Jrai Ialy Coffee is a coffee brand of the Jrai people

Starting a business from a passion for clean coffee

While still a student in the Faculty of Geography Education (Quy Nhon University), Siu Sat had already nurtured a dream of starting his own business. After graduating, Siu Sat married Ro Cham Awunh, who shared his aspiration to increase the value of agricultural products from their hometown. In 2015, Siu Sat and his wife began converting their family’s one hectare coffee plantation to organic farming methods. According to Mr. Sat, to produce clean, fragrant coffee beans, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the process from cultivation to harvesting, without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Specifically, only the ripest, bright red cherries are selected for harvesting. The coffee beans are sorted, hulled and dried on tarpaulin racks elevated above the ground to ensure quality.

Initially, Siu Sat faced numerous difficulties due to a lack of capital and business knowledge, undeterred, Siu Sat taught himself processing techniques, researched the market and boldly invested over four billion VND to build a factory and purchase modern roasting and grinding machines. In mid 2024, Jrai Ialy Agricultural Products Processing Company Limited was officially established, operating a closed-loop production system according to Organic and VietGAP standards. The “Jrai Ialy Coffee” brand launched with three product lines: pure ground Robusta coffee, pure whole bean Robusta and specialty Robusta. “Naming it “Jrai Ialy Coffee” is my way of establishing a Jrai coffee brand right here in my homeland”. This is a project I have cherished for a long time, with the desire to enhance the value of local coffee and help ethnic minority people improve their lives”, Mr. Sat shared.

The challenges of bringing a product to market

Because it was a new product, consumers were initially hesitant. The couple spared no effort, traveling far and wide to introduce the product, bringing it to every coffee shop and every customer. From North to South, their footprints are deeply imprinted at numerous fairs and product promotion events in Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City,… There are overnight trips to deliver orders to customers on time, even if the order is just a few small packages. “Having earned the trust of our customers, we want to personally deliver the products, regardless of the quantity”, said Siu Sat.

Thanks to continuous efforts, the quality and natural flavor of “Jrai Ialy Coffee” have gradually won over consumers, creating a solid foundation for this clean coffee brand from the highlands.

Promoting sustainable production methods

Siu Sat enthusiastically encouraged the Jrai people to switch to organic farming, protecting the environment and increasing the value of agricultural products. “The people here have experience in farming, are hardworking and understand the weather, but they lack scientific knowledge and have difficulty accessing new techniques. I want to be a pioneer, in order to show people that growing clean coffee can absolutely bring in high and stable income”, he confided. Up to now, Jrai Ialy Agricultural Products Processing Company Limited has created regular jobs for nearly 30 workers, mainly local ethnic minorities, at the same time encouraging households to grow coffee according to organic standards.

Ro Cham Awưnh, Siu Sat’s wife, emotionally shared: “Looking back on the journey we’ve taken, we still find it hard to believe we’ve come this far. Starting from nothing, but with our belief in and passion for clean coffee, my wife and I have achieved our initial success”.

In the future, Mr. Sat plans to expand production, develop more specialty coffee lines and build a coffee-based tourism model right in his hometown. He believes that, with genuine quality and dedication, Jrai people’s clean coffee will not only be well-received by domestic consumers but can also reach international markets./.