Thanh Nam Group moves into coffee export market

Thanh Nam Group moves into coffee export market

Thanh Nam Group announced the completion of a $9 million deal to acquire a controlling stake in Vietnam Coffee Export JSC (VIA COFFEE) at its AGM on April 24.

The acquisition expands the group's business portfolio and marks a strategic transformation towards multi-industry development, alongside its core sectors of steel, solar energy, real estate, and resort and hospitality services.

Thanh Nam completed the share transfer on March 3, acquiring a 98.3 per cent ownership stake in Vietnam Coffee Export JSC (Via Coffee). The deal is considered a long-term strategic move, enabling the group to enhance its competitiveness and gradually penetrate deeper into the agricultural export value chain-one of Vietnam’s most promising sectors.

Thanh Nam's development journey began in 2004 in the steel industry, with stainless steel as its flagship product. From the early stages, the company demonstrated strong adaptability to market dynamics, continuously innovating to maintain its competitive edge. In 2010, its slitting and cutting centre was put into operation, contributing to improved production capacity and a more complete supply chain.

Steel plant with outstanding production capacity – a solid financial pillar in the group’s multi-industry ecosystem

Building on this foundation, Thanh Nam gradually expanded its product portfolio to include cold-rolled steel, galvanised steel, electro-galvanised steel, and pickled hot-rolled steel – products that have become key pillars in the group's long-term development strategy.

Entering a new phase of development, in 2020, Thanh Nam continued to invest in the energy sector with solar power projects in Phu Yen province (now part of Dak Lak province), marking an important milestone, positioning energy as one of the group’s key sectors alongside steel in its business structure.

The group’s solar power project in Phu Yen (now part of Dak Lak province) – a testament to its sustainable development strategy

In 2023, the board of directors announced the transition to a holding company model, with a strategic orientation towards multi-industry development, focusing on two key expansion areas: real estate and agriculture. From this point, Thanh Nam’s ecosystem has been gradually completed with strategic components.

Currently, the group has put into operation one of its two resort real estate projects, including Kien Hotel in Danang and Vuon Dao Hotel in Halong (currently under renovation), contributing to enhanced brand value and diversified revenue streams.

The deal with Via Coffee marks another significant milestone, bringing Thanh Nam into the coffee export sector. Via Coffee operates a network of three branches in Dak Lak, Quang Tri, and Son La - key raw material regions – and is planning to expand with an additional factory in Quoc Oai area in Hanoi to further complete its production and logistics network.

A key differentiator in Via Coffee’s strategy is the parallel development of both premium robusta and arabica product lines. This approach enables the company to flexibly cater to diverse customer segments and enhance its ability to penetrate international markets.

Despite being a relatively new entrant, Via Coffee has already recorded positive signals, becoming a partner in demanding markets such as the United States, Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Algeria.

The first shipments departing for the United States and Europe – a testament to VIA COFFEE’s rapid market adaptability

Going beyond the export of green coffee beans, Thanh Nam also aims to build the Via Coffee brand for value-added products such as roasted coffee and instant coffee in the near future. This is considered a strategic move to increase product value and gradually elevate Vietnamese coffee in the global market.

After more than two decades of development, Thanh Nam has steadily built a multi-pillar ecosystem including steel, solar energy, real estate, resort and hospitality, and agriculture. This multi-industry strategy helps the company diversify risk while creating synergies across sectors, optimising capital efficiency and management capabilities.

The expansion into the coffee sector is not merely an investment move, it also reflects the company’s long-term vision and adaptive transformation mindset. In the context of a constantly evolving market, a selective development strategy aligned with core competitive advantages is helping Thanh Nam build a solid foundation for future growth.

VIR