As the world’s largest producer of Robusta, Vietnam is not generally considered an origin of high-quality coffee. But that is hardly the case. Cau Dat, in the province of Da Lat in the central to the southeastern part of the country, grows significant amounts of specialty coffee, and we are one of the only specialty importers sourcing it who have quality controls in place over the entire supply chain.
Vietnam is a country of smallholder farms, averaging 1-3 hectares, and farmers do not process their own coffee here but instead sell red cherry to wet mills, which process the coffee for export. Mercon operates several wet mills in Da Lat and has established strong quality programs at each of them. All the Lotus coffee Mercon Specialty imports come from our LIFT partners. There are about 100 LIFT farmers in Da Lat, about 30 of whom are women-owned and managed. These producers receive technical assistance, free of charge, from agronomists to help improve quality across the entire supply chain.
Da Lat Arabica Honey Process is grown at an altitude of 1400-1600 masl, and the region is characterized by year-round cool weather and volcanic soil. Coffee has been growing in Caudat since the mid-1850s when it was introduced by the French. It has since been cultivated by Vietnamese farmers and the region is known for being among the highest quality arabica in the country.
During honey-style coffee processing, most of the pulp is removed from the coffee bean with a bit of remaining mucilage left to impart flavor. The coffee is then sun-dried and sorted and hulled before grading and exportation.
Download Da Lat SHG Arabica Honey Process Info Sheet
