Our Story
OUR STORY
A Cambodian house built from place, knowledge and transformation.
Since 2001, Confirel has worked with Cambodian ingredients, local knowledge and modern food science to create products that carry their origins further — while preserving the identity and value of the places they come from.
The beginning
In 2001, Dr Hay Ly Eang founded Confirel on the belief that Cambodian terroirs, rural know-how and local ingredients could become higher-value products when supported by science, quality control and responsible production. That principle became the foundation for the work Confirel has built since.
“Cambodia's rural resources create more value when they are transformed locally.”
Dr Hay Ly Eang, Founder of Confirel
The Meaning of Confirel
The name Confirel reflects the company's founding philosophy: preserving natural heritage, creating value from local products, supporting innovation, ensuring fair remuneration and strengthening livelihoods through employment, training and responsible transformation.
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Conservation
of natural heritage
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Original identity
of local products
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New opportunities
for development
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Following
artisanal production logic
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Innovation
rooted in local resources
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Right remuneration
for stakeholders
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Employment
training for farmers and staff
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Leveraging
livelihoods and economic growth
From ingredient to knowledge
Confirel's approach starts in the field, not the factory: observing Cambodian ingredients and rural know-how, then researching how to protect and improve them without losing what makes them Cambodian.
Working with CIRAD experts, Dr Hay Ly Eang developed a filtration and stabilisation system for Thnot palm sap that improved purity, prevented premature fermentation and preserved the sap's qualities — transforming a fragile raw ingredient into one that could be validated against international food safety standards. That work opened the way to certification, export markets and the Palme d'Or at Natexpo Paris in 2005.
The same method — observe, research, transform, validate, then design a product ready for the market — has since grown the range to more than 300 product formats, most recently with a patented new use for the Kampot pepper plant, told in From Kampot Pepper Inflorescence to Herbal Infusion.
The people behind the transformation
Behind Confirel is a network of Cambodian people — growers and collectors in the provinces, together with the teams in Phnom Penh who transform, prepare, check and bring each product to market. The knowledge of the house is accumulated across these relationships, not held by one person alone.
The house today
Today, Confirel connects Cambodian terroirs with product development, transformation, quality control and market experience under one house. The work now extends from ingredient and research to finished products, professional partnerships and experiences that bring people closer to the places behind them.
In 2025, the opening of Labiocert's laboratory strengthened that capability further, giving the group its own local capacity for analysis, quality control and market readiness.
Our impact in numbers
25 years
Years of Confirel
2001–2026
17 countries
Countries where Kirum Herbal Tea is patented
As of 2025
250 students
Students in the 2025 Thnot d'Or competition
2025 edition
The next chapter
The next chapter is the same discipline applied further: protecting origin, developing knowledge and finding new ways for Cambodian ingredients to reach modern tables.
For professionals and export
Explore Confirel products, formats and partnership opportunities for retail, hospitality and distribution.
Talk to our team