in this case.
Weight Loss During Roasting
Please be mindful of the weight loss through moisture loss during roasting, which is typically between 12-20% depending on the level of roast. The darker the roast, the higher the moisture loss. This weight loss should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
Order Processing Time
Orders for roasted coffees will naturally take a little longer to process. Please allow a minimum of 3 days for your order to arrive from the point of order. If we are able to drop your order in the roasting schedule sooner, we will always endeavor to do so.
Mixed Orders
Mixed orders which include green and roasted coffees will be dispatched together when the roasted coffees are ready. We are unable to split these orders, so please consider the slightly longer delivery times when ordering mixed coffees.
Packaging
Your coffee will be bulk packed into a 6kg bulk bag with an identifying label on only. This packaging ensures that your coffee remains fresh and protected during transit.
Roast Profile and Liability
We will roast to your desired roast profile, but are unable to take any liability for any taste discrepancies that may arise from this. We are unable to take back any coffees once they have been roasted to your desired roast profile.
Yield Estimate
Typically, a medium roast coffee at 6kg green will yield 5.1kg of freshly roasted coffee. This estimate should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
