Established in 1969 at the Coronel Coffee Plant in Biên Hòa, Đồng Nai Province, Republic of Vietnam by French engineer Marcel Coronel, the company was confiscated by the state when Coronel and his family fled Vietnam at the close of the Vietnam War. The plant successfully processed its first batches of instant coffee in 1977. The Vinacafé brand was established in 1983, and the company became a joint stock company in December 2004. Its coffee products have been awarded the title of "Highest Quality Vietnamese Product" since 1995.

The company is mainly known for its Vinacafé brand of coffee products, including both ground coffee suitable for filters and instant coffee.Vinacafé's "3-in-1" line of instant coffee, which approximates the taste of Vietnamese cà phê sữa by combining coffee with non-dairy creamer and sugar in a single packet, has been quite successful in both domestic and international markets. "3-in-1" is a registered brand in 60 countries throughout the world. Its coffee products have been awarded the title of "Highest Quality Vietnamese Product" since 1995.

The original Coronel Coffee Plant in Biên Hòa, Đồng Nai Province, was designed for an output of 80 tons of instant coffee per year. To meet growing domestic and international demand, a second processing plant was built, coming into operation in 2000. This second plant has a designed capacity of 800 tons of instant coffee per year. A third processing plant, based in the town of Long Thanh, Đồng Nai Province is expected to begin operation in 2012. This new plant, with an expected output of 3,200 tons of instant coffee per year, followed an investment of US$26 million; up to 70% of the production will go for export.