Participants attend a seminar on the development and promotion of the Sơn La Arabica coffee brand in Hà Nội on Friday. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Sơn La Arabica coffee, already exported to the US, Australia and New Zealand, is expanding its global reach by targeting high-value markets with strict sustainability and anti-deforestation standards.

The Sơn La Provincial People's Committee hosted a seminar and Arabica coffee promotion event in Hà Nội on Friday, aiming to enhance brand recognition, connect businesses, and broaden market access.

The event also showcased the province’s achievements in the coffee industry and unveiled plans to send a Sơn La representative to the World Brewers Cup 2026 in Belgium.

Speaking at the event, Nguyễn Thành Công, vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said that Sơn La was currently the largest Arabica coffee-producing region in Việt Nam.

From just 278 hectares in the 1980s, the province had expanded its coffee-growing area to more than 33,600 hectares across 48 communes, making coffee one of its key agricultural industries.

The province had focused on developing coffee-growing areas that meet international standards such as Rainforest Alliance (RA), UTZ, and 4C, said Công.

It also promoted cooperation among enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers while applying science and technology to production and processing.

Sơn La had established over 1,100 hectares of specialty coffee plantations along with numerous high-tech production zones.

The provincial leader expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation with businesses, scientists, and domestic and international partners to further develop coffee-growing areas, promote deep processing, increase added value, and build Sơn La coffee into a highly competitive product on the global market.

The province currently has nearly 34,000 hectares of coffee plantations, with production exceeding 40,000 tonnes last year, according to Dương Gia Định, deputy director of the Sơn La Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Sơn La coffee has also received geographical indication protection, further enhancing its reputation and market value.

Alongside developing coffee-growing regions, it has paid special attention to branding and product quality improvement. The province currently has five coffee products certified under the OCOP (One Commune One Product) programme, including one product awarded the national five-star OCOP rating.

After decades of development, coffee has become not only a key income source for local people but also one of Sơn La’s most representative agricultural products.

Based on these achievements, Sơn La has identified sustainable coffee development as a priority, placing quality at the centre and considering Arabica coffee a strategic industry with high economic value and significant potential for building a national brand and expanding exports.

From the perspective of an exporting company, Vũ Việt Thắng, general director of Phuc Sinh Son La Corporation, noted that international coffee market requirements were changing rapidly.

While buyers previously focused mainly on consistent quality, timely delivery, and competitive pricing, traceability and transparency throughout the production chain had now become essential requirements, he said.

The quality and consistency of Sơn La coffee are currently competitive with products from renowned coffee-producing countries such as Colombia and Brazil, according to Thắng.

Many international buyers visiting the province not only evaluate the products but also inspect the coffee-growing regions, cultivation methods, and production environment firsthand.

Thắng believes that the coffee industry’s competitive advantage no longer lies in producing large quantities or offering low prices, but rather in creating distinctive products with clear origins and strong connections to local culture and identity.

In the specialty coffee segment, clear origin and transparency were increasingly valued by consumers, he said.

At the event, the Sơn La Provincial People's Committee also announced that Trần Đức Thắng, champion of the Vietnam National Brewers Cup 2025, would represent Việt Nam at the World Brewers Cup 2026 in Belgium.

This is regarded as an important opportunity to promote Sơn La Arabica coffee to the international specialty coffee community.

In addition, the province plans to organise the second Sơn La Coffee Festival from October 9–13 this year, to further introduce its culture, image, and coffee products to consumers, businesses, and domestic and international partners. — VNS