Coffee harvest in Gia Lai: when to see it

Coming to Pleiku late in the year and want to see coffee cherries red on the branch? Timing matters more than destination, because the harvest lasts only a few months. Below: the harvest months, how the cherries are picked and dried, where the farms are, and the Coffee Show planned for November 2026.

When is Gia Lai coffee harvested

The growing areas are harvested in the dry season, when the air is least humid, starting in October and finishing by mid-December at the latest. From early November to December, the coffee districts are busy with the harvest, and the cherries are red across the west of the province.

The reason is the climate: the area has a five-month dry season from early November to early April, with little rain overall and almost none in January and February. We recommend early to mid-November for red cherries and picking in full swing; mid-December is the very end of the harvest.

Local tip: With only one window, pick early November: farmers have just started and the cherries are red.

Picking, processing and drying: what happens to a harvest

Knowing the steps helps you read what you see on a farm. The variety grown in the protected zone is Robusta, and coffee growing in Gia Lai goes back to the early 20th century. Picking by hand is done in three rounds: a light first pick at the start, the main pick and a final pick of the remaining ripe fruit.

After picking, the cherries must be processed within 24 hours, then dried whole for about 12 to 15 days of steady sun. Whole-cherry drying is the step that takes the most days. Picking only ripe fruit is also worth 15–20% more yield than stripping a branch in one go.

Local tip: On a farm visit, ask what time processing starts so you don’t miss it.

Gia Lai coffee holds a geographical indication, certificate 00125 “Gia Lai”, granted in 2022. The Ministry of Industry and Trade article describes the whole region and method.

Coffee areas around Pleiku

Which way are the farms? The coffee zone covers the wards of Pleiku, including Thống Nhất, Hội Phú, Biển Hồ, An Phú and Gào, using the names from before 1 July 2025. It also takes in Chư Đăng Ya and Nghĩa Hưng communes in the old Chư Păh district, so a trip up Chư Đăng Ya volcano passes right through growing country.

Growers in Thống Nhất ward, inside Pleiku itself, are picking in season. For a wider harvest, look west, from Chư Sê, Ia Grai and Chư Prông to Đak Đoa. Farm owners around Pleiku often struggle to find enough pickers.

Coffee prices at harvest time

During the harvest you will hear talk about prices, because green coffee moves almost daily. On 10 October 2026 it was 91,200–92,000 VND per kg; by 28 October it had slipped to 88,800 VND per kg in Gia Lai, down 700 VND on the day before. In about a week the top price in the Central Highlands fell from 94,000 to 89,000 VND per kg as new-crop supply reached the market. For today’s price, see the daily bulletin of Báo Gia Lai; these figures are only for those two days.

Coffee Show and Coffee Tour: a November 2026 trip

For coffee both in the field and on the stage, Gia Lai has planned a series of specialty-coffee events, the Coffee Show, to mark the National Tourism Year, Gia Lai 2026. It is planned for mid-November 2026 in Pleiku ward, and includes an exhibition of specialty-coffee brands with 200 stalls, plus a specialty-coffee seminar and a conference linking buyers and suppliers.

The part for visitors is the Coffee Tour: you pick the cherries, sort them, process and dry them, roast and grind, then brew your own cup, at leading farms and factories such as Tamba, BaKa and Vĩnh Hiệp. The plan aims to build a coffee tourism product for the province step by step.

It is still only a plan, so keep mid-November free, book a room you can change, and check again once dates are announced.

Our pick. If you want to taste coffee at a farm before the Coffee Tour, talk to Brad at Pleiku Adventures Homestay. He is an Australian who lives in Pleiku and speaks English; the homestay offers an organic farm visit, a coffee tasting and a coffee-making class.

Tamba Coffee Farm is open 7:30 am–4 pm Monday to Friday, 7:30–11 am on Saturday and closed on Sunday. To drop in outside the Coffee Tour, avoid Sunday and contact them first to check they take visitors.

The plan was published by Báo Pháp luật Việt Nam. For a cup after the trip, see coffee in Pleiku. The same dry season brings the wild sunflower bloom in Pleiku and the Gia Lai festival calendar; everything seasonal is in Seasons and festivals.