Food Empire invests $80m in new freeze-dried coffee facility in Vietnam

This will be the company’s second facility focused on freeze-dried coffee.

SGX-listed Food Empire Holdings is investing $80m to build a new freeze-dried coffee manufacturing facility in Binh Dinh province, Vietnam. 

This will be the company’s second facility focused on freeze-dried coffee and is part of its strategy to expand its ingredients business.

Construction is set to begin in Q1 2025 and finish by early 2028. The new facility will have greater capacity than the company’s existing plant in India and will be located in a major Robusta coffee bean-producing region. The investment will be funded through internal resources and bank borrowings.

Food Empire’s recent initiatives underscore a stronger focus on the Asian market. In May 2024, the company unveiled plans for its first coffee-mix production facility in Kazakhstan, set to open by late 2025. 

Additionally, a strategic partnership with Ikhlas Capital was established in August 2024 to boost the group’s presence in Southeast and South Asia.

“Growth from our South-East Asia segment, and in particular, Vietnam, has been the highest in recent years,” said Sudeep Nair, chief executive officer of Food Empire. “We believe there is tremendous potential for even more growth and that is why we are putting focus in the region.”

Food Empire’s branded products are sold in over 60 countries, with facilities in Malaysia, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Russia producing coffee mixes, instant beverages, and snacks.