Transforming Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans from being sold by the ton to being sold by the cup.

Based on 15 years of producing high-quality coffee in Da Lat and observations from Mexico and China, Mr. Tran Nhat Quang - founder of La Viet coffee company, a partner exporting coffee to Japan and the US - believes that Robusta coffee can absolutely become a high-quality coffee variety, recognized worldwide, if the core problem within the bean itself: caffeine, can be solved.

An " overdose " of coffee and the trap of overproduction.

Earlier this year, a coffee roaster in Tokyo asked me a seemingly simple question: "Vietnamese Robusta is delicious, but why do Japanese people only dare to drink a small cup?" It took me quite a while to answer, because the most honest answer is one we rarely say: Robusta beans contain far too much caffeine for the average coffee drinker to tolerate.

Robusta is an easy-to-grow coffee variety: it tolerates low altitudes, is resistant to pests and diseases, has high yields, and is inexpensive. As a result, for decades, Robusta has been a leading ingredient in the global pharmaceutical, beverage, and instant coffee industries. Vietnam, with its suitable soil and altitude, has become the world's largest producer of Robusta: according to the US Department of Agriculture, Vietnam's coffee production is estimated to reach 32.5 million bags in the 2026-2027 crop year, with Robusta accounting for 31.4 million bags.