Insights
Notes from the delta, written for people who have to plan around them
Three kinds of writing, and nothing else. If a post does not help you make a decision about buying Vietnamese fruit, it does not belong here.
The land
Growing regions, seasons, varieties, and how the delta actually works.
Operations
Regulation, residue limits, certification, cold chain and shipping.
The network
How supply is built, and what changes when volume goes up.
Latest
Why Chợ Lách is where this company started
Chợ Lách in Bến Tre has been grafting and propagating fruit trees for more than a century. What that means for a buyer sourcing coconut, pomelo and durian from the Mekong Delta.
Four ways to cut a young coconut, and which channel each one is for
Trimmed white, diamond cut, easy-open and whole husked green. What each format costs you in shelf life, freight and handling, and which retail channel each one actually fits.
What actually shortens fresh coconut shelf life
Forty-five days is a specification, not a promise. The four things that decide whether a young coconut arrives saleable: hours after harvest, pull-down speed, temperature stability and humidity.
Why pomelo is bought by count, not by weight
Buying green-skin pomelo by loose weight leaves your retail price per unit undecided until the container is opened. Packing by count fixes it before the container is sealed.
Eleven questions to ask a Vietnamese fruit supplier
A practical checklist for importers evaluating a Vietnamese fruit exporter. The questions that separate a grower from a trading house, and what a good answer sounds like.
What the EU’s shift on residue limits means for a Vietnamese supplier
Why residue control planned at grove level is a different risk profile from testing at the end, and what an EU buyer should ask a Vietnamese fruit supplier.
How off-season durian works, and why June is still a gap
Controlled water stress in the Mekong Delta, the Đắk Lắk highland season, and the two months no technique can fill. An honest durian availability calendar.