Vietnam’s Aroma and Intensity coffees, produced by Sobica Joint Stock Company, have been awarded at the first international roasted coffee competition in France
The award ceremony was held in Paris on 12 June by the French Association for the Valorisation of Agricultural Products (AVPA) and the International Coffee Organisation. The competition was aimed at encouraging coffee producers around the world to increase the added value of their products, said AVPA president Philippe Juglar.
He revealed that the competition drew 70 coffee products from 15 top global coffee exporters, including Vietnam, Colombia, Cameroon, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, Gabon and Panama.
According to Juglar, the strong taste and the high quality helped Vietnam win.
Vu Thi Thu Hang, director of Sobica’s market development department, told Vietnam News Agency that the two prize winning coffees were grown in the Central Highlands region.
While Aroma coffee was a blend of the best three Arabica strains in Vietnam, Intensity coffee was a mixture of Da Lat Arabica and Buon Ma Thuot Robusta, she added.
The company worked with its partners to determine a roasting technique that enhances the flavour of the coffee, she noted.
Nguyen Canh Cuong, trade counsellor of Vietnamese Embassy in France, noted that Vietnam can turn into a major manufacturer and exporter of coffee products from a major producer and exporter of coffee beans.
Vietnam has total 614,545ha under coffee cultivation, 92 per cent of which is located in the Central Highlands. Every year, the country exports one million tonnes of coffee beans, generating an export turnover of more than US$3.4bn.
Statistics from the Vietnam’s general department of customs showed that the coffee export turnover in April was US$225mn, bringing the total to US$968mn in the first four months of the year.
