Partner Visit: Thai Dang on tour with cumpa

In November 2025, Thai Dang from 96B Coffee Company in Vietnam will be travelling to Europe. Together with cumpa, she will visit selected roasters in six cities to share insights into the world of Coffea liberica and Coffea dewevrei (Excelsa).

Thai Dang is the co-founder of 96B Coffee Company in Ho Chi Minh City. After completing her MPhil in Politics at the University of Oxford, she worked in Saigon for six months and in Hong Kong for a year before realizing that coffee really makes her happy. Today she is responsible for Coffee Education, Operations, Design, Marketing and Long Term planning at 96B among others. She has lived in Vietnam, South Korea, the Netherlands, Kenya, England, Hong Kong and the USA, travelled to over 60 countries and brings this international perspective to her work, with the clear goal of advancing Vietnamese coffee worldwide.

She is considered one of the visible voices for Vietnamese specialty coffee, with a particular focus on Liberica, Excelsa and Robusta. 96B Coffee Company was founded in 2016 by Hana Choi; Since 2020, Thai has been shaping the company’s rebranding and strategic direction as a partner. A highlight is EMBERS, a Fine Robusta from Mori Farm in Gia Lai (for 96B, the first coffee release outside of Lâm Đồng at the time), which finished 2nd in the Robusta category at the 2021 Vietnam Amazing Cup. In Standard Issue 36, Thai’s work is portrayed. She previously experienced her „aha moment“ at Coffee Sweet in Taipei before joining 96B and working as co-owner to advance the focus on sourcing and roasting.

We believe that diversity is the future of specialty coffee. And in Thai, we have found a like-minded partner who is burning with passion for the inclusion of low-altitude–grown specialty coffee.

Our mission has always been to connect people through science, coffee, and friendship — making this the perfect opportunity to bring people together. Origin meets destination. Producer meets roaster. This collaboration embodies an integral part of our work at cumpa: a truly lived approach to direct trade and a conversation on equal footing.

What that means in concrete terms:

The focus is on a guided cupping featuring various Excelsa/Liberica lots from Vietnam, along with other Arabica and Canephora coffees from the cumpa portfolio. The session highlights the different species, varieties, processing methods, and sensory potential of the coffees presented. Together, we will also explore the potential of cross-species blends.

A short impulse talk, “Vietnam Today,” will provide exciting insights into the growing regions, farm structures, harvest, and quality assurance measures. During the open Q&A, we will exchange ideas on topics such as procurement, logistics, quality standards, and cooperation at origin.

At the subsequent Meet & Greet, you will have the opportunity to network personally with Thai and the local cumpa team members.

Vietnam is a country of contrasts and opportunities: traditional growing areas, new altitudes, diverse varieties and processing approaches. 96B works to make quality transparent and shows how different profiles from Vietnam can taste today. Of Vietnam’s annual production of around 1.88 million tons of coffee, only around 3% is Arabica, which is one reason why high-quality Vietnamese Arabica has so far hardly been found in Europe. However, 96B does not exclude: As Thai explains in the interview, the team is looking for the most interesting and sustainable coffees – whether Arabica, Robusta or Liberica/Excelsa. The latter, a rare species originating in West and Central Africa, is considered by many to be „future-proof“ because it grows at lower altitudes and is overall more robust against environmental conditions and pests.

The portfolio includes, among others, a Liberica project (separation, roasting and sensory evaluation of different Liberica phenotypes) and a network of 30+ farms in several growing regions. 96B refers to the use of their coffees at barista championships and collaborations with international players such as Blue Bottle and Crop to Cup; Media mentions range from Standart and HuffPost to Tatler Asia. In parallel, 96B offers 200–300 workshop places per month and was mentioned in this context by The New York Times, among others. A consistent leitmotif is direct trade with pricing set by the producers and continuous quality improvement.

For some locations there are only a limited number of places. Contact us via email: paul.lidy@cumpa.de to secure your seat.

Tickets are available directly for the event at Communal Coffee Berlin HERE.