Realizing the 'clean coffee dream' on red basalt land

Lam Dong From a small shop on the red basalt land, Le Van Hoang started his business with clean coffee, building Enjoi Coffee into an organic agricultural symbol of the Lam Dong plateau.

From small shop to big ambition

Born in 1990 in Tho Xuan commune, Thanh Hoa province, Le Van Hoang's childhood passed amidst the green of rice fields, bamboo banks and the smell of straw smoke on the tiled roof of his hometown. That peaceful Thanh land nurtured in him diligence, hard work and the desire to rise up, which later became valuable assets on the path to success.

Mr. Le Van Hoang always tries his best every day to research, learn and create different types of coffee to create unique characteristics. Photo: Character provided.

At the age of 16, Hoang and his family left their hometown for the red soil of the Central Highlands, then part of Dak Nong province, now Lam Dong province, to start a new life. The landscape here is completely different from their old hometown with endless red basalt hills, undulating forests and the aroma of ripe coffee spreading throughout the space every harvest season. It was that passionate aroma that planted in the young man's soul a deep love for coffee beans, which contain within them many cultural and economic values ​​and the pride of the Central Highlands people.

From the days of following his father to the fields, witnessing every drop of sweat falling to the ground, Hoang soon realized that coffee beans are not just agricultural products, but also contain the efforts, beliefs and even the fate of countless people. It was from that realization that the dream of building his own coffee brand began to grow.

With his love for coffee, determination and courage, Hoang's special entrepreneurial journey has opened up, a difficult but meaningful path, where he chose to make clean coffee, with the desire that each coffee bean has real value, conquers the market and becomes a prestigious brand.

Mr. Le Van Hoang discusses product quality with customers. Photo: Pham Hoai.

In 2012, while still a student in Ho Chi Minh City, Hoang spent most of his free time outside of school to learn about processing, roasting techniques and organic production methods. He realized that the domestic coffee market was still floating and lacking transparency, while farmers who created real value were not respected. “I wanted to make clean coffee, so that both growers and drinkers would be respected,” Hoang said.

After graduating, Hoang worked for several companies to gain management experience and learn more about organic coffee production. In 2014, Hoang returned to Bac Gia Nghia Ward, Lam Dong and opened a small coffee shop. The shop was both a testing ground and a “laboratory” for his big dream.

He personally selected the beans, bought only ripe coffee, dried, roasted and brewed them himself. Initially, there were few customers, but everyone was impressed by the pure taste of the coffee and the young man's sincere story. "Each batch of coffee is a test of faith. I don't want to deceive its true flavor," said Mr. Hoang.

In October 2015, Mr. Hoang established Enjoi Coffee Co., Ltd., officially entering the professional business path. His goal is not only to sell coffee, but also to build a clean coffee ecosystem where farmers, businesses and customers share values.

According to Mr. Hoang, to have delicious coffee flavor, the selection process from the input stage is also very important. Photo: Pham Hoai.

The turning point called clean coffee

In 2016, Hoang expanded the raw material area by going to each household, encouraging them to grow coffee organically, without chemicals, without mixing impurities, but instead using sustainable techniques and selective harvesting. Initially, many people were skeptical. Making clean coffee is labor-intensive, productivity is reduced, and it is not certain that it will sell for a high price.

But Hoang persevered, committing to purchase all products at a price 15-20% higher than the market price per kg, while also providing technical guidance and supporting the greenhouse system along with drying systems. After a few crops, farmers saw clear results such as better soil, healthy plants, beautiful seeds and most importantly, stable selling prices.

Entering 2017, Enjoi Coffee entered a period of acceleration. When the Vietnamese coffee market was affected by a series of incidents related to adulterated coffee, Mr. Hoang chose to go against the flow. He invested in a closed roasting line, applied an electronic traceability system and built his own standards. From here, Enjoi quickly became a pioneer brand in the field of organic coffee and clean coffee in Dak Nong.

In 2019, Enjoi Coffee exported its first shipments to South Korea, Japan, Thailand and the US, a major turning point in the journey to affirm the Vietnamese brand. Coffee bags bearing the Enjoi logo, rich in the aroma of red basalt soil, have passed strict standards to appear on international shelves.

In 2016, Mr. Hoang expanded the raw material area by going to each household, encouraging them to grow coffee organically, without chemicals, without mixing, but instead using sustainable techniques and selective harvesting. Photo: Pham Hoai.

Up to now, Enjoi Coffee has linked more than 30 farming households, forming a raw material area of ​​hundreds of tons per year. The company has 8 distribution points in the Central Highlands provinces and Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi... creating stable jobs for hundreds of workers with an income of 6-15 million VND per month. Revenue reaches about 20 billion VND/year, of which clean coffee products account for the majority.

Ms. H'Mơ Eban, one of the households that has been with Enjoi since the early days, shared: “Before, we sold to traders, the price was unstable. Working with Enjoi, our coffee was guaranteed, the price was high, and we were also instructed on how to grow organically. My coffee has a brand, I feel very proud.”

Sweet fruit from kindness

According to Mr. Trinh Anh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Bac Gia Nghia Ward (where Enjoi has its headquarters and roasting factory), the Enjoi Coffee brand not only has economic value, but is also the pride of the locality. "Mr. Hoang is a role model for young people who dare to think, dare to do, and always associate business with community responsibility. In addition to creating jobs for young workers, he also regularly supports organic farming techniques for disadvantaged households, helping many families escape poverty and gradually stabilize their lives," Mr. Trinh Anh added.

With his practical contributions to sustainable agricultural development, Le Van Hoang has been awarded many certificates and merits. Photo: Provided by the character.

During a recent visit to Enjoi Coffee's production model, Mr. Le Trong Yen, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, highly appreciated the way of doing things of young businessman Le Van Hoang. "This is considered a pioneering organic coffee model that has gone into practice. The valuable thing is not only in creating clean coffee beans, but also in knowing how to spread the spirit of organic farming with the producers, sharing risks and benefits with them.

“Enjoi Coffee's approach is opening up a new direction for local agricultural economic development, linking production with environmental protection, aiming for green, sustainable agriculture with deep values,” said Mr. Yen.

With his practical contributions to sustainable agricultural development, Le Van Hoang was awarded the Luong Dinh Cua Award, a noble award for outstanding rural youth nationwide. He also received a Certificate of Merit from the People's Committee of Lam Dong province for his outstanding achievements in the startup movement, developing clean agricultural economy, and many titles such as "Outstanding Young Entrepreneur of the Central Highlands", "Creative Startup Youth" awarded by the Central Youth Union.

In the middle of the windy plateau, Enjoi Coffee is now not only a brand, but also an entrepreneurial spirit with passion and belief. The journey from small coffee beans to the great belief of farmers has been realized by passion, sweat, and clean coffee beans bringing Vietnamese flavor to the world.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/hien-thuc-hoa-giac-mo-ca-phe-sach-tren-vung-dat-do-bazan-d780815.html