The archive · Consumer Apps · Strategic decision · 2021–2026
Every Half bets Vietnamese specialty coffee captures value; $8M Series A, 36 stores
Ex-Coffee House founders built a fine-Robusta chain from farms to cup: 36 stores, vertical supply chain, $8M Series A from Openspace and DSG.
Every Half Coffee Roasters
What the business is
Every Half Coffee Roasters is an affordable-premium Vietnamese specialty coffee chain: 36 stores across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Hoi An, with its own roasting, direct farm partnerships and packaged coffee sold online and internationally.
Starting capital：$8M Series A closed 2026-07-15 from Openspace Capital and DSG Consumer Partners - the third investment from the same two funds after an undisclosed seed (August 2024) and a $3M pre-Series A (May 2025) (DealStreetAsia; VietnamBiz).
How it started
Founded in 2021 by CEO Vo Duy Phu and COO Tran Le Minh Truc, Every Half set out to build a globally recognised Vietnamese specialty coffee brand. The founders' argument was that Vietnam produces about 17% of the world's coffee - and most of its Robusta - yet captures little of the value, because the country exports beans as a commodity while roasting, branding and retail profits accrue overseas.
What happened
Every Half grew from 14 stores a year ago to 36 across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Hoi An (157% growth), opened its first Hanoi store at the end of 2025, and moved into packaged coffee, e-commerce and hotel supply. It manages about 8 hectares of coffee farmland with plans to reach 10 by end-2026 and 50 long term, backed by proprietary fermentation. Openspace Capital and DSG Consumer Partners funded an undisclosed seed in August 2024 and a $3M pre-Series A in May 2025, then closed an $8M Series A on 2026-07-15.
How it ended up
Live and scaling: as of September 2026 the chain has 36 stores, management expects revenue to nearly triple this year, and packaged sales are expanding through Amazon into Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan; no exit.
Background
Every Half Coffee Roasters is a Vietnamese specialty coffee chain founded in 2021 by Vo Duy Phu and Tran Le Minh Truc, both veterans of The Coffee House, where Phu was a co-founder and vice president and Truc ran sourcing and quality. Its bet is that Vietnam - the world's second-largest coffee producer, contributing about 17% of global output - can capture more of its own value by building a specialty brand instead of exporting commodity beans.
The founders deliberately chose fine Robusta and an affordable-premium position (about $2.50 a cup versus roughly $4.50 at international chains), pairing 36 stores across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Hoi An with direct farm partnerships, proprietary fermentation and its own roasting. The retail network grew 157% in a year, from 14 to 36 stores, with the first Hanoi store opening at the end of 2025.
Openspace Capital and DSG Consumer Partners backed the company three times: an undisclosed seed in August 2024, a $3M pre-Series A in May 2025, and an $8M Series A announced on 2026-07-15. Management expects revenue to nearly triple in 2026 and plans to grow managed farmland from about 8 hectares to 10 by the end of 2026, heading toward 50.
Every Half is also diversifying beyond stores into packaged coffee sold online and on Amazon into Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan, plus hotel and commercial supply. Its fine Robusta won a Gold award at the 2025 Global Coffee Awards in Houston, evidence for the founders' claim that Vietnam can be known for quality coffee rather than bulk beans.
What has to be true
- Founder credibility: Phu co-founded and led The Coffee House, and Truc ran sourcing and quality, so the supply-chain bet came from operators who had already scaled a chain.
- Category gap: Vietnam grows about 17% of world coffee but most value accrued overseas; specialty and fine Robusta let a local brand keep more of it.
- Vertical control: managed farmland of about 8 hectares growing toward 50, plus proprietary fermentation and roasting, builds consistency that competitors buying beans cannot match.
- Multi-channel: stores plus e-commerce, Amazon and hotel or B2B supply mean the brand is not hostage to store traffic alone.
What can be applied
A commodity country can capture value by integrating the whole chain and upgrading the product, then charging consumers for the story - stores become brand touchpoints, not the whole model.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-02 Every Half runs 36 specialty stores across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Hoi An - up from 14 a year earlier (+157%) - after closing an $8M Series A on 2026-07-15 from Openspace Capital and DSG Consumer Partners, its third round from the same pair (seed August 2024, $3M pre-Series A in May 2025). Management expects revenue to nearly triple in 2026 and plans to lift managed farmland to 10 hectares by end-2026 on the way to 50. It sells packaged coffee on Amazon into Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan after winning a 2025 Global Coffee Awards gold for its fine Robusta.
Sources
- Vietnamese coffee chain Every Half bags $8m from Openspace, DSG
- Vietnam's largest specialty coffee chain raises $8 million in Series A
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