Highlands Coffee CEO David Thai at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Cao Nguyen Coffee site | Photo credit: Highlands Coffee

Vietnam's Highlands Coffee has invested nearly VND 500bn ($20.5m) in a new 258,000sq ft coffee roasting facility in the province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau. 
 

The coffee chain, which is majority-owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), said capacity at the Cao Nguyen Coffee Roasting Factory in its first year of production is expected to reach 10,000 tons, before growing to 75,000 tons of coffee annually.  

Once fully operational, the facility will be the largest coffee roasting factory in Vietnam. 

Alongside its roasting facility, the site will also house a training centre and museum to relay the history of coffee development in Vietnam. 

In a press release, Highlands Coffee said commencing construction of the factory ‘affirms its pioneering position’ among Vietnam’s coffee producers and represents a ‘strategic step in the race to compete directly with global coffee brands’. 

“Highlands Coffee’s mission is to bring the best of Vietnam to the local community and the world. With the desire to develop thousands of stores in Vietnam and beyond, this factory is determined to bring Vietnamese specialty coffee culture to a new level globally,” said David Thai, founder and CEO of Highlands Coffee. 

Founded in 1999, Highlands Coffee operates nearly 700 stores in Vietnam and over 50 outlets in the Philippines.  

Filipino fast-food group JFC acquired a 50% share in Highlands Coffee in 2012 before taking a controlling 60% interest in 2017. In December 2022, it was reported that JFC was seeking to sell a 10-15% stake in Highlands Coffee, with the potential sale expected to value the coffee chain at approximately $800m. 

In March 2023, JFC reported strong year-on-year outlet growth for Highlands Coffee, opening 73 net new outlets in 2022 to surpass 600 stores.