Tuan Huynh brews a cup of coffee from his family’s farm more than 8,000 miles away in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop.
“It’s dense and strong and bold, just like our people,” he told NBC 5 Chicago as part of our coverage of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. “I always say we share our history, we build community and we do it for the love of our Vietnamese culture.”
He opened Vietfive Coffee two years ago to give Chicagoans a special taste of his Vietnamese heritage and pay homage to his roots.
“The inspiration is to share my family’s journey, the story of our boat refugees, but also to bring Robusta coffee to the United States,” he said.
Huynh said the response has been overwhelming since the business opened its doors near the intersection of Madison Street and Aberdeen Street.
“Chicago welcomed me and allowed me to flourish with Vietfive through what we do here in the city and for the city,” he said.
The cafe offers unique flavors and blends. Robusta coffee beans are grown and harvested in Vietnam, then imported to the Windy City every quarter.
“When they discover our coffee, they discover a piece of Vietnam,” he said.
But his journey to get here wasn’t easy, growing up in Wichita, Kansas, in a family of five siblings.
“My habit of reacting negatively led me to gang life, drug life and ultimately led me to a prison sentence. After serving 15 and a half years in prison, the majority of that time in a maximum security prison, I was released in 2011,” he said.
He then graduated from college and was recruited to work for a global agency in Chicago. He is now transforming his life lessons and fighting to inspire others in a city he now calls home, working with different community groups and organizations to take action and spark conversations about representation.
“We want to create a space where stories are told, but where we are also invited to tell them through our community development, through our outreach, through our initiatives and the way we serve,” he said. declared.
With every customer who walks through the door, he shares his passion and love for Vietnamese coffee with the world, one cup at a time.
“I want them to feel like they are now part of our journey,” he said. “Be part of our history. »
NBC Chicago
