219 robusta and arabica coffee samples met the specialty coffee standard

On April 28, the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition 2024 announced and granted awards to units that produce specialty coffee products meeting international standards.

Following rigorous review, the competition identified 129 samples that fulfilled specialized requirements, including 83 robusta and 46 arabica coffees. The organizers then picked the best three samples of the highest-quality robusta and arabica specialty coffees to give awards.

The Vietnam Organic Agriculture and Food Company Limited (Lam Dong) won the first prize for robusta coffee, followed by Phan Em Coffee (Dak Lak) and The Espresso Farm Joint Stock Company (Lam Dong).

Pun Coffee Limited Liability Company (Quang Tri) won the first prize for arabica coffee, followed by MTV Forest - Forest Coffee Limited Liability Company (Kon Tum) for second and Pun Coffee Limited Liability Company (Quang Tri) for third place. In addition, special honors were granted to Phan Em Coffee (Dak Lak) for the most popular robusta coffee sample and Bui Coffee Supply (Lam Dong) for the most popular arabica coffee sample.

The Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition 2024 was inaugurated in September 2023, and 81 coffee-growing units from eight provinces around the country participated. There were 144 samples/lots entered in the competition, comprising 255 tons. The 2024 competition followed the idea of blind assessment, with two rounds: preliminary and final, using evaluation criteria and methods in compliance with the norms of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).

According to the organizers' assessment, despite the sharp increase in coffee prices, which poses challenges to the sustainability of the entire supply chain, the year saw remarkable growth in all relevant indicators, including the number of samples and coffee production participating in the competition, the proportion of samples meeting specialty standards, and the scores of the winning robusta samples.

According to Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak Province, the 6-year journey of the "Vietnam Specialty Coffee" competition, as well as activities such as research and application of new technologies, training, promotion, domestic and international trade promotion, and export of high-value Vietnamese specialty coffee, demonstrates that the development activities of the specialty coffee sector are closely aligned with the defined objectives.

The People's Committee of Dak Lak Province greatly appreciates the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association's organizational and networking role in continuing competition and development activities for Vietnamese specialty coffee over the last six years.

The province authorities expect that the Association will continue to lead in arranging significant events to link and promote the reality of "Buon Ma Thuot - the coffee capital of the world".

At the local level, with the responsibility of owning the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Geographic Indication, as well as directing and supporting the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition, the locality will continue to provide practical support for the development of Buon Ma Thuot coffee, particularly for the development of Vietnamese specialty coffee," Mr. Van stated.