Brewing Success: Coffee Shipping in Vietnam

With concerns around infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and the delicate balance between high production volumes and quality standards, the Vietnamese coffee market is not without its challenges. As these challenges become more apparent and consumer expectations evolve, efficient coffee shipping solutions are increasingly important.

Optimizing your supply chain will not only allow you to tackle existing challenges but equip you to confront future hurdles too, empowering you to move agilely in this evolving industry and steam ahead of the competition.

The journey of coffee production begins with discovering the perfect environment for coffee cultivation, where expert farming practices and sustainability measures are employed to ensure only the best coffee cherries are produced. Once the coffee cherries ripen, they undergo harvesting and processing using either the wet or dry method depending on the variety and the desired flavour profile. Beans are then meticulously sorted, graded, and packed according to size and quality, with any defects or lower-quality beans removed to ensure only the best coffee continues along the supply chain.

Following this step, coffee beans move into the international trade market, where exporters and importers manage the logistics of shipping coffee. In its destination country, coffee cargo is prepared for consumers through processes like roasting, grinding and packaging.

Understanding the complexities of the coffee production process is essential. By understanding each stage, you can confidently navigate regulatory requirements, optimize your supply chain, mitigate risks, enhance sustainability, and consistently deliver high-quality products to your customers.

Types of beans

Producing ~30million bags annually, Vietnam specializes in both Robusta and Arabica beans. With Robusta taking centre stage and making up 95% of the country’s coffee production, Vietnam is the number one producer of Robusta coffee.

Growing regions

Coffee production in Vietnam thrives primarily within the provinces of the Central Highlands. Known as the ‘coffee capital’ of Vietnam, the region boasts the favourable climate, high altitudes, and fertile soils needed to cultivate exceptional Robusta coffee beans.

Arabica beans, known for their preference for high altitudes and low temperatures thrive both in the Central Highlands region and in other regions across Vietnam, including the Son La Province and the Lao Cai Province.

By collaborating with producers, implementing rigorous quality control standards, and investing in streamlined shipping processes, you can ensure that Vietnamese coffee reaches the market in peak condition. Contributing both to your bottom line and the reputation of Vietnamese coffee.

You can mitigate the risks associated with climate change by optimizing shipping routes to manage weather-related disruptions and investing in innovative packing solutions to protect goods during transport. Wider efforts to build sustainable practices, long-term partnerships with farmers and trust with consumers will also bolster your resilience in the face of climate change challenges.

Proactively planning for infrastructural difficulties, by investing in transportation networks, contingency plans, storage, and customs clearance solutions as well as real-time tracking, will also help to build seamless and efficient supply chains.

It is essential to meet regulatory requirements to ensure the smooth shipment of your coffee cargo.

Taxation

Unlike imported goods, most goods and services exported from Vietnam are not taxed. Export duties, which may range from 0% to 45% based on the free-on-board (FOB) price, are applied to some items like minerals, forest products, and scrap metal.

Licensing

Licensing requirements depend on whether your coffee exports are processed or unprocessed. Processed coffee products may require food hygiene and quality inspections while unprocessed coffee products may require fumigation or quarantine inspections. You should liaise with your import partners to check what inspections are necessary.

Customs

To export coffee from Vietnam, you will need:

• Evidence of your business registration
• Your commercial invoice
• Introduction papers
• Container handover minutes
• Other relevant documents and agreements.