To date, Dak Lak is not only the "coffee capital" of Vietnam, but the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association and its businesses are also pioneers in building brands and bringing Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee to the world market.
For the first time, Vietnamese specialty coffee is available on the shelves of a high-end coffee chain in South Korea.
On the afternoon of December 13th, a business exchange on specialty coffee trade between Vietnam and South Korea took place in Buon Ma Thuot ward, Dak Lak province. Participants included Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, Chairman of Coffee Myungga, Chairman of the Daegu Coffee Association (DCA), and former Chairman and founder of the Specialty Coffee Association of Korea (SCAK); Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association; and leading coffee export businesses from Dak Lak province.
Scenes from the experience-sharing session.
At the exchange event, Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, and Mr. Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Members of 2/9 Dak Lak Import-Export One-Member Limited Liability Company (Simexco Dak Lak), introduced the establishment of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, the Vietnamese Specialty Coffee Competition, and the role of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association and Simexco Dak Lak in international collaboration to elevate Vietnamese specialty coffee; Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu introduced the Daegu Coffee Association and the Korean Specialty Coffee Association…
Notably, at the event, the founder of the specialty coffee brand Miss Ede officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Coffee Myungga, one of the oldest specialty coffee chains in Korea with over 35 years of development.
This event marks the first time that Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee has been commercialized and sold in long-established specialty coffee shop chains in South Korea, as well as introducing Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee to the global market.
Delegates attending the exchange session.
According to the cooperation agreement, the two sides agreed to comprehensively develop the value chain from: selecting high-quality Vietnamese specialty Robusta coffee; developing products that suit the tastes of Korean consumers; and distributing them to specialty coffee shop chains, high-end retail systems, and e-commerce channels in Korea.
This collaboration is not only commercially significant, but also a strategic step in repositioning the value of Vietnamese Robusta coffee on the international specialty coffee map.
Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, introduced the ecosystem of specialty coffee in Vietnam.
Mr. Hoang Danh Huu, founder of the Miss Ede brand, said: From May 2025, Miss Ede will officially become the second brand from Dak Lak province to export fully packaged finished coffee products to the South Korean market, after fulfilling all stringent requirements regarding food safety, traceability, technical standards, and export labeling.
Miss Ede's export activities extend beyond raw materials to include finished coffee products bearing the Vietnamese brand, contributing to increased added value for the coffee industry in Dak Lak in particular and Vietnam in general.
Alongside traditional exports, Miss Ede is now officially doing business on Coupang, South Korea's largest e-commerce platform, helping Vietnamese specialty coffee products directly reach South Korean consumers through online channels – a dominant consumer trend in the country.
Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, President of Coffee Myungga and President of the Daegu Coffee Association, introduces Korean specialty coffee.
In 2025, Miss Ede will participate monthly in major food and beverage exhibitions in South Korea, with the direct and active support of the Vietnamese Embassy in South Korea; the Vietnamese Trade Office in South Korea; and the Department of Industry and Trade of Dak Lak province.
These well-planned trade promotion activities are contributing to expanding Miss Ede's international partner network, while also professionally and sustainably promoting the image of Dak Lak Robusta specialty coffee from Vietnam in the Korean market.
Through support in terms of growing areas and supply chain linkages from Simexco Dak Lak, Miss Ede, a startup business established 6 years ago, has gradually developed into an emerging brand in the high-quality Vietnamese Robusta coffee trade.
The Miss Ede coffee brand is sold in the South Korean market.
Miss Ede is currently focusing on developing Robusta coffee products that are sustainably cultivated, without encroaching on natural forests, fully meeting the traceability requirements of the EUDR regulations of the European Union, aiming for green and responsible development standards.
Accelerating the export of Vietnam's specialty Robusta coffee to the world.
According to Nguyen Thien Van, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Lak province, Dak Lak is currently the "coffee capital" of the country with an area of approximately 213,000 hectares and an annual production of around 545,000 tons. For many years, the People's Committee of Dak Lak province has been a pioneer in implementing programs to develop high-quality coffee, sustainable replanting, and enhance the value of the supply chain. Since 2008, the province has implemented many important projects; notably, Dak Lak's coffee growing area has achieved the world's first 4C - EUDR certification for non-deforestation products from the European Union, and currently 35% of the province's coffee growing area has been digitized. In addition to focusing on raw material areas, Dak Lak is also a leader in promoting Vietnamese coffee to the world. Since 2005, the province has organized the national-level Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival every two years, attracting hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors; and to date, the geographical indication for Buon Ma Thuot coffee has been protected in 32 countries and territories worldwide.
Dak Lak is the "coffee capital" of Vietnam.
To develop the brand and value of coffee, Dak Lak province has issued a plan to build Buon Ma Thuot into a "World Coffee City," while also offering many preferential policies on taxes and land use fees to attract investors in the coffee sector to Dak Lak.
Notably, within the framework of the 2019 Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, Dak Lak organized Vietnam's first specialty coffee competition - the Vietnam Amazing Cup, organized by the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association.
To date, the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition has gone through 7 seasons, achieving very successful results.
“To date, the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition has gone through 7 seasons, achieving very successful results; many award-winning products have continued to participate and achieve high results in international competitions, and many samples have been rated Fine Robusta by the International Coffee Quality Institute with over 87 points, contributing to positioning Vietnamese coffee in the world market. It is encouraging that, to date, Vietnamese specialty Robusta coffee has been exported to 30 countries and territories worldwide with an annual output of about 500 tons and domestic consumption of about 1,000 tons. Currently, the demand for specialty Robusta coffee domestically and internationally is very high, therefore, in the coming time, the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association will continue to improve the quality of the Vietnam Specialty Coffee Competition, while coordinating with businesses and encouraging members to seek and expand markets, accelerating the expansion of Vietnamese specialty Robusta coffee into the world,” said Mr. Trinh Duc. Minh, President of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association, shared.
Mr. Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Members of Simexco Dak Lak, shared about the process of building the brand of Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee and exporting coffee by Simexco Dak Lak at the exchange event.
Mr. Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Board of Members of Simexco Dak Lak, stated: To date, Simexco Dak Lak has exported coffee to 125 countries and territories worldwide, generating revenue of over 600 million USD annually. South Korea is one of Simexco Dak Lak's top 10 coffee export markets, including its specialty Robusta coffee. Building the brand and exporting specialty Robusta coffee to the world not only contributes to improving the quality and value of Vietnamese coffee but also affirms Vietnam's position as a leading exporter of specialty Robusta coffee globally.
For the founder of the Miss Ede brand, in addition to direct business operations, she also collaborates with the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association and the Daegu Coffee Association in promoting the development of Vietnamese specialty coffee brands in the Korean market. Through international trade promotion activities, business networking, and support in accessing distribution channels, Miss Ede is gradually expanding opportunities for member businesses of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association to access the Korean market through the Daegu Coffee Association's network.
Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, President of Coffee Myungga and President of the Daegu Coffee Association, was extremely delighted to hear the story about Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding with Miss Ede, Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, President of Coffee Myungga, stated: “Today’s Memorandum of Understanding between Coffee Myungga and Miss Ede, as well as between the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association and the Daegu Coffee Association, marks the first time that Vietnamese specialty Robusta coffee has been comprehensively commercialized within the chain of specialty coffee shops in South Korea, a market that has traditionally used almost exclusively Arabica, both in the commercial and specialty segments. This is not just a business collaboration, but a step that paves the way for Vietnamese Robusta coffee to enter the high-end consumer market in South Korea.”
Mr. Hoang Danh Huu, founder of the Miss Ede brand, expressed his excitement that his brand is the first in Dak Lak province to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with a long-standing Korean specialty coffee brand - Coffee Myungga.
Mr. Hoang Danh Huu, founder of the Miss Ede brand, shared: “Miss Ede is a relatively new coffee business, but it was established at a time when the high-quality specialty coffee market was experiencing strong growth globally. We chose a shortcut, focusing from the beginning on the Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee segment to bring to the world. Currently, Miss Ede exports Vietnamese Robusta to the United States, South Korea, Singapore, and the Russian Federation. The collaboration with Coffee Myungga and the Daegu Coffee Association to bring Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee into high-end specialty coffee chains in South Korea is not only a commercial milestone but also an affirmation of the quality of Vietnamese Robusta coffee to high-end consumers and coffee experts in South Korea.”
Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, Chairman of Coffee Myungga (Korea), and representatives from Simexco Dak Lak and the Miss Ede brand signed a memorandum of understanding for the trade of Vietnamese Robusta specialty coffee in the Korean market.
Thus, along with Simexco Dak Lak, Miss Ede is now the second brand from Dak Lak to export finished coffee products to South Korea and the first brand from Dak Lak province to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with a long-standing Korean specialty coffee brand - Coffee Myungga. It is also one of the very few Vietnamese businesses exporting high-quality processed Vietnamese Robusta coffee in finished product form, in full containers, to demanding markets such as the United States and South Korea, and is gradually penetrating Singapore and the Russian Federation.
Mr. Ahn Myung-kyu, Chairman of Coffee Myungga, enjoys Vietnamese specialty Robusta coffee.
Miss Ede's progress is clear evidence of the shift in Vietnam's coffee industry from exporting raw materials to exporting processed, branded products, contributing to enhancing the position of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market and affirming the pioneering role of Dak Lak businesses in integrating into the global value chain.
JUSTICE
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/dak-lak-tien-phong-dua-ca-phe-dac-san-viet-nam-robusta-vuon-ra-the-gioi-410214.html
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