Awakening coffee’s special value on borderland

Pushing precious coffee variety to its fullest potential

According to local people, when the French built a rubber plantation in Binh Phuoc in 1902, they brought Robusta coffee trees to this land. Time has changed. Along with the development of science and technology, more and more new coffee varieties are being bred and crossbred, but a part of the people in the border district of Bu Dop (Binh Phuoc province) are still very fond of the pure Robusta beans.

Pure Robusta coffee, locally called “Robusta se”, has many outstanding qualities such as strong vitality and high productivity. In particular, although the coffee beans are small, they are firm and heavy, with a rich, seductive aroma that few coffee varieties have. Realizing these outstanding advantages, Tran Xuan Ngoc gathers people who still preserve this coffee variety to form the Bu Dop Pure Coffee Cooperative (Tan Tien Commune, Bu Dop District), aiming to increase the value of coffee trees in his homeland.

Ngoc also spends a lot of time researching and refining his knowledge about organic agriculture. Through his research, Ngoc discovers that local coffee growers were going against nature by using too many chemicals and fertilizers, making the soil acidic and infertile. Investment costs pile up, but product quality keeps decreasing.

Therefore, to help coffee plants gradually adapt to the organic production environment, Ngoc provides guidance to local farmers. His objective is to gradually reduce the amount of fertilizer and chemical pesticides used. In addition, he teaches them about making compost organic fertilizer from coffee husks and locally available manure combined with probiotics and biological products.

Nguyen Van Tan in Tan Nghia hamlet (Tan Tien commune) is one of the first members to join the cooperative. Under the guidance of the cooperative, after 2 years of hard work, the soil in his coffee farm has gradually recovered and become loose again. The microorganism system has developed diversely, production costs have decreased, coffee productivity gradually shows signs of improvement, reaching more than 4 tons of beans/year. His family now has a steady income of over VND 120 million per crop after deducting expenses. "I believe the cooperative is on the right track," he said.

Some support to reach higher grounds

After securing a standard raw material source, Ngoc boldly invests in machinery to process coffee products, aiming to further improve the value chain. On the other hand, he actively participates in exhibitions, fairs and events on organic agricultural products, introduces products on online channels, and distributes through agents, coffee roasting companies and facilities related to the coffee business.

Recently, he also brought coffee and his production process to the 2^nd Binh Phuoc province innovation competition. Although he only won the consolation prize, with the contribution of Ngoc and local members to coffee trees, the cooperative is honored to be the first cooperative in Binh Phuoc to receive support from the Thien Tam Fund (Vingroup) with a preferential loan of VND 1 billion to complete the closed-loop coffee value chain, creating livelihoods for people in the area.

Doan Manh Quang, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bu Dop district, said that the product of Bu Dop Pure Coffee Cooperative is one of the nine 3-star OCOP products of the district in 2023. The district agricultural sector is taking consultations so that the pure coffee product of the cooperative will soon be recognized as a 4-star OCOP and become an outstanding rural industrial product at the provincial level.

“With a clear roadmap, accompanied by the attention and support of local authorities and consumers, we hope that Bu Dop Pure Coffee Cooperative will soon identify its brand and bring the products to major markets,” said Deputy Head Doan Manh Quang.

“Với lộ trình rõ ràng, cùng sự quan tâm, ủng hộ của địa phương, người tiêu dùng, hi vọng HTX Cà phê nguyên chất Bù Đốp sẽ sớm định danh được thương hiệu, đưa sản phẩm vươn ra các thị trường lớn”, ông Đoàn Mạnh Quang đánh giá.