Export growth beyond forecast
2025 ended for coffee industry with a figure that even those involved had to admit was "beyond forecasts": nearly 60% growth. This increase stems from synergy of several factors, most notably increased market demand and a sharp rise in world coffee prices.

Mr. Le Duc Huy, Vice President of Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association and Chairman of Board of Directors of Simexco Dak Lak, stated that entering 2026, big question is not whether we can repeat that "miraculous" growth rate but how to maintain sustainable growth, even if the pace is no longer as explosive as the previous year. More importantly, how far will Vietnam's coffee export potential extend if its domestic capacity is not improved accordingly?
According to Mr. Le Duc Huy, price is only part of the picture. More noteworthy aspect lies in the self-effort of Vietnamese coffee businesses in the context of increasingly stringent market standards, especially from Europe.
When regulations on traceability and "non-deforestation" coffee were implemented, businesses did not stand idly by. Together with associations and banking system, businesses quickly rebuilt growing areas, digitized agricultural maps and closely linked with farmers. Every shipment, every export order, can be traced from the grower to the exporter.
This proactive and flexible approach has created a new competitive advantage for Vietnamese coffee: advantage of "greening" and "digitizing". As quality improved and consistency increased, many end buyers shifted orders from other countries to Vietnam. They are not only buying based on quantity but also on quality.
From perspective of a large export business in Dak Lak, Mr. Huy stated that his company's sales last year reached approximately $640 million, with coffee and pepper as its two main products. However, even amidst such strong growth, pressure on 2026 remains immense. Setting a double-digit growth target of around 14% is already a significant challenge, requiring serious and sustained effort from businesses.
Unlocking processing and infrastructure
Regarding downsides of coffee export growth in 2025, Mr. Le Duc Huy stated that although coffee export revenue reached approximately US$8 billion, this figure remains very small compared to overall global food and beverage industry, valued at around US$200 billion.
Core reason lies in the export structure. Majority of Vietnamese coffee is still green coffee beans, with low added value. Deeply processed products such as roasted and ground coffee and instant coffee, despite some development, still have a limited share.
This is clearly demonstrated in Dak Lak, the country's coffee capital. Despite being the largest coffee producing region, locality lacks large-scale roasting and instant coffee processing plants. It's not that businesses don't want to invest, but rather that infrastructure isn't yet ready.
Lack of suitable industrial zones, warehousing and cold storage systems and insufficient storage capacity forces businesses to choose path of exporting raw materials to quickly rotate capital. During the harvest season, pressure to pay farmers makes exporting raw materials almost only option.
“If there were well-planned industrial zones, warehouses and a sufficiently strong logistics system, businesses would not only improve their storage capacity but also have more time to negotiate prices, increasing value of each order. Then, coffee exports would have a higher value”, Mr. Le Duc Huy shared.
Based on practical experience of businesses and the locality, Mr. Le Duc Huy offered several specific recommendations. First and foremost is issue of infrastructure. The Central Highlands needs better connectivity with national and international logistics systems. Rapid planning of industrial clusters, zones, on-site export ports and bonded warehouses that are recognized by international markets is an urgent requirement.
With bonded warehouses, goods can be paid for immediately, creating a quick cash flow for businesses. This is a key factor in the current context where agricultural businesses mainly rely on short-term financing, while lacking long-term capital for processing investment.
Besides infrastructure, financial challenge is also clearly evident. Without long-term financing, businesses find it very difficult to invest in deep processing, improving quality, and building brands. Meanwhile, if these things are not done, goal of maintaining double-digit growth in 2026-2030 period will be very difficult to achieve.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn