In Conversation w/ Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply

In 2016, after noticing Vietnamese coffee was largely missing in the U.S. market, first-generation entrepreneur Sahra Nguyen spent 2 years flying to Vietnam, developing trade relationships, and importing coffee beans to close that gap.

In 2018 she officially luanched her brand, Nguyen Coffee Supply, America's 1st speciality Vietnamese coffee company. A daughter of Vietnamese refugees who settled in Boston in 1980, Nguyen grew up off the Forest Hills MBTA stop in Jamaica Plain, attending Boston public schools, loitered around Copley Square, and spent summers at Artists For Humanity in Southie. Naturally, this was aroudn the time she stumbled across our store and the community that was growing around it. Needless to say, she's been family ever since.

So when it came time to introduce our F&F Bodega X ASICS GEL-KAYANO 20 and its goal of recontextualizing life’s achievements through an active lifestyle, we couldn’t think of a better runner in ‘Life’s Marathons’ to help us roll them out.

So, whether the goal is leaving your comfort zone, building a healthier life, or just getting out of bed on time, it feels good knowing Nguyen Coffee Supply and ASICS are in your corner.

Just to start things off - if you had to distinguish Vietnamese coffee from others types of coffee what would you say?

I love this – the fact that we’re even asking this question is a reflection of how nascent and expansive the Vietnamese coffee experience is in America. For me, it starts with the bean; because when we talk about the bean then we can acknowledge the people and culture of origin.

Then, we learn that Vietnamese coffee is uniquely distinct in flavor and energy because Vietnam’s primary coffee species is Robusta, which is different from the dominant coffee species in America, Arabica. Vietnam is not the only country that uses condensed milk in its coffee, and you can use any coffee bean in the Phin Filter. If you start with the bean, you can enjoy Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk or you can enjoy it black. And you can brew Vietnamese coffee through the Phin Filter or your French Press. So it’s a more expansive way of thinking about Vietnamese coffee that invites more people in.

It is one thing to see a need in the market but acting on it is a completely different story. How did you go from 'Where is the Vietnamese representation in the coffee market?' to 'I'm going to fill the gap.'?

I saw a deep injustice happening in the global coffee industry and I felt called to address it. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world, and yet Vietnamese coffee was rendered invisible by all the major coffee companies, and their primary coffee, the Robusta bean, was relegated as an inferior coffee species. This meant that Robusta farmers globally did not receive the same level of care and investment as Arabica farmers to advance their livelihoods. This framework created a system of inequity, trapping Vietnamese farmers and Robusta farmers worldwide in exploitation. This was simply wrong. Even though I saw an opportunity to bridge cultures and close the gap, my impetus wasn’t rooted in business economics, it was rooted in my desire to make the world a better place. Trust me, there are so many easier ways to make money than starting an importing, roasting, and CPG business.

Was educating the market a crucial step when you were getting off the ground or were people open to it off the rip?

Educating our audiences has been a crucial step to standing out, differentiating, and inviting people into the world of Vietnamese coffee. I found that the coffee bias was mostly prevalent among coffee professionals and that everyday coffee drinkers remain super excited and open-minded about Vietnamese coffee. Although people have really gotten behind our brand story and mission, at the end of the day, flavor wins. Since our core ingredient (Robusta) is different from everything else on the market, our product tastes and feels different. Robusta coffee has a bold, rich flavor and more caffeine, naturally.

How is Nguyen Coffee Supply changing the coffee landscape both here in the US and around the world? By just existing, how is it challenging any stereotypes that may exist regarding the perception of Viet coffee?

The largest coffee companies in the world today are rooted in a North American or European context, and yet these regions don’t grow coffee. The future of coffee will be about brands of origin as people desire more cultural connection through the things they consume, from food to pop culture. We’re bringing diversity in ideas, stories, and flavors to the coffee experience in America. By proudly proclaiming Vietnamese coffee and robusta in our offerings, we’re building a positive perception of Vietnamese coffee. And since Vietnam is the largest producer of Robusta coffee, we’re destigmatizing an entire coffee species, which benefits Robusta farmers globally. When we change the narrative, we can change the system.

When you think of the Bodega x ASICS GEL-Kayano 20 with its focus on small wins adding up over a lifetime, how does this relate to your story / the story of Nguyen Coffee Supply?

This is the anthem! I started Nguyen Coffee Supply in 2018 and every day is a grind. There are no shortcuts and no silver bullet. At times I felt like businesses all around me were hockey-pucking their growth and I would feel inadequate. This was a scarcity mindset. Our journey has really been about a series of small wins all adding up over time. We recently exploded in retail and even though it looked like we launched in 3,000 doors overnight, it took 5 years of building the brand online first, educating the market, and innovating on our products. Now, I feel grateful every day for the opportunity to keep building, keep learning, and keep growing.

What's been a recent small win in your life and/or what has been a habitual small win that has snowballed over time?

I got married last year and I feel like that was a big win in my life, because I feel proud about all the work me and my husband put in to better ourselves and grow together. We met in 2016, so he’s been with me through all the highs and lows of building my business, and it’s a lot for two people to go through together. As an entrepreneur, I get really consumed by my work. At one point, the wedding almost didn’t happen because I was like, 'I can’t handle this'. So, I’m happy that we actually pulled it off. Shout-out to my wedding planner!

How did you choose which coffee to include for this project? How do you envision our customers enjoying it?

We wanted to lean into the Robusta story, so we went with a 100% single-origin Robusta dark roast. In Nguyen Coffee Supply’s world, our character Robusta Bean has an underdog story, and their journey rising to prominence is also about a series of small wins over time. Since Robusta coffee has more caffeine, it’s a great way to jumpstart your day right when you wake up.