Van Thi Loan | Real Bean Coffee
How would you describe the past two years?
It has already been two years since I was selected as an Asia Beautiful Fellow of the Beautiful Store Foundation(Beautiful Store). Real Bean Coffee was far smaller and faced more challenges. Two years ago, I had a baby and needed to find a balance between family and business. The coffee price also increased sharply. That was good news for farmers, but also a concern for distributors and final customers. To overcome that gap, Real Bean Coffee created an opportunity for farmers and distributors to communicate with each other. Sharing their situation with one another, farmers could justify the necessity of price adjustments.
You've made a lot of efforts to change the production method of Real Bean Coffee to be eco-friendly for the last two years.
All of Real Bean Coffee's partner farms have transitioned to eco-friendly cultivation practice to make coffee. Coffee from eco-friendly farms attracts the whole world with its good flavor. When Real Bean Coffee first introduced eco-friendly farms, farmers could only produce very small amounts of coffee. We needed a more sustainable way to run the farms. Therefore, even though the price of coffee goes up, Real Bean Coffee decided to keep the price stable, at least for a year or a half.
Real Bean Coffee democratized access to high-quality coffee for a broader range of consumers. If a hectare of farm cultivates approximately 3 tons of coffee, only 0.5 tons of coffee can be named as Specialty Coffee. Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association grades the cupping(flavor) score of coffee beans. Only if the score is above 80, the coffee can be called a 'Specialty Robusta Coffee'. Real Bean Coffee sells the coffee with a score between 70 and 80 at a lower price, named 'Sustainable Coffee'. We made a balance between stakeholders, as farmers can sell their coffee beans more quickly, and customers can consume coffee at an affordable price.
Due to the high consumer demand for 'Sustainable Coffee,' we successfully scaled our market presence by dual-tracking the distribution of both 'Fine Robusta Specialty' and 'Sustainable Coffee
The transition to eco-friendly practices has instilled a sense of pride and confidence within our farmer community. They also reduce the usage of chemicals. Real Bean Coffee has also replaced plastic bags with paper in the packaging process. These processes are not easy, but Real Bean Coffee expanded the sustainable coffee market for local coffee farms.
What kinds of support are provided for farmers?
In June 2025, farmers began to be taxed at a rate of 5 percent on coffee bean sales. In addition, implementing the e-invoicing system caused farmers to experience difficulties. For farmers who are confused by the complicated e-invoicing system and the introduction of the 5% VAT, Real Bean Coffee helps them ensure tax compliance and accuracy through law firms, preventing unnecessary financial burdens caused by administrative errors. The establishment of such a transparent administrative system is also an essential process for international certification. Real Bean Coffee produces fair trade coffee with large farmer communities in Dak Lak and Lam Dong. The German Society for International Cooperation(GIZ) will conduct an audit soon, which is expected to make farmers receive ‘Clean Fare certification’ next year.
Please introduce a memorable moment in education for partner farmers.
I would like to share the case of Ms. Phoung in Lam Dong. She became interested in the environment by collaborating with Real Bean Coffee. It is a crucial task for farmers to sustain their livelihood with farming. We help them make their farms more sustainable and purchase their coffee at a 10% higher price than the market. Ms. Phoung adopted eco-friendly farming and increased her productivity, and now she exports more than 3 tons of coffee beans annually.
Sun-grown monoculture farming can be harmful to coffee beans, as it only plants coffee trees. In contrast, agroforestry fosters biodiversity, restores soil health, and yields superior beans that command premium prices. Farmers can earn extra income by planting other crops together on the agroforestry farm. Real Bean Coffee promotes the necessity of eco-friendly farming, as well as how it leads to actual profit. Farmers also recognize the importance of eco-friendly farming with the change in total revenue.
Of course, many farms are still at the learning stage. But at least the farmers' awareness of the environment improved. Even when we do not emphasize them repeatedly, farmers internalize the necessity of a greener farm for their livelihood.
It is important that Real Bean Coffee is a member of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association. We encourage farmers to join the training of the association. Other farmers who did not join the training are invited to observe when the farmers practice what they learned. While Real Bean Coffee directly conducted training until 2021, we have now transitioned to a collaborative learning environment. By encouraging farmers to visit one another’s farms and observe practices firsthand, we have fostered a peer-to-peer learning model where knowledge is shared and internalized more effectively within the community.
How does Real Bean Coffee advertise farmer partnerships to the outside?
Real Bean Coffee recognizes that systemic change in Vietnam's agricultural ecosystem cannot be achieved in isolation. Therefore, we actively disseminate our sustainable farming blueprints at the Coffee Association.
At the transition from conventional farms to organic, eco-friendly farms, we prioritize making the best coffee from local farmers. Therefore, farmers can earn a stable income and make a farm sustainable. So Real Bean Coffee prioritizes reinvesting surplus revenue directly into the farms. For example, we support farmers to change from chemical fertilizers to organic ones if we have some extra income. We promise them to buy the products and support them to sell at a higher price.
Also, we set a price higher than the market price, based on the minimum yield (0.5 tons) of Specialty Coffee. We provide an upfront payment of 10-20% of the total contract to alleviate the farmers' financial burden. We have kept this partnership with farmers for over 5 years. There were some challenges during the COVID-19 period, but since 2024, farmers have recovered their income and sold more coffee.
If the other regions also collaborate with farmers, as in our case, farmers can live a better life with the awareness of the climate crisis. The more people act together, the more familiar sustainable coffee becomes an option for customers. So we phase our work based on our priority, and let people learn and adopt our model. We hope our impact spreads to all the farms in Vietnam.
It is noticeable that Real Bean Coffee and you make a business exchange with other women entrepreneurs.
I participate in events for women entrepreneurs, including events from UN-Women in Vietnam. One day, I met a Japanese entrepreneur, and she became my client. She also asked me about other Vietnamese products like sugar, so I did not hesitate but recommended Hoai, the CEO of Palmania, who is the 3rd cohort Asia Beautiful Fellow. Through the conferences and training for women entrepreneurs, I am building a network that shares our world and knows each other.
When Real Bean Coffee selects a cup or other goods for the gift package, I prefer to put a product from a women-led enterprise. Real Bean Coffee demonstrates its commitment through action by prioritizing products from women-led enterprises. We strive to cultivate a resilient community dedicated to the SDGs.
That is why I continue to join networks and share our work. These networks will be expanded through a thriving sisterhood within our local communities.
What have you learned through the Asia Beautiful Fellow Program?
I could reflect on myself and significantly grow over the last two years with the Asia Beautiful Fellow Program. I’ve learned to transcend the grind of 'working hard' and embrace a more strategic, sustainable approach to leadership. Now, I know that a good leader is one who inspires others.
Last time when I was at the Trade Expo, I was at the same booth with 3rd Cohort Fellow Hoai(CEO of Palmania). Yesterday, I met the 4th Cohort Fellow Hai(CEO of Alterno). As we are Asia Beautiful Fellows, we can establish an instant rapport like 'You are the 2nd cohort', 'I am the 3rd cohort', etc. I was so glad when I met with 3rd Fellow Aby(CEO of Adena Coffee), who also works in the coffee industry, at the Asia Social Enterprise Program in Thailand.
Moving beyond mere financial sponsorship, but The Beautiful Store Foundation has also encouraged fellows to share our network concurrently. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we are united by a singular vision: to drive positive transformation within our communities. Belonging together and proudly introducing Real Bean Coffee, I learned how to empower myself through teamwork.
Van Thi Loan | Real Bean Coffee
How would you describe the past two years?
It has already been two years since I was selected as an Asia Beautiful Fellow of the Beautiful Store Foundation(Beautiful Store). Real Bean Coffee was far smaller and faced more challenges. Two years ago, I had a baby and needed to find a balance between family and business. The coffee price also increased sharply. That was good news for farmers, but also a concern for distributors and final customers. To overcome that gap, Real Bean Coffee created an opportunity for farmers and distributors to communicate with each other. Sharing their situation with one another, farmers could justify the necessity of price adjustments.
You've made a lot of efforts to change the production method of Real Bean Coffee to be eco-friendly for the last two years.
All of Real Bean Coffee's partner farms have transitioned to eco-friendly cultivation practice to make coffee. Coffee from eco-friendly farms attracts the whole world with its good flavor. When Real Bean Coffee first introduced eco-friendly farms, farmers could only produce very small amounts of coffee. We needed a more sustainable way to run the farms. Therefore, even though the price of coffee goes up, Real Bean Coffee decided to keep the price stable, at least for a year or a half.
Real Bean Coffee democratized access to high-quality coffee for a broader range of consumers. If a hectare of farm cultivates approximately 3 tons of coffee, only 0.5 tons of coffee can be named as Specialty Coffee. Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association grades the cupping(flavor) score of coffee beans. Only if the score is above 80, the coffee can be called a 'Specialty Robusta Coffee'. Real Bean Coffee sells the coffee with a score between 70 and 80 at a lower price, named 'Sustainable Coffee'. We made a balance between stakeholders, as farmers can sell their coffee beans more quickly, and customers can consume coffee at an affordable price.
Due to the high consumer demand for 'Sustainable Coffee,' we successfully scaled our market presence by dual-tracking the distribution of both 'Fine Robusta Specialty' and 'Sustainable Coffee
The transition to eco-friendly practices has instilled a sense of pride and confidence within our farmer community. They also reduce the usage of chemicals. Real Bean Coffee has also replaced plastic bags with paper in the packaging process. These processes are not easy, but Real Bean Coffee expanded the sustainable coffee market for local coffee farms.
What kinds of support are provided for farmers?
In June 2025, farmers began to be taxed at a rate of 5 percent on coffee bean sales. In addition, implementing the e-invoicing system caused farmers to experience difficulties. For farmers who are confused by the complicated e-invoicing system and the introduction of the 5% VAT, Real Bean Coffee helps them ensure tax compliance and accuracy through law firms, preventing unnecessary financial burdens caused by administrative errors. The establishment of such a transparent administrative system is also an essential process for international certification. Real Bean Coffee produces fair trade coffee with large farmer communities in Dak Lak and Lam Dong. The German Society for International Cooperation(GIZ) will conduct an audit soon, which is expected to make farmers receive ‘Clean Fare certification’ next year.
Please introduce a memorable moment in education for partner farmers.
I would like to share the case of Ms. Phoung in Lam Dong. She became interested in the environment by collaborating with Real Bean Coffee. It is a crucial task for farmers to sustain their livelihood with farming. We help them make their farms more sustainable and purchase their coffee at a 10% higher price than the market. Ms. Phoung adopted eco-friendly farming and increased her productivity, and now she exports more than 3 tons of coffee beans annually.
Sun-grown monoculture farming can be harmful to coffee beans, as it only plants coffee trees. In contrast, agroforestry fosters biodiversity, restores soil health, and yields superior beans that command premium prices. Farmers can earn extra income by planting other crops together on the agroforestry farm. Real Bean Coffee promotes the necessity of eco-friendly farming, as well as how it leads to actual profit. Farmers also recognize the importance of eco-friendly farming with the change in total revenue.
Of course, many farms are still at the learning stage. But at least the farmers' awareness of the environment improved. Even when we do not emphasize them repeatedly, farmers internalize the necessity of a greener farm for their livelihood.
It is important that Real Bean Coffee is a member of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association. We encourage farmers to join the training of the association. Other farmers who did not join the training are invited to observe when the farmers practice what they learned. While Real Bean Coffee directly conducted training until 2021, we have now transitioned to a collaborative learning environment. By encouraging farmers to visit one another’s farms and observe practices firsthand, we have fostered a peer-to-peer learning model where knowledge is shared and internalized more effectively within the community.
How does Real Bean Coffee advertise farmer partnerships to the outside?
Real Bean Coffee recognizes that systemic change in Vietnam's agricultural ecosystem cannot be achieved in isolation. Therefore, we actively disseminate our sustainable farming blueprints at the Coffee Association.
At the transition from conventional farms to organic, eco-friendly farms, we prioritize making the best coffee from local farmers. Therefore, farmers can earn a stable income and make a farm sustainable. So Real Bean Coffee prioritizes reinvesting surplus revenue directly into the farms. For example, we support farmers to change from chemical fertilizers to organic ones if we have some extra income. We promise them to buy the products and support them to sell at a higher price.
Also, we set a price higher than the market price, based on the minimum yield (0.5 tons) of Specialty Coffee. We provide an upfront payment of 10-20% of the total contract to alleviate the farmers' financial burden. We have kept this partnership with farmers for over 5 years. There were some challenges during the COVID-19 period, but since 2024, farmers have recovered their income and sold more coffee.
If the other regions also collaborate with farmers, as in our case, farmers can live a better life with the awareness of the climate crisis. The more people act together, the more familiar sustainable coffee becomes an option for customers. So we phase our work based on our priority, and let people learn and adopt our model. We hope our impact spreads to all the farms in Vietnam.
It is noticeable that Real Bean Coffee and you make a business exchange with other women entrepreneurs.
I participate in events for women entrepreneurs, including events from UN-Women in Vietnam. One day, I met a Japanese entrepreneur, and she became my client. She also asked me about other Vietnamese products like sugar, so I did not hesitate but recommended Hoai, the CEO of Palmania, who is the 3rd cohort Asia Beautiful Fellow. Through the conferences and training for women entrepreneurs, I am building a network that shares our world and knows each other.
When Real Bean Coffee selects a cup or other goods for the gift package, I prefer to put a product from a women-led enterprise. Real Bean Coffee demonstrates its commitment through action by prioritizing products from women-led enterprises. We strive to cultivate a resilient community dedicated to the SDGs.
That is why I continue to join networks and share our work. These networks will be expanded through a thriving sisterhood within our local communities.
What have you learned through the Asia Beautiful Fellow Program?
I could reflect on myself and significantly grow over the last two years with the Asia Beautiful Fellow Program. I’ve learned to transcend the grind of 'working hard' and embrace a more strategic, sustainable approach to leadership. Now, I know that a good leader is one who inspires others.
Last time when I was at the Trade Expo, I was at the same booth with 3rd Cohort Fellow Hoai(CEO of Palmania). Yesterday, I met the 4th Cohort Fellow Hai(CEO of Alterno). As we are Asia Beautiful Fellows, we can establish an instant rapport like 'You are the 2nd cohort', 'I am the 3rd cohort', etc. I was so glad when I met with 3rd Fellow Aby(CEO of Adena Coffee), who also works in the coffee industry, at the Asia Social Enterprise Program in Thailand.
Moving beyond mere financial sponsorship, but The Beautiful Store Foundation has also encouraged fellows to share our network concurrently. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we are united by a singular vision: to drive positive transformation within our communities. Belonging together and proudly introducing Real Bean Coffee, I learned how to empower myself through teamwork.