By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Tribune and other outlets
March 26, 2024
Born and raised in Massachusetts, entrepreneur Sahra Nguyen was inspired by her Vietnamese heritage when she founded Nguyen Coffee Supply. “Vietnam’s coffee industry specializes in the robusta coffee species, which is very different from arabica coffee – the dominant coffee species in America,” said Nguyen, 37. “Robusta coffee has double the caffeine content, double the antioxidants and 60 percent less natural sugars than arabica, which means the flavor profile is more bold, dark chocolatey and nutty with a clean boost of energy.” A resident of Brooklyn, Nguyen is active on Instagram and X (@oneouncegold).
Q: Tell me a little bit about where you grew up.
A: My parents escaped Vietnam on a boat after the war ended in 1975 and they came to the United States as refugees. I was born and raised in Boston … surrounded by lots of immigrant families from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Puerto Rico. I attended the Boston public school system, which was as diverse as the city of Boston. Having a lot of exposure to diverse cultures at a young age helped shape my love for culture and community. I moved to New York in 2013.
Q: How much traveling have you done this year?
A: The whole team [went] to Anaheim, California, for Expo West. Next month, I’m traveling to Chicago to speak on a robusta panel at the Specialty Coffee Association EXPO. Just earlier this year, I spent two weeks in Vietnam for work. That was a big trip.
Q: Do you go to Vietnam often?
A: Since most of my family still lives in Vietnam and we import Vietnamese coffee beans, I have a lot of reasons to visit Vietnam each year. Often times, I’m not able to do everything I want within each trip. For work, I often have to travel to cities where my relatives don’t live, like farms and factories in Da Lat, Sơn La, Saigon and Buon Me Thuot. My relatives live in Hanoi, Quang Ngai and Nha Trang. So oftentimes I’m either going strictly for work or strictly for personal, because it’s hard to do both in one trip. For my recent trip in January, I visited four cities in two weeks, traveled on four planes and four road trips getting to all of my destinations.
Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?
A: Paris. This was the first trip I took with my now husband and it definitely helped us understand each other better through the experience of travel. Plus, we love good food and drinks!
Q: How have your travels impacted your business?
A: As an importing and roasting company, travel is a critical part of Nguyen Coffee Supply. Every year, I travel to Vietnam to visit farms and collaborate with our partners. During my trips, I’m visiting farms and processing facilities around the country and deepening our direct trade relationships. Sometimes I’ll sleep on the farm for a few nights and really get the quality time in with our producing partners. Once I leave the farm and go to the major cities like Hanoi and Saigon, I’ll often do press with Vietnam’s media. I’ve been on national television in Vietnam four times now, including a 42-minute interview and a two-hour Lunar New Year variety show.
Q: What was a trip you took as a child that stands out?
A: As a child, I remember loving family trips to Water Country USA (in Williamsburg, Virginia). It wasn’t super far from home, but these day trips represented pure joy, fun and laughter. As a child, my parents also brought me to visit Vietnam to see my relatives. Having exposure to life in Vietnam during the late ’80s and early ’90s and seeing how poor my relatives were really helped shape my perspective of the world, deepening my sense of gratitude and appreciation for different experiences.
Q: How does your family celebrate Tết – Vietnamese New Year?
A: I’ve been celebrating Tết since I was born. My parents carried on all of our family traditions in Boston, so I grew up seeing the usual rituals of praying to our ancestors, cleaning the home and cooking Tết-specific meals.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A: To be humble, compassionate, kind and respectful.
Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A: I really love enjoying all that New York City and Brooklyn have to offer. I met my husband when he was a bartender in Brooklyn. Our favorite cocktail is the boulevardier, so we love checking out cocktail bars around the city and ordering “the usual.” There’s no shortage of great bars in New York City!
Q: Do you speak any foreign languages?
A: I’m fluent in reading, writing and speaking Vietnamese. I leverage a lot of my Vietnamese language skills for conducting business abroad and doing media interviews in Vietnam.
Q: What are your five favorite cities?
A: New York, Paris, Hanoi, Saigon, Nice (France).
Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A: Iran.
Q: What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A: My best vacation memory was my honeymoon in Positano (Italy). I deleted Instagram and didn’t check email, Slack or media apps for nine days. It was the most present I’d ever felt!
Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?
A: Pepto Bismol, sunglasses, comfortable sneakers, hand sanitizer, a crossbody purse.
Q: What is your guilty pleasure when you’re on the road?
A: Junk food like pepperoni Combos, Cool Ranch Doritos, and Smartfood popcorn.
Q: What kind of research do you do before you go away on a trip?
A: The [country’s] visa requirements, weather, domestic traveling tips.
© 2024 JAE-HA KIM
DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
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