Spirit of Việt Nam: Sahra Nguyen, Founder and CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply
Welcome to The Spirit of Vietnam, an original series in which we ask Vietnamese chefs, bartenders, and industry leaders to share what the “spirit” of Vietnam means to them — from culture to cocktails.
As the founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, Sahra Nguyen embodies the Vietnamese spirit of ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Nguyen Coffee Supply is the first specialty Vietnamese coffee company within the United States to use fresh roasted single-origin robusta beans from Vietnam. Since its founding in 2018, Nguyen Coffee has racked up mentions from the New York Times, CNN, VICE, Forbes, and numerous other outlets.
For the Brooklyn-based founder, the Spirit of Vietnam is “having conviction in who you are. Conviction in what you believe, what your values are, and what kind of life you want to live.” Analogously to Vietnam’s history, Sahra’s journey is a tale of resilience. As the child of immigrant parents who escaped Vietnam via boat and resettled in Boston, Massachusetts, Sahra is determined to strengthen and empower her community.
Sahra Nguyen with the Coffee Negroni cocktail.
After excelling and earning accolades in the fields of documentary-filmmaking, restaurants, and tech policy, Sahra decided to utilize her talents to shift the conversation about Vietnam’s role in the coffee industry.
Although Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the entire world, its contribution to the industry is often rendered invisible. With Sahra at the helm, Nguyen Coffee Supply is showcasing how Vietnam’s bold, nutty robusta beans are on par with beans from regions that are more traditionally associated with the coffee industry such as Africa and South America.
In an age where we all have to rethink how the products we consume are impacting the environment, robusta coffee beans are an alluring alternative. These organic, green beans are eco-sustainable because of their high caffeine content which naturally repels pests. On top of that, they are adaptable to a myriad of climates. By reclaiming the narrative and showing how robusta beans are a sophisticated and environmentally friendly, Sahra is paving the way for more Vietnamese entrepreneurs to contribute their country’s excellence with the world.
Sahra joined forces with Mr. Tan, a fourth-generation farmer who runs a farm in Vietnam’s picturesque Central Highlands region. Fueled by the values of inclusivity and transparency, Sahra’s efforts earned her a StarChefs’ Rising Star Award in 2019.
In 2020, Sahra served as a Gold House Collective Founder for the Spring 2020 cohort and worked to strengthen the Asian American community. Now, in partnership with Sông Cái Distillery, Sahra has crafted a Nguyen Coffee Supply Coffee Negroni — a “fresh take” on her favorite cocktail which fuses Vietnamese espresso with Sông Cái’s world-class gin. In addition to Song Cai’s Dry Gin, the cocktail incorporates sweet vermouth, campari, and a shot of espresso brewed with Nguyen Coffee Supply’s invigorating phin-brewed True Grit roast. Topped with an orange peel garnish, the cocktail melds citrus, savory flourishes with notes of fresh berry and warm pepper.
Sông Cái Distillery and Nguyen Coffee Supply are united in their passion for spotlighting Vietnam’s eco-sustainable agricultural traditions. In this video, Sahra discusses what the Spirit of Vietnam means to her and how Nguyen Coffee Supply is raising visibility about Vietnam’s vital role in the coffee industry.
Nguyen Coffee Supply Coffee Negroni
This contemporary Vietnamese cocktail reimagines the traditional negroni elevated with Southeast Asian ingredients like 100% peaberry Robusta coffee beans and Vietnamese gin.