Summary
Sahra Nguyen transforms cultural pride into powerful action. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, she saw how Asian stories and contributions were often overlooked, especially in industries like coffee. Instead of accepting that, she launched Nguyen Coffee Supply to uplift Vietnamese farmers, challenge industry bias against robusta beans, and bring authentic Vietnamese coffee to the forefront.
In high school, Sahra joined a group called The Coalition for Asian Pacific American Youth, which exposed her to Asian American studies, civil rights, and community activism. She majored in Asian Studies UCLA. After graduating, she moved to New York to pursue a career in writing and filmmaking. Having spent many of her working days in coffee shops, she noticed that Vietnamese iced coffees were becoming popular, but none were using coffee beans sourced from Vietnam. She felt this was not right and decided to tell this story. Eventually this led to her start her own coffee company. After five years, Nguyen Coffee Supply became the first company to bring 100% Vietnamese coffee to Whole Foods nationwide.
Sahra built a successful business from scratch while staying rooted in her values of equity, transparency, and representation. She didn’t wait for permission to lead. She created her own lane, using her voice to fight for inclusion. By sharing her heritage and advocating for change, Sahra empowers others to take pride in their identity and challenge the status quo. Her story reminds us that success can be purposeful, and that true leadership begins with honoring your community.
