Mercon Specialty Vietnam is partnering with a cluster of women-managed farms in the Cau Dat area in Lam Dong Province, a mountainous region famous for growing the finest Arabica from Vietnam. The selected farms producing this unique Specialty coffee are considered small-sized farms averaging 2 hectares and can be found at an altitude of 1,400 to 1,600 meters above sea level.
Women represent a large part of the farmers and harvesters in Vietnam; the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that women provide up to 50% of the labor in Lam Dong Coffee farms. However, the number of wholly owned and women-managed farms in Lam Dong province is relatively low. In 2023, Mercon Specialty Vietnam launched Shades of Jade - Women Produced Arabica with the objective of supporting their work at the farm level and their daily commitment to producing great coffee cherries as well as improving the living standards of all women that have a tremendous impact and a crucial role in the coffee communities. Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment are pillars of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which the United Nations adopted.
All the Women farmers producing Shades of Jade are also members of LIFT “Leading Innovation Farmer Traceability”: the Sustainability Program of Mercon Coffee Group. The main objectives are to provide suitable tools, knowledge, and Good Agricultural Practices to the selected Women Managed Farms to improve their productivity and incomes. The coffee cherries are harvested between December and February, the peak season for coffee cherry harvest in Lam Dong Province.
Download Da Lat Women Producers LIFT Info Sheet
