When Ngoc Anh Dao opened a café in Hanoi in 2012, she had no idea she would later reshape Vietnam’s coffee industry. All she wanted was to serve high-quality coffee. But back then, she knew that the best beans had to be imported from abroad. In 2017, she asked herself a bold question:
❝ What if we could create this quality right here in Vietnam? ❞
That question sparked the journey of Detech Coffee, a company that has since:
- Built a sustainable, high-quality coffee supply chain in Vietnam
- Focussed on women farmers by launching the Vietnam chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance
- Partnered with Incofin Investment Management to help farmers achieve certifications, access financial support, and build long-term resilience
A passion for quality becomes a mission for change
Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee exporter, but when Ngoc Anh first started sourcing beans, she found that most producers prioritized volume over quality. Large-scale producers focused on keeping costs low, while niche specialty markets were overlooked. If farmers had the right support, she knew that Vietnam could produce coffee beans worth celebrating.
Instead of settling for imported beans, she took a leap of faith.
- She travelled to coffee farms for the first time and was struck by the fact that almost all of the labor in the fields was done by women. They were chatting, singing, and picking ripe cherries—but despite their significant role, they rarely held leadership positions.
- She saw firsthand the environmental impact of coffee farming and knew that sustainability had to be part of the solution.
Sustainability at the core: From agroforestry to climate resilience
Ngoc Anh introduced agroforestry—a method of growing coffee alongside trees like macadamia and crops like mung beans. This not only diversifies farmers’ incomes but also:
- Protects coffee crops from climate change (heat, frost, drought)
- Improves soil health, encourages biodiversity, discourages monocultures
- Produces better-tasting coffee (shade-grown beans take longer to mature, absorb more nutrients, leading to richer flavors)
She also works with research institutions to introduce climate-resilient coffee varieties, ensuring that farmers can continue their work despite shifting weather patterns.
The current coffee variety, a Catimor, was introduced more than 30 years ago to Sơn La, but Detech Coffee is now introducing climate-resilient coffees to this area.
For women: Creating opportunities beyond the fields
In the coffee industry, there’s gender equality in numbers but not in hierarchy.
When Ngoc Anh founded the Vietnam chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance, she worked to create a platform women deserved—to create more opportunities, raise awareness about gender inequalities, and offer training on occupational health and safety, coffee quality, and leadership.
Thanks to funding from Incofin, Detech Coffee has:
- Trained 1,100+ farmers in sustainable and high-quality coffee production.
- Helped farmers secure certifications (Rainforest Alliance, 4C) for better market access, premiums, community networks and know-how.
- Developed crop insurance solutions in collaboration with Rural Development Center (RUDEC program), aiming to cushion them from unpredictable seasons.
With these steps, Detech Coffee builds a network of committed growers. Normally, many farmers would chase the highest bid day by day, but these steps help to nurture loyalty and secure commitment, maintaining a reliable supply chain.
Looking ahead: A vision for Vietnamese coffee
Ngoc Anh is on a mission to make Sơn La, Vietnam’s coffee-growing region, as recognizable as Java or Mokka. Over the next 5-10 years, she plans to:
- Compete in international coffee championships to showcase Vietnamese specialty coffee
- Introduce digital traceability tools to directly connect specialty buyers with high-quality farmers.
- Collaborate with Cup of Excellence to bring global recognition to Sơn La coffee
- Make drinking coffee more popular locally. Consumption in Vietnam has risen from 0.5 cups per capita to one cup over the last decade—still well below Western averages of four cups per day. Detech Coffee remains focused on quality-driven consumers who seek something better than usual.
A coffee revolution, led by women
Ngoc Anh Dao’s story is proof that sustainability, quality, growth, and empowerment can go hand in hand. Through Detech Coffee, she’s not just producing coffee—she’s working to reshape the industry.
This International Women’s Day, we are honored to invest in leaders like Ngoc Anh who are paving the way for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
