Courage to bring Son La coffee to the world

Starting from a constant concern

I met Nguyen Xuan Thao on a chilly November afternoon, after he returned from a ceremony honoring organizations and individuals with outstanding achievements in the 2021 - 2025 patriotic emulation movement. The event also marked the 80^th anniversary of the agriculture and environment sector.

The man, in his early sixties, had a tall, slender build, tanned skin, graying hair, and a gentle smile. His eyes always brimmed with optimism - the belief of someone who had spent long years quietly tending his coffee plantations on the old Hua La hillsides (presently in Chieng Coi ward).

“In 2014 - 2015, coffee was dirt cheap, only around VND 4,000/kg, while hiring workers to pick it already cost VND 3,000. I sold coffee husking machines to local farmers, but they told me they couldn’t pay because they couldn’t even sell their coffee. I wondered: if coffee growing can’t make a living, how do we increase its value?” he recalled.

A simple question, yet powerful enough to change the course of his life. In the years that followed, he began researching, learning, and testing cultivation and processing methods. With strong relationships among roasters nationwide and technical experience accumulated from his younger days as a mechanic, Thao invested in machinery, set up production lines, and envisioned a long-term brand strategy. In 2017, the Bich Thao Son La Coffee Cooperative was officially founded.

It started with only 11 households, basic machinery, and a modest 50 ha of production land. Yet Thao possessed a special “capital”: his “dare to think, dare to do” mindset, skilled hands, and an unwavering belief that Son La coffee deserved a higher position in the market.

Technology is the “key” to elevating Son La coffee

In the 2000s, most Son La farmers sold fresh coffee cherries at fluctuating prices, hence low value. The establishment of Bich Thao Cooperative gradually transformed production practices.

To sell coffee at a premium, Thao believes that production must follow correct techniques, ensure cleanliness, and carry a meaningful story. The cooperative has taken the initiative to adopt an organic, closed-loop production system that meets VietGAP and UTZ standards. All coffee is nurtured with organic fertilizers. The harvesting and processing techniques strictly preserve natural sugars and original flavors.

In 2021, Bich Thao Cooperative expanded and built a processing plant with a capacity of 20 tons of green beans per day, equipped with hulling, density, and size-grading systems, German and American color-sorting technology, roasting-grinding lines, storage facilities, and a product display area. Two new 700 m² greenhouses were built behind the plant, and another 1,500 m² greenhouse in Muong Bang (formerly Muong Do Commune, Phu Yen District) was added to produce specialty coffee.

The cooperative currently uses natural processing and anaerobic coffee fermentation for 80 hours, followed by about one month of sun-drying, then advanced classification. This method preserves deep aromas, long aftertaste, and the unique character of highland coffee arabica.

Alongside technological innovation, the cooperative switched completely to Arabica and introduced the Bourbon variety in 2017. In terms of export price for green beans, Bourbon reached USD 37/kg (over VND 900,000/kg) by 2025, up significantly from USD 30/kg the previous year. Meanwhile, the cooperative’s roasted coffee powder price can go up to VND 1.5 million/kg, proving the value of high-quality varieties processed under specialty protocols.

Thanks to holistic improvement in varieties, processes, and technology, 97% of the cooperative’s specialty coffee output is now exported to more than 20 countries, including Japan, Germany, the USA, and South Korea. Bich Thao is among the first six units in Son La authorized to use the geographical indication “Son La Coffee” for roasted coffee, ground coffee, and green beans. In 2022, “Bich Thao Coffee” earned the national 5-star OCOP certification, becoming a representative agricultural brand of the province.

Crossing mountains to reach global horizons

For Thao, producing specialty coffee is not merely about increasing profits but also preserving Vietnam’s agricultural identity, reducing emissions, and promoting organic fertilizers to safeguard both growers and consumers.

All coffee husks, wastewater, and by-products at Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative are recycled into organic fertilizer, following a circular economy model, resulting in profits from specialty coffee 3-4 times higher than those from traditional practices.

The cooperative is implementing 500 ha of low-emission coffee production, of which 16 ha are already certified under VietFarm standards. In 2025, the Bich Thao Son La brand also ranked in the Top 10 at the International Golden Coffee Awards (IGCA), proving its solid foundations and correct directions.

By 2030, with a vision toward 2050, the cooperative aims for 100% of linked areas to be replanted, apply organic fertilization, improve yields, stabilize quality, and achieve the highest export value, eliminating the cycles of ” good harvest, low price” and “good price, bad harvest”.

*Currency exchange: USD 1 = VND 26.378 - Source: Vietcombank, November 16, 2025.