K'Ho ethnic girl Ka Nhuy in Loc Thanh commune, Bao Lam district, Lam Dong province has gradually created her own coffee brand LeK coffee or locally known as LeKa coffee - a brand name combined from her husband's last name and Ka Nhuy's last name.
The difference at Lek coffee is that Ka Nhuy brews coffee in jars of rice wine, creating a unique flavor unlike anywhere else.
Brewing coffee in a… jar
In the first days of the coffee harvest, like many other farmers, Ka Nhuy is busy harvesting ripe coffee berries in the garden.
However, no longer selling low-value raw green beans, the coffee produced by Ka Nhuy is sold at its true value. Ka Nhuy has been attached to coffee since childhood, and when she grew up, she worked as a worker at large coffee companies in the region.
And a thought arose in his mind: "Why do farmers work so hard to grow coffee but earn so little - while companies can sell it at a very good price?". This concern motivated Ka Nhuy to explore the path of building a coffee brand for himself and his family.
In 2012, Ka Nhuy started to experimentally process coffee right from her home garden. Picking ripe fruit, drying, grinding and roasting by hand using her family's wood stove, she could not yet measure the standard for each batch, but she still received encouragement from her family and friends.
From the first batches of coffee, Ka Nhuy gradually turned her passion into reality when her factory was increasingly expanded with modern coffee roasting machines purchased and the LeK coffee brand was also known to friends across the country.
Ms. Ka Nhuy harvests ripe coffee in the garden. Photo: PV
Lek's regular roasted coffee products are currently sold for 160,000 VND/kg, while the brewed coffee lines are sold for 150,000 - 200,000 VND/kg depending on the blending formula. Ka Nhuy shared that LeK's goal is to personalize each customer, customers will find the coffee flavor that suits them at LeK.
Ka Nhuy shared: "In ethnic minority areas like my place, people often pick and sell the coffee, fresh or raw, but I find that selling it like that is very devalued and not profitable. Therefore, I have started roasting and grinding, depending on the taste of the customers. Especially, I roast the coffee completely without adding any additives to it, so I can preserve the traditional coffee flavor."
With an area of 1.8 hectares, applying natural farming and harvesting fully ripe. Every season, Ka Nhuy requires picking ripe, red fruits to ensure the best quality of seeds, with full flavor.
The coffee beans are dried on clean canvas until crispy, then the skin is removed and sorted. From there, they are roasted according to customer requirements. It is estimated that each year she collects about 10 tons of green coffee beans for production.
After 4 years of trial roasting, in 2016, Ka Nhuy registered a business license, opened a coffee shop to serve local people and introduce products. With the support of local people and customers, in 2021, Ka Nhuy officially completed the procedures to register the trademark for LeK Coffee.
Building a brand for the village
Trying to find her own way to make coffee, Ka Nhuy's family has a long-standing tradition of brewing rice wine with yeast leaves, so when she started making coffee, she thought why not try brewing coffee in a jar.
Thinking is doing, Nhuy started experimenting with batches of coffee in jars. It took Ka Nhuy several batches to choose the brewing method that produced the most delicious batches of coffee. Accordingly, before using the jar to brew coffee, it must be heated in a charcoal oven, ensuring the jar is sterile and dry.
Coffee used for brewing is also the type of coffee that is picked ripe, dried, selected and then divided into jars. Each jar can brew 6-7kg of green coffee beans, large jars can brew 20kg. During the coffee brewing process, absolutely do not open the jar, do not move it to avoid shifting the coffee in the jar, causing bacteria... After 6 months of brewing, you can open the jar to start processing, it is best to wait 1 year before opening the jar and processing.
According to the actual feelings of many customers, the brewed coffee has a delicious taste, has been fermented for a long time, so it reduces the astringency and has a sweet aftertaste, less bitter. Very suitable for those who do not like the bitter taste of Robusta and do not like the sour taste of Arabica.
Ms. Ka Nhuy introduces her family's coffee product brewed in jars of rice wine. Photo: PV
"Usually, when I drink coffee, I immediately feel the bitterness on the tip of my tongue, but brewed coffee has its own aroma, the bitterness is quite light and I can feel the sweetness of the brewed coffee very clearly" - Ka Nhuy added.
In addition to processing homegrown coffee, Ka Nhuy also buys coffee from people in the surrounding area with the requirement of picking all the ripe coffee. Although it is hard work, people are very happy because Nhuy's purchase price is stable.
Ms. Ka Nhem in Loc Thanh commune, Bao Lam district said: "At the beginning of November, I started picking ripe coffee berries. Doing so takes a lot of work, but in return, the price is better and the coffee berries are heavier.
By the end of November, when the coffee is ripe, we can spread out a tarp to pick the whole crop, which will be easier. Making coffee like this gives farmers a much higher income than just selling raw green beans like before."
Ms. Dinh Thi Ha Trang - Vice President of the Women's Union of Loc Thanh commune, Bao Lam district, Lam Dong province commented: "Ka Nhuy is a typical ethnic minority household with the will to rise up and enrich herself and her homeland.
Her products have now been registered as trademarks, motivating ethnic minorities and local women to promote the potential of their agricultural products and enrich themselves legitimately."
The taste of brewed coffee will personalize the customer's "taste"
Currently, LeK's main product is Robusta coffee. However, to increase competitiveness, LeK is ready to meet the needs of each customer, according to their preferences, habits, and tastes.
Therefore, Ka Nhuy cooperates with several farms in Da Sar commune (Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province) to import high quality Arabica beans for blending for customers.
Lek's regular roasted coffee products are currently sold for 160,000 VND/kg, while the brewed coffee products are sold for 150,000 - 200,000 VND/kg depending on the blending formula.
Ka Nhuy shared that LeK's goal is to personalize each customer, and customers will find the coffee flavor that suits them at LeK.
Source: https://danviet.vn/lam-giau-khac-nguoi-mot-co-gai-dan-toc-kho-o-lam-dong-dem-ca-phe-u-trong-choe-hoa-ra-lai-hay-20241121185942804.htm
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