Where to Find High-Quality Specialty Coffee Suppliers?
The concept of “Specialty Coffee” is increasingly becoming a symbol of superior quality, origin appreciation, and a profound philosophy of enjoyment. XLIII Coffee proudly serves as a high-quality specialty coffee supplier, connecting the source and bringing this exceptional specialty flow closer to Vietnamese coffee lovers.
THE ORIGINS OF SPECIALTY COFFEE
The term “Specialty Coffee” was coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, initially defining coffee beans with distinctive flavors from unique climate regions. Today, Specialty Coffee represents an entire closed-loop value chain, from sustainable farming practices, meticulous harvesting, careful processing, to skilled roasting and brewing. It’s not just a product meeting technical standards (above 80 points on the SCA scale), but one that carries the soul of the land, weather memories, and the passion of those who contributed at each stage. Enjoying Specialty Coffee means listening to its story, experiencing the distinctive terroir, and understanding the miraculous journey of the coffee bean.
REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME SPECIALTY COFFEE
Every coffee company dreams of becoming a high-quality specialty coffee supplier. To achieve this, specialty coffee beans must undergo stringent and rigorous inspection and evaluation.
Specialty Coffee is an Arabica coffee product rated above 80 points according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) form. To meet the Specialty Coffee standard, coffee beans must pass through 3 evaluation stages:
- Stage 1: Green Grading on a 350-gram sample. Beans must have a color ranging from green to blue-green (corresponding to a standard moisture content of 11-12.5% ±0.5%), and the aroma must be clean, free from dampness, fermentation, and other unpleasant odors.
- Stage 2: Roasting Grading. After sample roasting (light roast), there should be no Quakers (beans with yellow or light brown color, foul smell, similar to tobacco and medicinal odors).
- Stage 3: Cupping score of at least 80/100 according to SCA standards with 10 Sensory criteria including Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Sweetness, Balance, Uniformity, Clean cup, and Overall impression from 3 Q-Grader – CQI scoring results.
From this, it’s clear that creating specialty coffee beans or becoming a high-quality specialty coffee supplier is no easy task. This work requires extensive experience, professionalism, and the genuine passion of a coffee lover.
HOW TO BECOME A QUALITY SPECIALTY COFFEE SUPPLIER?
Specialty Coffee has entered Vietnam as a rebranding of traditional coffee. Premium, quality, special – these adjectives accurately describe this type of coffee. Specialty Coffee has created a new wave, an elevation in coffee appreciation. As a result, the demand for specialty coffee in Vietnam is growing steadily.
Due to the sunny and windy weather conditions in the highlands, Vietnamese coffee quality often falls short of specialty coffee standards. Therefore, importing high-quality Specialty coffee from abroad is considered the shorter and easier path to bringing this special coffee closer to Vietnamese customers.
To supply quality specialty coffee, suppliers need to invest significant time and effort to research and understand detailed information about each type of coffee, its characteristics, processing methods, and flavor profiles at each production stage. Specialty Coffee suppliers must also have a thorough understanding of coffee bean value. This requires personnel to work directly with farmers and quality specialty coffee importers worldwide. Many even stay, eat, sleep, and live with farmers to understand the story behind each coffee bean and learn more about how coffee beans transform and develop.
In parallel, coffee suppliers need to conduct research surveys to understand the taste preferences of domestic customers to select appropriate coffee types; consider reasonable import prices to ensure benefits for sellers and maintain stable coffee prices when delivering products to customers in Vietnam. This work is significant in ensuring benefits for both sellers and consumers. For customers, an excellent supply product guarantees both quality and affordability.
Additionally, a challenging factor in bringing Specialty Coffee to Vietnam is transportation time and method. Importing coffee from abroad to Vietnam takes considerable time, involves multiple modes of transport, and primarily travels by sea. This significantly affects coffee quality, necessitating appropriate preservation methods. Suppliers must also be thorough in checking imported inventory, selecting compatible storage conditions, appropriate roasting profiles, and applying suitable brewing methods for each product.
Beyond expertise and high skills, suppliers need a positive attitude in conveying coffee bean value and the message behind each product. Supply personnel also need to remain alert and clear-headed when processing orders to consistently obtain quality coffee. Supplying quality Specialty coffee beans in Vietnam is a challenging process, not simply a destination or outcome.
XLIII COFFEE – HIGH-QUALITY SPECIALTY COFFEE SUPPLIER
Evolving from the name 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to the XLIII Coffee brand, we continue to preserve the connection to the source, honoring the original beauty and spreading the true value of Specialty coffee beans. Our philosophy of Find – Protect – Describe – Taste the Origin remains unwavering and is fully expressed in this role:
- Find the Origin: Continuously seeking special coffee beans from renowned growing regions, establishing trusted relationships with producers.
- Protect the Origin: Ensuring the transportation, preservation, and roasting processes (ultra-light roasting) fully maintain the original characteristics and flavors of the beans.
- Describe the Origin: Conveying the story of origin, farmers, and flavor characteristics so customers can understand and appreciate more deeply.
- Taste the Origin: Delivering the perfect cup of coffee, allowing enthusiasts to truly experience the origins and values.
Whether as 43 Factory or XLIII Coffee, we’re proud to be a small but dedicated cog in the global coffee process, striving to connect the beauty from distant growing regions to the cup of coffee in your hand. We believe each Specialty coffee bean is a masterpiece that deserves to be treasured and shared.
We invite you to visit XLIII Coffee, not just to enjoy the flavors but to experience the journey and values we embed in every premium specialty coffee bean.
