Algeria remains potential market for Vietnamese coffee

Currently, Algeria is one of Vietnam’s 10 consumers of raw coffee globally, with Vietnamese coffee accounting for between 30% and 50% of the North African country’s imported coffee market share.

For many years, coffee has also been Vietnam’s leading export product to the Algerian market, making up over 60% of the country's total export value of coffee to this market.

With a population of more than 46 million, Algeria imports roughly 130,000 tonnes of coffee beans of all kinds worth about US$300 million annually, with Robusta coffee alone making up the majority of its total coffee imports at over 85%.

Coffee is often imported in its raw form and is then roasted and processed by Algerian processors cater to the taste of local consumers.

The major coffee suppliers to this market include Vietnam, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

Hoang Duc Nhuan, Vietnamese trade counselor in Algeria, noted that there remains plenty of room for Vietnamese coffee exports to this market as local coffee has been favoured by Algerian importers and consumers thanks to its overall quality and flavour.

Despite the geographical distance between the two countries, Vietnamese coffee is still prioritised for import into Algeria and often holds the largest market share, Nhuan noted

At present, Algerian importers are interested in the supply source of green coffee beans from Vietnam as the Southeast Asian country begins to enter the harvest season.

Aside from Algeria, Vietnamese raw coffee boasts great potential to expand market share in other African countries, especially North Africa such as Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia.

According to industry insiders, Vietnamese coffee export firms can proactively seek import partners for the upcoming harvest season by actively participating in international fairs and exhibitions, along with trade conferences through Vietnamese Trade Offices set up in a number of North African countries.