The "true value" of coffee is created from the positive effects on the links in the supply chain, including: farmers, manufacturers and consumers.

As one of the pioneering individuals to bring Italian coffee to Hanoi with the Miriam's Coffee chain in 2012, few people know that Ms. Dao Ngoc Anh is the founder of Detech Coffee - a coffee production and processing unit based on the coffee model. "From farm to cup of coffee" image is the 5th largest in the North.

After Miriam's Coffee store chain went into operation, why did Ms. Ngoc Anh "fall in love" with the challenging coffee production industry and decide to establish Detech Coffee?

- As a coffee lover, more than anyone else, I want to make outstanding contributions to the coffee industry in Vietnam and around the world. Yes, this is an industry that contains countless challenges but there is no shortage of opportunities to grow and shine. In 2017, coffee exports from Vietnam reached about 1.7 billion tons, accounting for 14.2% of the export coffee market. According to statistics, on average, for every 7 cups of coffee consumed, 1 cup of coffee comes from Vietnam. However, more than 90% of the coffee our country exports is raw coffee. When it becomes finished coffee, it bears the label of another brand. Therefore, the majority of coffee consumers in the world do not know the existence of Vietnamese coffee.

Coffee producers and consumers at home and abroad are not properly aware of the role of Vietnamese coffee. This is a situation with many potential risks to our country's position in the global coffee supply chain. If we do not have the strength to create our own brands, in the near future, Vietnamese coffee will easily be replaced by African coffee. In fact, this problem has occurred and is increasing every year, as many countries in this continent advocate increasing the production of cheap coffee for export purposes.

Therefore, in 2012, my colleagues and I decided to establish Detech Coffee with the goal of contributing to strengthening Vietnam's position in the sustainable coffee supply chain and bringing the "true value" of Vietnamese coffee to life. to consumers at home and abroad.

So what does the "true value" of coffee you mention here mean?

- The "true value" of coffee is not simply the taste, but the quality of the product. ‘The “true value” of coffee is the positive and sustainable value coffee brings to farmers, producers and consumers. First, farmers need to build a stable livelihood and a prosperous life from the coffee trees they care for.

Second, manufacturers need to choose a production model and processing method that fully preserves the value and identity of coffee beans while promoting environmental protection activities. Third, consumers have the right to enjoy high quality products, ensure food hygiene and safety, and improve health. To create a sustainable supply chain, aiming for "true value" and originality, each link in the process: farmers, manufacturers and consumers need to be closely linked and support each other.

And how did Detech Coffee do this?

- At Detech Coffee, we build a sustainable coffee environment with the production model "From farm to cup of coffee". Choosing Son La as the main raw material area, we build a network of farmers, guide people on sustainable farming, improve knowledge about coffee, and implement a product consumption policy: High and stable prices create incentives for farmers to provide better quality coffee cherries. In order to provide high quality product lines, processed entirely from coffee, Detech Coffee will purchase ripe coffee cherries harvested by hand with a red fruit ratio of up to 95%. This valuable raw material will undergo preliminary processing and processing by modern technological lines imported from Europe. And true to our sustainability goals, our factory owns a wastewater treatment system that meets the standards required by local authorities, minimizing negative impacts on the environment. Thus, over time, we can still preserve the raw material area and enhance the value of Vietnamese coffee. Detech Coffee implements a product off-take policy: offering high and stable prices to create incentives for farmers to provide better quality coffee cherries.

During 8 years of operation, Detech Coffee has achieved certain achievements in the international market: becoming a partner of many supermarket systems and coffee shops at home and abroad such as the US, Germany, Russia, and China. China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia. So what motivated you to return and invest in developing the domestic market?

- There is a paradox like this. Even though it is the country with the second largest cultivated area and coffee output in the world, many Vietnamese people still consume coffee mixed with corn and corn; Flavored coffee does not ensure food safety and hygiene, causing serious harm to health. We have had the opportunity to interact with many international customers, including demanding markets such as the US, Germany or China. They responded very positively about the quality of Son La Arabica coffee. However, domestic consumers are not familiar with Arabica coffee nor know about coffee from the Northwest raw material region. Therefore, Detech Coffee returned to the domestic market, first to bring high quality coffee products with clear origins, with advanced production technology. Second, is to affirm and enhance the value of Son La Arabica coffee beans and the Northwest raw material region.

So, who are the specific customers that Detech Coffee is targeting?

- Currently, Detech Coffee is targeting two main audiences. First, as investors in coffee business models, businesses and units have the same goal of bringing high quality Vietnamese coffee products closer to consumers. Then there are the customers, who will directly consume the coffee. They pay close attention to the origin and manufacturing process of the product. To confirm these things, Detech Coffee regularly organizes tours of raw material areas in Son La and the factory in Hung Yen exclusively for interested customers. For us, transparency is a core value.