Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung: Vietnamese specialty coffee must tell a story

On the afternoon of May 14, as part of a working visit to Dak Lak, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment led by Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung visited and worked with Simexco Daklak.

Strong growth driven by a sustainable value chain

At the working session, Le Duc Huy, Chairman of the Members’ Council of Simexco Daklak, said the company is one of Viet Nam’s leading coffee exporters. Viet Nam currently ranks as the world’s largest exporter of Robusta coffee.

Established in 1993, the company’s key products include coffee, with an annual output of around 130,000 tons, and pepper, with an annual output of approximately 15,000 tons. On average, the company exports about two million bags of coffee annually and cooperates with more than 500 partners worldwide.

To date, Simexco Daklak has built a relatively complete supply chain, from raw material areas to product distribution. The company directly controls quality in major coffee-growing regions while investing in modern processing facilities to enhance product value and meet increasingly demanding international market requirements.

According to Mr. Huy, recognizing that farmers play a decisive role in determining agricultural product quality, the company chose a sustainable development path in 2009 by working closely with farming households. From small initial groups of around 30-40 households, Simexco Daklak has now developed a network linked with approximately 65,000 farming households. This strong connection has enabled the company to organize production more proactively and quickly adapt to new international regulations such as the EUDR.

Notably, by April 2024, the company had received the world’s first two certifications for deforestation-free cultivation areas. At present, the enterprise has digitized data for around 48,000 farming households across the Central Highlands within cultivation zones that meet EUDR standards, creating an important foundation for traceability and sustainable agricultural development.

Simexco Daklak’s production and business activities have recorded impressive growth in recent years. The company’s revenue increased from approximately VND 3.5 trillion in 2021 to more than VND 18 trillion in 2025. As of now, revenue has reached around VND 11.5 trillion, and the company expects to achieve double-digit growth, aiming for the VND 20 trillion target assigned for 2026. Looking further ahead, the company has set a goal of reaching USD 1.5 billion in revenue by 2030.

According to Mr. Huy, in the coming period, the company will continue to place farmers at the center of its development strategy while accelerating data digitization to build a digital agricultural map that supports traceability and emissions-reduction efforts. At the same time, the company will focus on deep processing and value addition for key products such as coffee and pepper, particularly specialty coffee lines.

In addition, Simexco Daklak plans to invest in a modern logistics system to optimize costs, enhance competitiveness, and strengthen connections with global markets. At the same time, the company aims to build an environmentally friendly circular agriculture ecosystem that integrates production with social responsibility and sustainable development.

In implementing the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s project on “Low-emission production in crop cultivation,” which contributes to the sector’s Net Zero goals, the company plans to invest in a biochar production plant based on a circular-economy model. Input materials will utilize agricultural by-products such as coffee husks, durian peels, and rice husks, thereby both reducing emissions and increasing the value of agricultural waste.

The enterprise also proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment consider expanding mechanisms and policies to enable businesses to participate more deeply in low-emission rice production programs, thereby accelerating the green transformation of the agricultural sector.

Speaking at the working session, Vu Minh Viet, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of VAN News, emphasized the crucial role of media and communications in enhancing the value of agricultural products, particularly culturally distinctive products such as specialty coffee from the Central Highlands.

Through direct engagement with businesses and producers, Mr. Viet noted that the most remarkable aspect lies not only in the products themselves, but also in the strong development aspirations shared by the business community and tens of thousands of linked farming households. According to him, this aspiration forms an important foundation for building value-driven stories around specialty coffee products. Associating products with the stories of each region and ethnic community would help create sustainable added value while also ensuring stable livelihoods for local people.

Regarding specific solutions, the Deputy Editor-in-Chief proposed integrating specialty coffee into diplomatic and international cooperation activities as a representative cultural product. In addition, he suggested incorporating specialty coffee into the Ministry’s trade promotion programs and developing in-depth, multilingual communication campaigns to reach international markets, particularly high-potential destinations.

Vu Minh Viet, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Viet Nam Agriculture and Nature Newspaper, affirmed that the newspaper would closely accompany Simexco Daklak in building and developing its brand. The newspaper will strengthen communication efforts to promote sustainable production models, stories of cooperation with farmers, and the development orientation of specialty coffee, thereby contributing to enhancing the value of agricultural products, expanding markets, and reinforcing the company’s position internationally.

In particular, the newspaper will assign reporters to directly visit raw material areas, ethnic minority communities, and farming households to vividly portray the stories of the people behind the products. According to Mr. Viet, “going directly to the source and writing from real-life experiences” will not only make reporting more authentic and insightful, but also help effectively promote the image of coffee-growing regions, local communities, and the unique value of Central Highlands specialty coffee.

Bringing Central Highlands identity into agricultural products

After listening to the company’s report, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung highly appreciated the achievements made in recent years, especially the company’s rapid growth and the clear transformation in its development mindset.

According to the Deputy Minister, what is truly noteworthy lies not only in production volumes or revenue figures, but in the company’s methodical, strategic approach and its step-by-step efforts to create added value for its products.

He particularly highlighted the company’s long-term development mindset, which links production with the cultural values and identity of the Central Highlands. The enterprise is not merely producing commercial goods, but is gradually bringing the image, culture, and stories behind Vietnamese agricultural products to both domestic and international markets.

From the sector’s perspective, the Deputy Minister emphasized that Viet Nam’s agricultural industry in general, and key products such as coffee and pepper in particular, are facing both significant opportunities and growing competitive pressure. Therefore, enhancing added value through deep processing, brand building, and market development has become an inevitable requirement.

One point especially stressed by the Deputy Minister was the role of farmers within the value chain. According to him, the success of enterprises cannot be separated from the support and participation of farmers - the people directly producing agricultural products. Close cooperation with farming households, together with the sharing of benefits and responsibilities, will form the foundation for building sustainable production chains capable of adapting more effectively to international standards.

Regarding future orientations, the Deputy Minister proposed that the company continue improving its development strategy by clearly identifying growth potential and determining key sectors capable of creating breakthroughs. At the same time, the company should further promote the application of science and technology, enhance governance capacity, optimize costs, and strengthen linkages to form sustainable value chains.

The Deputy Minister also noted that, in the context of deep international integration, businesses need to pay particular attention to meeting international standards, especially requirements related to traceability, environmental protection, and sustainable development. According to him, these are not only challenges but also opportunities to elevate the value of Vietnamese agricultural products in the global market.

Regarding the company’s proposals, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment would continue to accompany businesses and review measures to address difficulties and obstacles related to mechanisms and policies. The Ministry will also strengthen connections and support enterprises in participating in major sectoral programs and projects, as well as domestic and international trade promotion activities.

On the afternoon of May 14, a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment led by Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung conducted a field visit to a production area in Ea M’droh Commune.

Reporting to the Deputy Minister, Nguyen Thi Thu Hong, Chairwoman of the Ea M’droh Commune People’s Committee, expressed a strong desire for higher authorities to soon consider approving and implementing investments in transport infrastructure, as well as adjusting mineral reserve planning.

According to Ms. Hong, this is not only the aspiration of local authorities but also the long-standing wish of local residents. People are willing to donate land to improve trade connectivity and create momentum for local economic development.

Listening to the concerns raised at the grassroots level, Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung acknowledged all recommendations and affirmed that he would advise competent authorities in order to promptly seek solutions to planning-related difficulties and help unlock local development resources.

$ 1 = VND 26,382 - Source: Vietcombank.