Branding and Marketing Geographical Indication (GI) Coffee in Gia Lai, Viet Nam

In April, the WIPO Singapore Office piloted a hands-on clinic for over 80 coffee producers in Viet Nam to commercialise and expand their products locally and overseas – working collaboratively with various stakeholders -- namely IP Viet Nam, Department of Science and Technology, Gia Lai (GLDOST), and INTA members such as Baker & McKenzie and TikTok Shop Viet Nam.

During April 19 -20, 2023, WIPO Singapore Office, IP Viet Nam and Department of Science and Technology, Gia Lai (GLDOST) jointly organized the hands-on clinic for 80 GI coffee producers in collaboration key stakeholders and INTA members, including Baker & McKenzie Viet Nam and TikTok Shop Viet Nam.

Known for producing Robusta coffee of the highest quality for the export market while being part of the poorer province in the country, the organisers found Gia Lai to be a region with the most untapped potential for growth.

The two-day hands-on clinic brought together 80 coffee growers and producers from the Gia Lai province. They were very keen to learn how they could manage, protect and commercialize their coffee brands in the local and international markets, as well as how to develop creative contents for successful presence and expansion on social/e-commerce platforms.

The Baker & McKenzie team also sought to address the challenges encountered by the coffee producers and brand owners. These included how to prevent names and trademarks from being copied by others, how to protect their brands in the local and international markets – taking into account the capability and size of the businesses, and the enforcement of IP rights by the e-platforms concerned.

The registration of rights is especially important in the above context, as coffee brand owners rarely file for trademark protection, leaving decades-old brands vulnerable to being copied by others and not owning the rights to their own brands. Legal experts also shared examples of successful local and international brands as a template for how brand building should be considered as part of the business strategy from the very beginning.

The highlight of the two-day clinic were site visits to coffee plantations such as the VINHHIEP and Mori farms, which provided a great opportunity for participants to share their experiences as coffee producers – particularly the full cycle of coffee growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, and branding of products.

Next, TikTok Shop shared the importance of mastering an e-commerce or online retail presence along with IP rights protection, by having three successful female sellers on the platform sharing their success stories and the difficulties that they overcame. These included the significant challenge of sustained and consistent production of creative contents, and adapting to new and innovative approaches to attract customers and widen customer bases. Moreover, seamless back-end operations were also key as they support the brand’s quality via both fine goods and effective delivery – a dimension mastered by TikTok Shop, which proved to be a top choice for sellers.

The clinic ended with coffee producers demonstrating how they would conduct livestreams to sell the product they produce, receiving practical advice from experts throughout the session.

Following the session, GLDOST announced an assistance programme and funding to help coffee producers register their unregistered trademarks and procure a geographical indication (GI) seal.

After this successful clinic, WIPO Singapore Office, along with participants and partners, are encouraged and excited to launch a second phase of implementation for this IP management program. In this phase, coffee producers will be coached and mentored on the development of creative contents as well as coming on board TikTok Shop, thereby tapping on another avenue for income generation and commercialization of their brands.