What Is Sustainable Coffee? Is There Sustainable Coffee In Vietnam?

When mentioning coffee, do you immediately think of delicious flavor, or vibrant cafes? So have you heard about sustainable coffee - a trend that is spreading strongly in the coffee industry today? Sustainability - seems like an abstract concept, but there is a deep philosophy hidden in each cup of coffee. It is not simply "clean coffee", but also a harmony between economic benefits, social responsibility and environmental protection. Let's explore this topic about sustainable coffee with CHUS in the following article.

What is sustainable coffee?

Over the past two decades, sustainable coffee has grown from a new concept into a multi-billion dollar industry. More than simply "coffee grown in a way that preserves nature", sustainable coffee now has a dual mission: protecting the environment and creating a good future for farmers.

The strong development of sustainable coffee stems from increasing consumer demand and awareness. They appreciate the values that sustainable coffee brings: natural flavor, premium quality, environmentally friendly production and ensuring a fair life for growers.

On the journey of development, sustainable coffee has created positive impacts for the coffee industry:

• Improve coffee quality: Sustainable farming methods help improve soil fertility, enhance coffee plant health, thereby producing higher quality coffee beans with a delicious and delicate flavor than.
• Environmental protection: Limiting the use of chemicals and pesticides, preserving biodiversity, and using water resources appropriately are important commitments of sustainable coffee, contributing to protecting the living environment. for future generations.
• Improving farmers' lives: Sustainable coffee ensures fair prices, safe working conditions, supports community development, contributes to improving lives and creating a sustainable future for farmers .

Sustainable coffee is not only a solution to past crises but also a direction for the future of the coffee industry

The development of sustainable coffee is testament to consumers' increasing awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and community. Choosing sustainable coffee is a way for each individual to contribute to protecting nature, while supporting an ethical production model, aiming for a long-term future for the coffee industry.

Are there any sustainable coffee growing areas?

Sustainable coffee can be grown in any region of the world, as long as the basic principles are followed:

• Environmental protection: Limit the use of toxic chemicals, preserve biodiversity, maintain forest ecosystems, save water and energy resources.
• Community support: Ensure safe and fair working conditions for workers, increase their income, invest in education and health for local communities.
• Economic development: Increase coffee productivity in a sustainable way, apply advanced science and technology, improve product quality, and ensure reasonable prices for farmers. Sustainable coffee is grown in many parts of the world, with unique characteristics.

Some famous growing regions include:

• Central and South America: Brazil, Colombia, Peru,... This place has ideal climate conditions for Arabica coffee trees to grow, producing coffee beans with a delicate, elegant flavor.
• Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda,... Arabica and Robusta coffee grown here give a rich, strong flavor with many layers of unique flavors.
• Asia: Vietnam, Indonesia, India,... Famous for abundant Robusta coffee output, rich flavor, and personality.

Sustainable coffee are planted in many different areas in the world  

What is the differences between specialty coffee and regular coffee?  

Compared to conventional coffee, sustainable coffee has the following differences:

1. How to plant:

- Regular coffee: Uses a lot of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, polluting the environment and affecting human health.

- Sustainable coffee: Using organic fertilizers, biological pesticides, or natural pest control measures, protecting the environment and human health.

2. Flavor:

- Regular coffee: Flavor may be affected by the use of chemicals.

- Sustainable coffee: More natural, rich, and diverse flavors due to being grown in a natural environment and without the use of toxic chemicals.

3. Price:

- Regular coffee: Usually cheaper due to low production costs.

- Sustainable coffee: Typically higher due to higher production costs, including investments in environmental protection measures and worker welfare.

4. Output:

- Regular coffee: High yields can be achieved in a short time using chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

- Sustainable coffee: Yields may be lower due to no use of toxic chemicals, but product quality is higher and more stable in the long run.

Care and meticulousness during harvesting help ensure the quality of each batch of coffee

You can look more at: What Is Specialty Coffee Compared to Regular Coffee?

How to choose sustainable coffee with good quality?

When choosing sustainable coffee, you can look for reputable certifications such as Fairtrade, UTZ Certified, Rainforest Alliance,... Specifically, currently, there are six popular sustainable coffee certifications:

• Organic Coffee: Certification for coffee grown and processed according to organic standards.
• Fair Trade Certified: Certification for coffee produced according to fair trade standards, ensuring fair prices and good working conditions for farmers.
• Rainforest Alliance: Certification for coffee produced according to environmental protection and community development standards.
• Smithsonian Bird Friendly: Certification for coffee produced according to standards that protect bird habitat.
• Utz Certified: Certification for coffee produced according to economic, social and environmental sustainability standards.
• 4C Common Code: Certification for coffee produced according to economic, social and environmental sustainability standards, with a focus on food safety.

In addition, you can also buy coffee directly from sustainable coffee farms to ensure quality and origin.

Conclusion

Sustainable coffee brings many benefits to the environment, society and consumers. However, higher costs and lower yields may be barriers to widespread adoption. Choosing sustainable coffee is a practical action to protect the environment and support farmers, contributing to the sustainable development of Vietnamese coffee. Let's join CHUS in spreading sustainable coffee culture, for a green environment - a fair society - a perfect cup of coffee!