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Consumers put coffee to taste test
In an effort to help domestic coffee producers gain a better foothold in the local market, a consumer survey has been conducted to better assess the tastes and habits of local coffee consumers.
Viet Nam is the world’s second largest coffee producers, yet most of the coffee gets exported rather than entering the local market.
World demand for coffee has shrunk due to the economic slowdown, and domestic coffee producers have turned inward for sales. A lack of information on consumer preferences, however, has been hindering their efforts.
To help the coffee producers with this problem, the Policy and Strategy Institute on Agriculture and Rural Development recently conducted a survey of 540 families and 40 coffee bars in Ha Noi and HCM City to find out the valuable consumer information.
The survey showed that despite a lack of attention to the domestic market, consumption of coffee increased domestically this year both in volume and value over last year.
Youth, middle-aged and highly-educated people are found to be the biggest coffee consumers, both in powder and instant coffee. The elderly consume the least.
The volume of coffee consumption of southerners was found to be 4-5 times higher than people in the northern and central regions. Families in HCM City consume on average triple the amount of coffee a family in Ha Noi drinks. Consumers in HCM City also prefer drinking powdered coffee at bars, while Hanoians often drink instant coffee at home.
The total volume of coffee consumed in urban areas doubled that in rural areas.
When purchasing coffee to drink at home, domestic consumers were found to be interested most in the trademark and taste, and then the price and packaging.
In a move to boost up coffee consumption in the domestic market, the institute has recommended coffee producers quickly start advertising more and create more trade promotion programmes. Coffee producers should also start conducting consumer surveys themselves to better meet consumer requirements.
Increased attention should be paid to coffee retail in the rural market, because these areas are rapidly increasing their rate of coffee consumption. Price reductions would also help producers to better target youth and low-income earners, the institute said.
Technological assistance on coffee processing was also indispensable to improve coffee quality, the institute concluded.
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