The Vietnamese Coffee Brand After 23 Years of Innovation

The brand’s transformation after more than 2 decades highlights Highlands Coffee’s expectation in enhancing the connection between the brand and the customers, while maintaining the traditions as well as integrating with contemporary cultures. “Coffee has always been at the core of our business strategy since establishment. Despite having more than 500 stores across Vietnam currently, we do not limit ourselves to only serving coffee. We seek out growing together with a growing Vietnam in the future as well as being a companion in Vietnamese people’s daily lives. As Highlands Coffee’s upcoming target is to become a community-oriented brand, serving as the nexus that ties everyone in the community together is essential”, said Mr. David Thai, founder of Highlands Coffee.

REFINED, MODERN AND TRADITIONAL; GOING INTERNATIONAL WHILE BEING COMMUNITY-DRIVEN

The new refreshed logo is created upon the original one’s purest essence. From afar, the two iconic oval-shaped curves, inspired after the coffee bean’s shape, are kept intact. The inner images, including mountains, river and deltas which form a cup of coffee, are stylised as a metaphor for the fertile Vietnam’s highlands. However, this widely-beloved ensemble has been simplified with minimalist style which subtly inspires modernity, openness, and friendliness. Furthermore, the logo’s composition embodies the Yin/Yang - Wuxing philosophies from Eastern cultures - defining the harmonious blend of Vietnamese cultural heritage with modernity and Highlands Coffee’s rhythms of modern life.

Another new feature in this transformation lies in brand colors. From the previous Highlands Coffee’s red, Coffee’s brown and Golden brown, the new logo turns into a single red color on a transparent background. Highlands Coffee’s ideology is best expressed by this change. Red color reflects patriotism, the essence of the nation, the passion for coffee heritage as well as the spirit of “Devotion” in serving customers, while still evokes the feeling of friendliness, caring, commitment to the community. The transparent background helps create a sense of flexibility against various background colors, representing the brand’s non-stop integration with the community.

“HIGHLANDS COFFEE® IS OURS” - A MESSAGE TOWARDS THE COMMUNITIES

Together with refreshing the brand identity, Highlands Coffee aims to express the “Highlands Coffee® Is Ours” message, which is centered around the four-pillar value system: Passion - Love - Respect - Support.

Such values are tactfully embedded in the campaign’s key visuals, with the coffee bean symbolizing the passion for Vietnam’s coffee heritage; the colorful cup for respect towards diversity in communities; the green heart for love; and the arms for mutual support.

Such constant values have been ceaselessly cultivated and ushered at each and every community in which Highlands Coffee operates. Reaching towards the upcoming journey’s mission, Highlands Coffee does not stop at simply connecting the communities and spreading the love for coffee culture; rather, the brand wants to be an essential part of each community. Highlands Coffee will stay next to each customer, being the hub of the community, therefore placing the brand at the heart of the communities. The “ours” element also affirms that Highlands Coffee is ready for an integrating journey in which the community can decide on a colorful Highlands Coffee they want to belong to, a Highlands Coffee compatible with each community.

“The modern world opens up opportunities for us to acquire knowledge and express who we are. However, I believe that connectedness and a sense of belonging to a community always has a place in every Vietnamese. Thus, by the new brand promise “Highlands Coffee® Is Ours”, we want each Highlands Coffee store to become a space dedicated not only to serving coffee; rather to become a hub that foster social interation through common passions, interests or simply a shared love for coffee, tea and delicious cakes”, said Mr. David Thai.

Mr. Alan Ceruti, CEO of Happiness Saigon, also known as Highlands Coffee’s Creative agency, said: “Highlands Coffee is an institution, a place that carries a special memory in everyone’s hearts and minds in Vietnam. It is the core foundation of the brand promise “Highlands Coffee® Is Ours”, and the innovative campaign from identity to activities. This work is a great testament of passion, commitment and partnership.”

Highlands Coffee has undergone major changes, based upon the community-driven values, after each 10-year journey. At each milestone, the brand keeps elevating the definition of community to new greater heights:

• 1999-2002: Upon the official launch of the first-generation Highlands Coffee logo, leaning towards community was defined to be closely associated with the passion of spreading Vietnam’s coffee culture, and delivering a drinking experience that combined the traditional and modern aspects of long-running heritage.

• 2013: Upon the logo transformation this time, connection with the community was emphasized multiple times. Highlands Coffee opened even more stores, and pioneered in evolving the traditional served-at-the-table service to the hyper-convenient self-service form across the nationwide store network.

● 2022: Highlands Coffee has now become a space reflecting the appeal of modern Vietnamese life, a community hub where people from all walks of life can connect and bond over a shared love, and find out the “taste of belongingness” amidst the modern context in which comforts are abundant and genuine connections are gradually absent.

The refreshed logo and re-defined brand promise will be rolled out by Highlands Coffee in the coming time, with visuals, interior design, staff’s uniforms, serving cups, the official website, mobile application, and relevant print products to follow.

Furthermore, in the near future, Highlands Coffee expects to implement a number of comprehensive plans which are well-represented the brand’s dedication towards this meaningful transformation - ones that embrace improving services, enhancing understanding about the communities, spreading the connecting spirit as well as demonstrating the brand’s social responsibility, therefore affirming the brand promise “Highlands Coffee® Is Ours”.

About Highlands Coffee:

Highlands Coffee was established in 1999, out of love for Vietnam, for the coffee and the people. Starting out with packaging coffee products in Hanoi, we have since grown to become a famous coffee chain and a major brand name that keeps expanding locally and internationally with over 500 stores and an impressive range of products which include Phin Sua Da, Tra Sen Vang, Phindi Hanh Nhan, bagged and boxed coffee.

At Highlands Coffee, dedication manifests in all activities, cultivating and leaning towards communities. We want to deliver a space dedicated not only to serving coffee; rather to become a nexus that ties everyone in the community together, placing Highlands Coffee at the heart of communities everywhere with Passion - Love - Respect - Support. Highlands Coffee is constantly improving, to be better every day and to be consistent with the chosen mission of cultivating the community.

In 2022, Highlands Coffee has been honored in the “Top 100 Best Places to Work in Vietnam” for 5 consecutive years and continues to be recognized as “Top 3 in Hospitality Industry”. Today, Highlands Coffee employs and provides training for over 10,000 workers, something considered as part of the company’s mission.