Tran Van Than - the man who "sublimated" Dam Rong 1 coffee beans

“Kind people” coffee

In the vast green coffee hills stretching along the slopes of Dam Rong 1 mountain, there is a small factory that always smells of the strong aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans. There, young man Tran Van Than, a chemical engineer at Hanoi University of Industry, is working hard on the freeze dryer, watching each batch of coffee go through the deep processing stage.

With the support of the local Youth Union, Mr. Tran Van Than, Dam Rong 1 commune ( Lam Dong ) started a business producing and processing pure coffee.

After graduating from university, young man Tran Van Than began his career journey. After many years of struggling in the city, Mr. Than decided to return to his hometown to take care of his family and pursue his ambition of making clean, pure coffee so that consumers can drink the true taste of coffee from Lam Dong.

In 2018, with the support of the local Youth Union, Mr. Than boldly borrowed 50 million VND in preferential capital from the Social Policy Bank along with 50 million VND in savings to invest in buying the first roasting machine. Samarita Coffee - meaning "kind person" was born from that.

Samarita ground coffee product, coffee of "good people" of Mr. Tran Van Than, Dam Rong 1 commune (Lam Dong)

Wishing to increase the value of his hometown coffee beans, Mr. Than decided to focus on producing high-quality pure roasted coffee. Having no experience, the young man worked hard in the workshop every day, and at night he read documents and searched online. When he had saved a little capital, he enrolled in specialized roasting courses to improve his skills.

To make high quality coffee, Mr. Than carefully selects the coffee beans, hand-harvests the ripe red berries, and naturally dries them on the floor. Coffee processed using the honey method helps the product have a sweet taste, balanced acidity with a light fruity aroma, and a rich, pure aftertaste.

Coffee processed using the honey method gives the coffee a sweet taste, rich and pure aftertaste.

Mr. Than said that at that time, the Dam Rong 1 area was still quite unfamiliar with pure coffee and high-quality coffee products. Farmers mainly sold green coffee beans and were not interested in producing and processing coffee beans. Based on that reality, he linked up with 4 coffee-growing households in the area to purchase products and guide people to produce according to high-quality coffee processes. From there, gradually improving the quality of local raw coffee.

Mr. Than chose the brand name Samarita Coffee because Samarita in Hebrew means "good pagan", Samarita Coffee is the coffee of good people, as an affirmation of product quality.

Investing in freeze-drying technology

Due to the reputation and quality of high quality coffee products, many acquaintances in the commune and province come to buy them for use and as gifts for relatives.

Mr. Than gradually expanded the consumption market, looking for customers inside and outside the province. He also promoted sales on social networks and e-commerce platforms, helping Samarita coffee get closer to consumers nationwide. Each year, his factory produces about 9-10 tons of ground coffee for the market, bringing a good income for himself and a stable source of coffee consumption for 4 farmers in the area.

Mr. Than invested in buying a freeze dryer to produce dried coffee.

With capital, he invested in more machinery and paid attention to improving product quality. By chance, he learned about freeze-dried coffee from his brother who went abroad, and Mr. Than became interested and started researching to make the product. Freeze-dried coffee, just drop it into water and it will dissolve immediately, still maintaining the original quality, rich flavor, very convenient.

Thinking is doing, in 2024, Mr. Than invested in a freeze dryer, experimenting with making freeze-dried coffee products. After many failures, Mr. Than gradually mastered the process and technology, creating his own freeze-dried coffee products. Not stopping there, Mr. Than also accepts freeze-drying of vegetables, tubers, fruits, and key local agricultural products.

“To get 1.3kg of freeze-dried coffee, 5kg of pure ground coffee is needed. Freeze-drying technology preserves the color, flavor and nutrition of the product, opening up a new direction for Dam Rong 1 agricultural products,” Mr. Than shared.

Mr. Tran Van Than, Dam Rong 1 commune (Lam Dong) learns and invests in deep processing technology, freeze-drying coffee, vegetables, and fruits to help increase the value of agricultural products.

He believes that by investing in deep processing technology, farmers will no longer have to depend entirely on the price of fresh agricultural products. Once coffee, vegetables, and fruits are refined, freeze-dried to help preserve them for a long time and carry their own brand, the added value will increase many times over.

Two products, pure roasted coffee and freeze-dried coffee, have been recognized as 3-star OCOP, marking an important step in the young man's journey to elevate the local brand.

Mr. Pham Van Duong, Secretary of the Youth Union of Dam Rong 1 commune, said that Mr. Than is a hard-working, dynamic young man, a typical example of a young man in the start-up and career movement in the locality. With his passion and creativity, he has contributed to raising the level of local coffee products, creating deeply processed products with the knowledge and technology values of youth.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/tran-van-than-nguoi-thang-hoa-hat-ca-phe-dam-rong-1-396126.html