5 Specialty Coffee Brands From Vietnam
In recent years, the specialty coffee industry has slowly but surely warmed up to Vietnam with premium coffee filters bags and specialty Robusta coffee making a debut in third-wave coffee shops, retail supermarkets and even big box players such as Whole Foods in the US. Thanks to coffee pioneers such as Sarah Nguyen (Nguyen Coffee Supply), Debbie Wei Mullen (Copper Cow Coffee) and Saigon’s very own Will Frith (Building Coffee) championing ‘Vietnamese specialty coffee’ and redefining what it means to be a “Vietnamese coffee”, no longer will ca phe sua da (Vietnamese iced coffee) be the only caffeine star of the show in Vietnam.
As the spotlight shifts to Vietnamese specialty coffee, I quickly find myself at the end of text messages and calls with hungry restauranteurs and retailers in Southeast Asia eager to jump on board the “local and sustainably-sourced” coffee bandwagon. Beyond coffee, buyers (or rather consumers) are also looking for a story; And while coffee bean brands are a dime a dozen in Vietnam, those that tick the right boxes (specialty grade (both Robusta and Arabica), possess a story, sourced sustainably and have the right branding) are far and few between.
Thankfully, through my research (desktop, taste testing and speaking with founders of various coffee brands), I have compiled a list of specialty coffee brands in Vietnam that might just be perfect for your cafe, restaurant or F&B business.
Building Coffee
Photo courtesy of Maison Marou
Founded in 2016 by coffee expert and Vietnamese coffee ambassador Will Frith and his parter Kel Norman, Building Coffee started as a roaster and co-roasting space (similar model as Buckman Coffee) in Ho Chi Minh City to enable “homegrown brands to be born, grow, and go out into this gigantic city and get bigger and be cooler than anything [he] could ever do.” Since its inception, Building Coffee has paved the way and become a launchpad, community and testing ground for many homegrown coffee brands in Vietnam.
In 2019, Building Coffee’s model pivoted to become a wholesale coffee roasting company and in 2021, the coffee duo was joined by Ed Leebrick of Lighthouse Roasters. Also in 2021, Will and Kel opened up specialty cafe BEL located in the up-and-coming Binh Thanh district. This now meant that coffee aficionados, aspiring coffee entrepreneurs, baristas and coffee nerds could have a cup of crème de la crème Espresso, witness it being made and most importantly, have the opportunity to learn from master coffee expert Will Frith. Plus, if you now want to bring home a bag of Building Coffee after having it at BEL - you can (while in the past you couldn’t!).
With a coffee roastery, specialty cafe, community learning space and a pretty awesome group of people all under one roof - Building Coffee is has become a hub for all things specialty coffee in Vietnam - both Arabica and Robusta sourced across Da Lat. Besides Vietnamese coffee, Building Coffee also sells blends of Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese coffee (Ethiopia and Colombia) and are already exporting to other parts of Southeast Asia.
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Lacàph
Photo courtesy of Lacàph
Despite being one of the newer kids on the block, Lacàph has already made its mark in Vietnam and… Korea! With a mission to “share Vietnamese coffee and Vietnamese culture with curious people everywhere”, Lacàph is dedicated to empowering the local coffee community in Vietnam and can often be seen sharing stories about the lives, history and cultural heritage of their partner farmers. Going one step beyond, Lacàph also regularly invites their partner farmers down to the city to co-create exciting new coffee products in their flagship store - Lacàph Space located in District 1.
Lacàph’s dedication to spotlight Vietnamese coffee culture and farmers is not only evident on its social media and website but also throughout its stores, packaging and events. On weekends, Lacàph hosts a weekly 'Saturday Sessions” where consumers can connect directly with coffee and the people behind it while learning about the basics of coffee as well other events and training activities for their business customers.
Most recently, Lacàph launched its new range of coffee products (espresso, phin and filter) called ‘Traditional’, which targets hospitality industry partners looking for a more value-oriented product without compromising quality.
Origin
Photo courtesy of Origin Coffee
Origin works with coffee farms in Central Highlands and is part of a program to support the K’HO minority group in Vietnam (the oldest ethnic group in the southern central highlands). For its Magic Blend, Origin uses Arabica from the K’Ho minority in Lam Dong and Robusta from Pleiku in the Gia Lai province, creating a blend that delivers the perfect balance between the complexity of the Arabica and the velvety chocolate notes from the Robusta coffee.
Working with partner farms and communities in Vietnam (Danang, Gia Lai and Dung K’No), Origin distributes different types of coffee from Vietnam including 100% Arabica, Magic Blend - mix of Arabica and Robusta and 100% premium Robusta. Best part? Origin is a subsidiary of a French-Vietnamese distribution company so they have their very own import and export license.
Saigon Coffee Roastery
Photo Courtesy of Saigon Coffee Roastery
Founded by Phap Vo, a well-known name in Vietnam’s barista community, Saigon Coffee Roastery offers a selection of mostly small-batch Vietnamese coffee. Considered a pioneer in Vietnam’s specialty coffee market, Saigon Coffee Roastery was born out of Vo’s response to the ubiquity of poor-quality Phin coffee and equally low consumer expectations in the city.
In less than a year, Vo carved out his own vision of a cafe (largely inspired Italian espresso shops) in a room formerly an arcade and market. Housed inside an open and airy cafe surrounded by lush greenery in Vo Thi Sau (District 3), Saigon Coffee Roasters uses quality coffee beans from Da Lat and other famous coffee-growing regions globally, such as Kenya, Ethiopia and El Salvador.
Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters
Photo Courtesy of Bosgaurus Coffee Roasters
Since Nguyen Canh Hung founded Bosgaurus Coffee in 2016, he has singularly focused on one thing only - Arabica coffee. Hung’s dedication and diehard desire to change consumer perception of Vietnamese traditional coffee led him to create Bosgaurus’s famous “Arabica sua da product” with hints of bittersweet, smoky and dark chocolate flavour notes.
The why? Simply because Hung wanted to make something that “people not accustomed to traditional off-the-street Vietnamese coffee can enjoy, drink and enjoy.” At the end of the day, the mission is to “popularize Vietnamese culture and bring these things to the world.” Once word of “Arabica sua da” and Bosgaurus made its way overseas, more and more people came to Vietnam to source Arabica which in turn encouraged farmers to focus on producing better quality coffee which is a win because although Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, it has never had a reputation for producing high-quality Arabica. Hung also believes in minimalism and transparency for both its customers and partner farmers. This means sharing the quality and costs with consumers and passing on these added benefits to farmers, in fact, Bosgaurus pays their partner farmers 3 times more than what they usually get.
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