Laos:
A Small but Mighty Coffee Producer
Laos is a rising star of Southeast Asia, home to some of the world’s most vibrant coffee producers.
Neighbouring Vietnam leads production in Southeast Asia, as well as being the second-largest global exporter (after Brazil). Vietnam produced 27.8 million 60 kg bags of coffee during the 2022/23 season. Indonesia followed with 9.9 million bags.
Laos is the region’s third-largest coffee producer with one million bags a year. Lao coffee is celebrated for its high-quality beans cultivated in the fertile volcanic soils of the Bolaven Plateau.
Unlike its larger neighbours, Laos offers a fresh coffee experience, combining rich flavours with unique microclimates.
With growing international recognition, Laos is establishing itself as a premium coffee destination in Southeast Asia.
Rich red berries are processed within 8 hours to preserve the best of Lao coffee’s flavour and aroma, from the north to the south along the Annamite range. Photo by Nicole Motteux
A laughing woman picks coffee cherries on a farm. ©Nicole Motteux
Discover the world of Lao coffee
Sabaidee!
At sunrise, the mountains of the highland coffee regions in southern Laos are bathed in a soft orange glow as mist drifts gently through the valleys, creating a sea of fog that blankets the landscape from November to February.
Most Lao coffee farmers are smallholders on plantations of 1–2 hectares. Their land is thick with green foliage interspersed with bright yellow sunflowers, crimson poinsettias, and delicate frangipani flowers.
They begin their mornings alongside their cheerful and loyal Lao dogs. Together, they tend their tea, fruit, avocado, cassava, and vegetable crops, and, in the northern regions, rice.
Livestock such as ducks, chickens, water buffalos, cows, and goats are integral to subsistence farming. Many families also gather wild plants and animals to supplement their diets and incomes.
A key feature of rural life is the tok tok, a versatile two-wheel tractor that serves as both a farming tool and a means of transport. Its characteristic chugging sound is a constant backdrop in villages, where families use it to move seedlings, harvests, and passengers.
Entire families often perch on the tok tok, along with tools and baskets, embodying the resourcefulness and communal spirit of Lao life.
The daily rhythm is marked by the hum of tok toks (tractors), the gentle rustle of hand-picked coffee cherries, and children’s cheerful greetings of “Sabaidee!” to passersby.
Hard work, nature, and community spirit defines life in rural Laos.
A smiling farmer and his dog on a tok tok (tractor). ©Nicole Motteux
It’s a simple, peaceful way of life. Golden temples, wooden stilt houses, and roadside coffee-roasting stalls are common sights in the coffee-growing regions of rural Laos. Traditional stilt houses sit alongside soft blue, pink, and yellow brick homes with spaces beneath for drying crops, storing harvests, and keeping livestock and farming equipment.
At harvest time, farmers in the northern highlands and southern ranges of Duk Cheung navigate steep paths on foot, carrying heavy baskets of cherries on their backs down to the road. The Bolaven Plateau’s gentler slopes allow easier transport of coffee cherries using traditional baskets on motorbikes or in tuk-tuks. The rainy season brings the added challenges of swollen rivers and muddy roads.
Lao coffee is deeply tied to the culture and lives of its people. It grows everywhere, from ancient Robusta trees to newly planted crops in the rich land and beautiful landscapes.
For farmers, coffee is more than just a crop – it is part of their heritage, their traditions, and their everyday lives. It reflects the connection between the people, the land, and their culture, making coffee an inseparable part of who they are – this is the magic and beauty of Lao coffee.
A buddha statue witnesses everything. ©Nicole Motteux.
Where Lao coffee comes from
The key growing region is the southern province of Champasak, home to the famed Bolaven Plateau.
More than 95% of Lao coffee comes from the beautiful Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos.
The Bolaven is one of the world’s rare coffee regions, capable of producing both high-altitude Robusta and Arabica, thanks to its unique combination of elevation, climate, and fertile volcanic soil.
Other emerging coffee provinces are Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu in the south, and a small but growing group of northern provinces, including Houaphan, Xiang Khouang, and Luang Prabang. Together with Xaysomboun in Central Laos, these regions are developing their own reputation for specialty Arabica beans.
Overlooking the Bolaven Plateau, the iconic 'I Love Lao Coffee' sign stands proudly at the coffee research station – a testament to the passion and heritage of Lao coffee farmers and enthusiasts who truly love their coffee. ©Nicole Motteux