Turning Coffee Husks into Premium Tea for Export to Japan

THE FIRST CASCARA TEA SHIPMENT TO JAPAN
In late May, Viet Thao Nhien — headquartered at Loc Son Industrial Park, B’Lao Ward, Lam Dong Province — exported its first batch of Cascara tea bags to Japan. This makes it the first Vietnamese company to conquer this demanding market, marking a major milestone in elevating the value of overlooked Vietnamese agricultural byproducts.

Cascara tea is produced from ripe red Arabica coffee husks, sourced from sustainable coffee-growing regions certified with Rainforest Alliance and USDA standards. The husks are freshly separated, naturally fermented, then dried and packed into tea bags.
This initial shipment — a 2-ton container — features traditional, orange-cinnamon, ginger, and mint flavors, as part of a five-year contract to supply Japanese supermarket chains.

FROM DISCARDED BYPRODUCT TO A BILLION-DOLLAR WELLNESS DRINK
In the past, coffee husks were often discarded or used as fertilizer. Today, thanks to deep-processing technology, Cascara is recognized as a future wellness beverage.
According to Allied Market Research (2024), the global Cascara market is projected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2032, with an annual growth rate of over 18%.

“At the beginning, no one — not even coffee farmers — believed coffee husks could be drinkable,” said Nguyen Anh Tuan, CEO of Viet Thao Nhien. “We developed 50 prototype samples, sent them to 12 countries — and received only 2 responses. Now, the fact that Japanese consumers trust our product proves its true value.”

BEYOND TEA — BUILDING A CASCARA PRODUCT ECOSYSTEM
The company is currently preparing two additional shipments to Japan and the US this July, while also developing other Cascara-based products, including:

• Ready-to-drink Cascara concentrate
• Cascara functional powder & bio-cosmetic ingredients
• Premium ingredients for kombucha and health foods