East Asia & the Pacific

ECOM Coffee Group: Helping Coffee Farmers Increase Productivity (Vietnam)

Since 2006, IFC has worked with ECOM Coffee Group, a global leader in the coffee trade, to help small coffee farmers meet international certification standards, improve sustainability and productivity of crops, and increase their earnings.

In Vietnam, IFC and Atlantic Commodities Vietnam Limited, part of ECOM group, have established the first training center for Vietnamese coffee farmers in 2010, targeting some 4,000 farmer households over three years. In addition, some 50,000 farmers are expected to benefit indirectly from exposure to best management practices and information disseminated by the project.

The training center helps farmers qualify for sustainable coffee certifications, leading buyers like ECOM to pay premium prices for certified coffee beans. Every $1 IFC has spent has helped generate an additional $2.30 in revenues for Vietnamese coffee growers.

Similarly, IFC has provided training tools on good agricultural practices to Indonesian coffee farmers in cooperation with Indo Cafco, another ECOM company. And in Papua New Guinea, where one-third of the population is involved in the coffee industry, IFC is helping some 1,000 farmers adopt sustainable farming practices and link to global supply chains to increase their production, quality, and income.