HANOI (ANN/VIET NAM NEWS) – Vietnam’s rise to the top of the global coffee market has been, in world history terms, rather quick. From humble beginnings in the 1800s, Vietnam is now seen as one of the best coffee markets in the world, with many global manufacturers relying on locally grown coffee.
Back in the 9th century in Ethiopia, a farmer was watching his goats and noticed that after eating berries from a particular tree, the goats would have more energy and change their behaviour.
Ethiopia is still growing coffee, but Brazil holds the title of number one in the coffee world. Vietnam has continued to rise over the past few decades and now firmly holds the number two spot in coffee production as of 2024.
The French introduced Vietnam’s first coffee plants in the 1800s. France had a love of coffee but was unable to produce its own. In the high country in the central and southern parts of Vietnam, the growing conditions were perfect, and this set a pathway for a coffee industry to be born in Vietnam. During that time, most of the coffee was shipped back to Europe, and it took time for Vietnam to adopt the global coffee consumption culture.
Fast forward to the early 1900s, and Vietnam experienced some 60 years of massive challenges. Both globally and locally, conflict and economic hardship saw the coffee industry in this country grind to a halt. By the late 1970s, the coffee grown in Vietnam was little more than enough to share locally, with export markets no longer interested due to the low volumes being cultivated, among other factors.
But that all changed in the early 1980s. Europe had, for centuries, had a passion for coffee. All throughout the continent, coffee has become a key part of culture and daily life. The only problem was that, especially in the north of Europe, the climate was not suited to growing coffee trees.
Before 1980, East Germany struggled to find coffee alternatives, but with Vietnam now looking forward to recovery and economic development, East Germany saw an opportunity to partner with the growing economy and gain access to some of the best coffee in the world. East Germany negotiated with Vietnam and came to an arrangement to support the rebuilding of the coffee industry in return for a supply of coffee.
It was a wonderful arrangement. East Germany supported Vietnam’s farming re-development, aiding in the development of coffee farming regions in south-central Vietnam. The deal provided machinery and infrastructure, ensuring a promising future for farmers and their families.
But there is a small twist in this story. East Germany agreed that for the first ten years of the harvest, they would receive half the total crop in return for the investments they made, but never paid. The coffee tree can take from six to eight years to produce its first fruit. Due to the massive planting of new trees, no harvest was planned until 1990.
Across Europe, the political landscape was changing, and after separating into two separate nations after World War II, East and West Germany came to an agreement to, again, become one nation. On November 9 1989, among much celebration, East and West Germany joined together to become united and this occurred one year before the planned first harvest of coffee in the coffee farms in Vietnam.
So, in 1990, Vietnam experienced its first harvest, and the rebirth of the coffee industry had been a success. However, that coffee that was to be sent to East Germany was never delivered because there was no country to send it to. And as they say, the rest is history.
Vietnam grew the local coffee industry to a point where the popularity of coffee exceeded that of European countries. It became the daily go-to for workers, tourists and just about everyone in the country. Varieties of coffee emerged, with iced coffee varieties being the go-to in the sub-tropical heat of Vietnam. And we can’t forget those truly amazing local twists of egg coffee and coconut coffee, both with their unique histories.
Now, there is not a corner or a house in Vietnam that doesn’t have coffee available. Vietnam deserves to hold the title of the second-largest coffee producer in the world. Their commitment and progress over more than 40 years now see them not only as a big coffee producer but also as producing some of the most amazing coffee flavours found anywhere in the world. – Ray Riches
