Vietnamese coffee brand in Poland could be a lucrative bet

Putting Vietnamese coffee on Polish menus

Speaking to Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper on the sidelines of a Vietnam-Poland trade promotion event in Ho Chi Minh City, Andrzej Arendarski, president of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, said there is still significant room to expand trade between the two countries, with coffee among the products offering strong potential.

Arendarski said he enjoys Vietnamese coffee and often drinks it at a Vietnamese restaurant in Poland.

But Vietnamese coffee remains largely absent from mainstream cafes and restaurants across the country.

“Vietnamese coffee is waiting to be discovered by the Polish market,” he said.

Polish consumers have yet to fully understand the value of Vietnamese coffee, Arendarski said.

Poland currently imports large quantities of Vietnamese coffee, but much of it is used in blends with coffee from other origins, he said.

To bring Vietnamese coffee closer to Polish consumers, Arendarski said it needs to appear more widely on cafe menus in Poland, including under the name “Vietnamese coffee,” alongside popular choices such as Americano and cappuccino.

“That is when Polish consumers will begin to understand and recognize Vietnamese coffee,” he said.

“I think the company that can make that happen will become very rich.”

Boosting profile of Vietnamese coffee in Poland

Piotr Harasimowicz, head of the Ho Chi Minh City office of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, said that Vietnamese coffee is aromatic, flavorful and high-quality, with a wide range of preparations including coffee with condensed milk and egg coffee.

However, Polish consumers remain more accustomed to traditional Western-style coffee, even though coffee holds an important place in the country’s consumer culture.

Harasimowicz said Vietnamese coffee exporters could seek support from the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland and Vietnamese business associations to connect with importers, retail chains and supermarkets in the country.

The growing Vietnamese community in Poland could also play an important role in helping bring Vietnamese coffee closer to local consumers.

Alongside finding business partners, Arendarski stressed that Vietnam also needs to invest more in promoting its coffee in the Polish market.

“This will all require investment. You could organize promotional events and trade fairs, and invite well-known Polish and Vietnamese figures to introduce Vietnamese coffee,” Arendarski said.