The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just issued a decision approving the results of evaluating and classifying products of the national OCOP Program in 2024.
Among the 3 products re-recognized as national OCOP products in 2024, Son La province has the pure powdered coffee product of Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, Hua La commune, Son La city (product approved by the Ministry of Agriculture). and Rural Development recognized for the first time in 2020).
Products achieving 5-star OCOP will be certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and can use logos and stamps. OCOP nationality on packaging, labels and product introduction and promotional materials according to regulations. Classification results are valid for 36 months from the date of recognition.
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| Pure powdered coffee products of Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative (Son La) continue to achieve 5-star OCOP. (Photo: CTV) |
According to Nguyen Xuan Thao, Director of Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative, in 2017, a number of households joined together to grow coffee in Hoang Van Thu village. Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative was established with 11 members, with a scale of 50 hectares of coffee. Also this year, Bich Thao Coffee Cooperative was one of six units granted the right to use Son La coffee geographical indication by the Department of Science and Technology. Protected products include: Green coffee, roasted coffee beans and powdered coffee.
According to the motto, do not chase quantity, promote the application of science and technology to improve coffee quality and overcome environmental pollution. In early 2021, the cooperative started construction of a coffee processing factory with a scale of nearly 1,120 m², capacity of 20 tons of green coffee/day, with a total investment of 16 billion VND, of which: the City People’s Committee supported 2 1 billion VND remaining mobilized capital of the cooperative.
The processing line follows a closed process, including: Grinding machine, size screen, weight screen, color shooting machine with German and American technology, roasting and grinding machines. ccoffeehas a storage warehouse, display area, and product introduction. In addition, the cooperative also invested in building 3 greenhouses, 2 greenhouses right behind the Factory with an area of 700 m²/house and 1 greenhouse in Muong Do commune (Phu Yen) with an area of 1,500 m². In particular, the cooperative uses wet processing methods and drying in environmentally friendly greenhouses.
Currently, Son La has just over 30,000 hectares of Arabica coffee area, the output is only 5% of the country’s total coffee volume, but Arabica coffee area is currently the top in the country. This is a specialty coffee variety, popular around the world and sold at a higher price than Robusta coffee. To date, the cooperative has planted 150 hectares of specialty coffee.
Coffee trees are cared for with organic fertilizer; Harvesting and processing processes are strictly followed to preserve the natural sugar content and intrinsic qualities of the coffee beans. The shelling process does not use water like traditional methods, helping to minimize the impact on the environment.
Owning precious coffee beans is not enough, the special thing is that Mr. Nguyen Xuan Thao is always looking for solutions to improve coffee beans. Recognizing the need of the world market to favor clean, organic products, instead of producing coffee according to conventional practices, the cooperative has oriented itself to produce high-quality organic coffee. , actively applying science and technology to production, improving the quality of coffee products. At the same time, applying a closed chain organic coffee production process, meeting VietGAP and UTZ standards to ensure product quality for consumers.
