Skip to main content About Sampan
Relationship-first. Commercially disciplined.
Company story Sampan LLC is a Missouri-registered, Vietnam-based trade company operating from Ho Chi Minh City. We started with one active product line — Sampan Vietnamese Coffee — and a simple belief: durable international trade is built on relationships first and trade lanes second.
Coffee is our starting point. It gives regional partners a focused, export-ready product to sell and test while we build the distributor trust, market knowledge, and operational systems needed to support broader Vietnamese exports over time. The model is market-pull, not product-push.
We listen to what regional partners say their markets need, then work with Vietnamese brands and suppliers to help prepare the right products. The larger mission is to become a Vietnam trade and market-access platform — helping Vietnamese brands reach international markets through trusted regional partners, disciplined coordination, and demand-driven expansion.
We grow deliberately. We would rather build one durable trade lane with the right partner than chase ten without the right foundation. If that approach fits how you work, we would be glad to hear from you. Founders
Two co-founders, both in Ho Chi Minh City.
John Burdsall Co-Founder, Operations John Burdsall is Sampan's co-founder and operations lead, based in Ho Chi Minh City. He brings decades of on-the-ground operational experience across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, including nearly a decade as COO at Sunwah Group, where he led the development of Vietnam's first FSMA-certified agri-processing facility and structured a USD 60 million trade finance architecture supporting multinational exporters.
Earlier, he founded Wernercon Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, where he built proprietary ERP and collateral management systems for agri-commodity and logistics businesses — experience that directly informs Sampan's operational infrastructure today. John's background spans bonded warehousing, CIF distribution, cross-border compliance, and full P&L leadership across Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the United States.
Evan Clark Co-Founder, Business Development Evan Clark is Sampan's co-founder and business development lead, based in Ho Chi Minh City. He brings a background in international retail, brand development, and trade relationships across Asia and the Americas, including experience at Walmart, The Hershey Company, and leading the opening of the Abercrombie & Fitch flagship in Hong Kong.
He holds an MBA from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis and has lived and worked in Vietnam for four years. Evan leads Sampan's distributor relationships, regional market development, and trade lane strategy.
Working with Sampan.
If our approach fits how you work, we would be glad to hear from you. You can also read more about how we work with distributors and suppliers . Discuss a trade opportunity Registered St. Louis, MO Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam