Highlands Coffee®

What Highlands Coffee® does

Highlands Coffee® is a privately held Vietnamese coffee and cafe chain founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City (District 2). The company operates 900+ retail locations across all 63 provinces of Vietnam in standard cafe and drive-thru formats, alongside a franchise partner program, and serves more than 200,000 cups of coffee, tea, and allied beverages daily to mass-market Vietnamese consumers. It also sells consumer packaged goods — including packaged coffee and branded merchandise — through its own store network and adjacent retail channels.

The company's underlying operational platform is anchored by its Cái Mép Coffee Roasting Factory in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu, inaugurated on April 15, 2025. The nearly 24,000m2 facility runs Lean Manufacturing and 6 Sigma methodologies and operates under FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, and HACCP food-safety certifications. Phase 1 capacity is 10,000 tons of roasted coffee per year, expandable to 75,000 tons in subsequent phases, with the initial investment approximating 500 billion VND. Highlands' proprietary Tan-Tam service standard is applied across stores for food, beverage, customer service, and management consistency.

Revenue mechanics are driven by direct-to-consumer retail store sales of coffee, tea, and food, supplemented by franchise royalties and licensing income from franchise operators, plus CPG packaged product sales. The customer base is broadly distributed mass-market Vietnamese consumers — both individuals and the tourism/hospitality channel — with no enterprise anchor accounts. The company employs 9,000+ people with a 7-year average tenure, and has accumulated employer-brand recognition including Fortune Top 9 in Southeast Asia (2025) and multiple Great Place to Work certifications. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue figures are not publicly reported.

Name

Highlands Coffee®

Legal name

Highlands Coffee

Website

https://careers.highlandscoffee.com.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Highlands Coffee is a privately held Vietnamese coffee and cafe chain operating 900+ retail and drive-thru stores across all 63 provinces of Vietnam, serving 200,000+ cups daily to mass-market Vietnamese consumers with vertically integrated roasting at its Cái Mép factory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee and Cafe Chain

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080), Bakery Products (2050)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD), Drive-Thru Coffee Stands & Coffee Kiosks (THAFADAK)

Keywords

• Vietnamese coffee chain
• Cafe retail stores
• Coffee roasting manufacturing
• Consumer packaged coffee
• Franchise cafe operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Ho Chi Minh City

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: Revenue from sale of coffee, tea, and food products across 900+ physical store locations throughout Vietnam
2. Franchise Operations: Franchise model generating revenue through partnership with franchise operators across store network

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Highlands Coffee operates a chain of 900+ retail cafes across 63 provinces in Vietnam, selling Vietnamese coffee, tea, and food products directly to consumers through company-owned and franchised stores. The company also sells consumer packaged coffee products and operates a vertically integrated coffee roasting factory (Cái Mép facility) producing up to 10,000 tons annually.

Product overview

Highlands Coffee is a Vietnamese coffee and cafe chain offering a unified portfolio centered on modern Vietnamese coffee and cafe lifestyle experiences. The core products include coffee and tea beverages served across 900+ retail stores nationwide, complemented by Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) including packaged coffee products and merchandise. The company operates a vertically integrated model with its own coffee roasting factory (Cái Mép facility) and offers multiple store formats including traditional cafes and drive-thru locations. Highlands Coffee also operates under a franchise model alongside company-owned stores, serving over 200,000 cups daily across 63 provinces in Vietnam.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cafe and Coffee Beverages Vietnamese coffee and tea beverages served across 900+ store locations, featuring traditional Vietnamese coffee styles and modern cafe drinks for everyday consumers.
• Consumer Packaged Coffee Products (CPG)

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ cups served daily
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Cotti Coffee: China-origin coffee chain expanding aggressively into Southeast Asia with affordable price points. Comparable in value-segment coffee positioning and rapid franchise-led unit growth strategy.
• Mixue: China-origin value-priced beverage and ice cream chain rapidly expanding across Southeast Asia including Vietnam. Comparable in mass-market, affordable beverage positioning and franchise-led growth model.

Others

• Jollibee Foods Corporation: Philippine-based multinational restaurant operator historically affiliated with Highlands Coffee. Comparable as an adjacent foodservice operator with significant SEA retail footprint and shared customer demographics.

Direct peers

• Trung Nguyen Legend: Vietnamese coffee brand combining cafe operations with branded packaged coffee distribution. Comparable business model spanning retail cafes, coffee manufacturing, and CPG products.
• Phuc Long Coffee & Tea: Vietnamese coffee and tea chain with strong cafe footprint and packaged retail products. Closely comparable in coffee-and-tea positioning, CPG offering, and modern Vietnamese cafe experience.
• The Coffee House: Vietnamese specialty coffee chain operating a large cafe network across major Vietnamese cities. Direct competitor in the modern Vietnamese cafe segment with overlapping menu, customer demographic, and store format.
• Costa Coffee Vietnam: International coffee chain present in Vietnam with similar cafe store formats. Directly comparable in premium coffee positioning and physical retail distribution within the same urban catchments.

Regional players

• Amazon Cafe: Vietnamese coffee shop chain focused on affordable cafe experiences. Comparable in modern Vietnamese cafe positioning, though typically smaller-scale and more regionally concentrated.
• Highlands Coffee (Singapore): Same Highlands Coffee brand operated in Singapore and select overseas markets. Directly comparable brand, menu, and operating model, though representing a separate geographic market rather than a competitor in Vietnam.

Broad incumbents

• Starbucks Vietnam: Global coffee chain operating in Vietnam through a licensed partner. Competes for premium and aspirational coffee occasions in the same major Vietnamese cities as Highlands Coffee.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HighlandsCareerCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highlands-coffee

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highlands Coffee®