Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers handpick ripe cherry. Some farmers have processing set ups at home but most cherry is collected and brought to larger washing stations or processing centers. At the processing center, cherry laid to dry. Parchment is dried either on raised beds or on patios. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying.
Rainforest Alliance
RFA stands for Rainforest Alliance, a certification system that emphasizes climate-smart agriculture. RFA farms have at least 40% of land covered by canopy, significant species diversity (at least 12 native tree species per hectare, on average) and a system of natural vegetation buffers between agricultural land and bodies of water. The farms also use organic fertilizers.
Coffee in Vietnam
Coffee played in a major role in Vietnam’s stunning economic transformation from the extreme poverty in the late-1980s to the relative prosperity in the 2010s. Our Vietnam offerings highlight some of the best that the country has to offer, including more recent forays into specialty coffees.
The main variety planted in Vietnam is Catimor, a hybrid of Caturra and Timor (itself an Arabica-Robusta hybrid). While Catimor boasts high yields and high disease-resistance, it’s not typically prized for its cup quality. This encourages producers to refine their selection and processing techniques.
Producers are also focusing on improving their selection and processing techniques. This focus on improvement begins at harvest time. Farmers and their workers have begun to employ more selective harvesting techniques, and better post-harvest quality controls are increasingly being implemented.
Other producers are venturing into experimental processing to increase harvest quality and, ultimately, sale price. Some producers are focusing on yeast or enzyme fermentations, others are using anaerobic fermentation. At this point, most of this experimentation is used on microlots. In the future, more farmers may turn to processing most or all of their harvest using advanced or experimental processes to help increase sale prices.