Vietnam Coffee Wholesale: The Buyer's Guide to Sourcing Robusta

Vietnam exports around 25–27 million 60kg bags annually, trailing only Brazil in total volume and leading the world in Robusta specifically. This scale gives Vietnamese Robusta the same benchmark-pricing transparency that Brazilian Arabica has — global Robusta futures pricing tracks Vietnamese harvest and export data closely, giving wholesale buyers a clear, liquid reference point. The domestic export sector is well developed, with a large network of established exporters in Ho Chi Minh City and Buon Ma Thuot handling international logistics and documentation at scale.

Vietnamese Robusta is graded primarily on screen size and defect count. Grade 1 (screen 16 and above, black & broken beans under 5%) is the standard export specification for most wholesale buyers; Grade 2 (screen 13+, higher defect tolerance) is used for lower-cost blends and instant coffee manufacturing where cup cleanliness matters less. Moisture content (typically capped at 12.5%) and foreign matter tolerance are also specified in export contracts. Candora Trading sources against buyer-specified grade and screen size, with the option to request washed (rather than natural/dry-processed) lots for buyers wanting a cleaner cup profile than standard natural Robusta delivers.

Given Vietnam's industrial-scale export infrastructure, most wholesale buyers source through established exporters rather than direct farm relationships — the smallholder farms feeding Vietnamese export volume are numerous and small, making direct sourcing impractical below very large volume commitments. Export houses in Buon Ma Thuot and Ho Chi Minh City consolidate, grade, and export on standard commercial terms. Candora Trading works with vetted Vietnamese exporters to source graded lots to specification, giving buyers consistent Robusta supply without managing origin logistics or navigating the fragmented smallholder base directly.

Pilot orders for Vietnamese Robusta start from a single pallet (roughly 300–600kg, or 5–10 x 60kg bags), giving blenders and instant coffee manufacturers a low-risk way to test a lot before scaling. Standard programmes scale through part-container and full 20ft (approx. 19 tonnes) or 40ft (approx. 21 tonnes) FCL shipments — Vietnam's export scale makes full-container Robusta among the most cost-efficient green coffee available globally. Pricing is quoted against the global Robusta futures benchmark plus a differential for grade and screen size.

Vietnamese coffee is exported primarily through the Port of Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai terminal), with secondary volume through Qui Nhon for central-region lots. Ocean freight transit runs approximately 3–4 weeks to Europe, 4–5 weeks to the US West Coast, and as little as 1–2 weeks to other Asia-Pacific destinations given Vietnam's regional position. From order confirmation, pilot pallet orders typically ship within 2–3 weeks; full container programmes run 4–6 weeks, among the fastest turnaround times of any major origin thanks to Vietnam's high sailing frequency and mature port infrastructure.

Standard documentation includes the Certificate of Origin, phytosanitary certificate, and a quality/grading report confirming screen size and defect count against contract specification. 4C (Common Code for the Coffee Community) and Rainforest Alliance certified lots are increasingly available from Vietnam as sustainability programmes have expanded across the Central Highlands over the past decade, particularly in Dak Lak. Candora Trading can source specifically against certified specifications for buyers whose retail channels require them, with documentation supplied per shipment.

Vietnam's Robusta harvest runs October through January, with the bulk of the crop coming in November and December. Fresh crop typically reaches export condition from December onward, and given the scale of production, availability remains strong and pricing relatively stable through most of the year — one of the practical advantages of sourcing from a high-volume origin like Vietnam versus smaller, more seasonally constrained producers.

Candora Trading structures Vietnamese Robusta supply for espresso blenders, instant coffee manufacturers, and value-tier retail brands who need consistent, cost-efficient volume without managing origin relationships directly. We source against your specified grade and screen size, with pilot-pallet entry points for testing and full container capacity for established production programmes.