Meet your MD: Vinh To – Managing Director Sucafina Vietnam  

1. Can you tell us about your journey into coffee and what led you to your current role as Managing Director of Sucafina Vietnam?  

I was born in Nha Trang, a beautiful coastal city in central Vietnam. Interestingly, I entered the coffee industry with no commodity background at all. Before coffee, I mainly worked in construction projects as a supervisor and planner. After completing a major project, I decided to take a break from construction and look for new challenges. 

In 2000, I joined one of the top five coffee exporters in Vietnam, which marked my first interaction with the industry. Four years later, I moved to Ho Chi Minh City and joined another multinational trading company as a trader. In 2017, after several years in a similar leadership role at my previous company, I joined Sucafina as Managing Director of Vietnam. I found Sucafina’s vision much more interesting and, in many ways, more challenging to me. 

2. What are the most valuable lessons you have learned from your time at Sucafina? 

Having been in the industry for quite some time, I’ve seen many periods of market volatility and changing dynamics, which make adaptability valuable. These experiences have shown me how important it is to keep improving yourself and stay open to new technologies.  

3. What are the most exciting aspects of your role as a MD of Sucafina Vietnam? 

There are a few areas, but I think the one that I really enjoy is building relationships with customers and strengthening bonds between colleagues. This also includes being well-connected with other origins within the Sucafina network to strategically support each other.  

Within the Vietnam office, I’ve reshaped the structure and built a strong team based on one philosophy: one family with no hierarchy. I truly enjoy growing alongside the team, sharing knowledge and becoming the problem-solving guy that people can rely on whenever needed. 

4. From your perspective, what are some of the key trends or developments shaping the future of the coffee industry – especially in Vietnam as an origin? 

Environmental issues will, without a doubt, heavily impact the future of the coffee industry. I believe climate change will push the global market further toward sustainable products as the industry works to mitigate its effects. 

On the production side, climate change will also have a major impact on the supply chain. Arabica supply may become increasingly vulnerable. Meanwhile, Robusta could become even more important in the years ahead. 

At the same time, the strong volatility in the market is driving significant consolidation across the industry, with larger companies acquiring smaller ones. This will ultimately reshape both the industry itself and the way businesses operate.  

As weather conditions become more extreme, whether hotter or colder, consumer behavior will likely shift as well. For example, cold beverages are already becoming increasingly popular, and we may continue to see growing demand for iced coffee in the future.

5. What inspires you? Either in daily life or in your job? 

What inspires me most is how dynamic the industry is. You always need to stay in a “ready to refresh” mode and sometimes even run to keep yourself updated and catch up. I think the bottom line is that we either need to adapt or, simply, enjoy new innovations. On top of that, the younger generation is gaining more knowledge thanks to AI and new technology, which is very impressive. 

6. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the coffee industry today? 

My advice would be: “Everything is built from the roots.” From my personal experience, when I first joined the coffee industry, I was always excited when my boss asked me to travel to different coffee regions, hang close to farmers or visit factories. Those experiences helped me truly understand the industry from the ground up. Once you fully understand the roots of the business, you can then do everything with confidence. 

7. What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?  

To be honest, I’m not really sure about this [laughs]. But maybe my memory for small details and how I can map out the whole supply chain from farms to roasters.  

8. What’s your favorite way of drinking coffee/your favourite drink? 

Definitely iced coffee and I actually have a funny story about it. In 2007, I was visiting some clients in Italy when we stopped at a coffee shop. I asked for an iced coffee, but the lady at the shop told me they didn’t have it. So I asked if she could bring me an espresso and a cup of ice. She said yes, brought them in separate cups and I made an iced coffee myself right in front of her. She just gave me a smile and said, “Now I will put this on my menu.”