Large room for Vietnam’s coffee export to North Europe

Vietnamese coffee (Source: congthuong.vn)

While the demand for traditional coffee is saturated, that for specialty and organic coffee in North European region is still increasing, which is considered a good chance for Vietnamese enterprises to expand coffee export to this market.

Last year, the region accounted for 6.5 percent of Europe’s total coffee import volume, with over 16 billion USD.

According to the provisions of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the tax on coffee beans - Vietnam's key product exported to the Nordic market - is zero percent, thus helping Vietnamese coffee to have a competitive price.

In addition, Buon Ma Thuot coffee is among 39 Vietnamese products granted with geographical indication protection by the EU.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, although Vietnam is the world’s second biggest coffee exporter, Vietnamese coffee is not available in the Nordic market.

Over the past time, Robusta coffee has accounted for about 95 percent of Vietnam’s coffee exports. Meanwhile, the Nordic market prefers Arabica coffee.

In addition, North European countries are paying attention to sustainable production, while coffee grown in a sustainable manner accounts for only 9 percent of Vietnam’s coffee export volume.

The office advised Vietnamese enterprises to consider developing specialty coffee trademark, better marketing strategies, and improve the coffee quality./.