Book Sahra for a Fireside Chat
People in every industry share the same goal: to be bold, successful, and impactful in their work.
As a first-generation Vietnamese-American woman with entrepreneurial ventures in several industries, Sahra Nguyen has first-hand experience in navigating cultural differences in the pursuit of excellence.
When a member of your team facilitates a conversation with Sahra, they have the ability to dive deep into topics about cultural impact, value-driven definitions of success, diversity and inclusion and how to bake it into your business, race and racism, creativity and storytelling, activism, leadership and entrepreneurship, media & journalism, the Asian American experience, and effective strategies for social impact.
Sahra Nguyen’s Awards and Accolades
2023 INC Magazine Female Founders
2023 NEXT Award Finalist
2022 BevNET Best New Product Award Winner
2021 Food & Wine Cover
2020 Imbibe Magazine's 75
2019 Star Chefs Rising Star, Roaster
2018 NAMIC Vision Award Winner
Book sahra's Inspirational &
Informative Lectures For Your Event
Verizon invited Sahra to their headquarters to speak to employees, upper management, and their diversity initiatives for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
Founder of Nguyen Coffee Supply, Sahra Nguyen, tells Drew why she wanted to speak out as a Vietnamese American, and introduces Drew to her popular Loyalty Blend coffee!
Introducing our first Lunar New Year collaborator, Nguyen Coffee Supply. Founder, Sahra Nguyen, shares her story as a female Asian-American entrepreneur, her company’s experiences during the pandemic, and the collaborative spirit of the Asian community.
Sahra Nguyen redefining Vietnamese coffee. Interview on CBS Saturday Morning.
Sahra Nguyen keynote speech at NYU Graduation.
Sahra's Work and Impact
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Sahra Nguyen is an award-winning filmmaker, entrepreneur, and founder & CEO of Nguyen Coffee Supply. On a mission to transform the coffee industry through diversity, inclusion, and transparency, Nguyen Coffee Supply has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, VICE, New York Magazine, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, and honored with the 2019 StarChefs Rising Star Award.
Early January 2020, Imbibe Magazine featured Sahra Nguyen as one of the #Imbibe75 -- people, places, and directions that will shape the way you drink in 2020. In Spring 2020, she was selected to join the Gold House Collective as a Founder in their Food & Beverage cohort, a leading network to celebrate and elevate the Asian American community.
In 2018, Nguyen launched Nguyen Coffee Supply—the first-ever Vietnamese-American & woman-owned importer and roaster of specialty coffee beans from Vietnam—as a way to diversify the coffee industry and increase the visibility of Vietnamese producers, being the #2 coffee-producing country in the world. She works directly with a fourth-generation Vietnamese coffee farmer from Da Lat in the Central Highlands, whose beans are certified clean and organic in Vietnam. As the daughter of Vietnamese refugees in Boston, MA, the company’s name is a nod to Nguyen’s Vietnamese heritage.
Nguyen graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a double major in Asian American Studies and World Arts & Cultures, served as the Director of the Writing Success Program at UCLA, and has worked in non-profit youth arts, grassroots organizing, and freelance journalism.
Building on her love of storytelling and activism, in 2015 Nguyen started her own production company, One Ounce Gold. Her first self-produced documentary web series, “Maker's Lane," evolved into a brand new series for NBC News entitled "Self-Starters,” a show about Asian American entrepreneurs around the country. Helping launch the video channel for NBC Asian America, "Self-Starters" was nominated for the EPPY Awards and LA Press Club Awards.
In mid-2016, Nguyen sold her second documentary series to NBC News, "Deported," which follows the grassroots fight to end deportation of Cambodian-Americans from the U.S. to Cambodia. "Deported" was nominated alongside CNN's Lisa Ling's "This is Life" and won the 2018 NAMIC Vision Award for Best Digital Media, Long Form.
In 2019, Nguyen co-produced “We Gon’ Be Alright,” a digital series through Indie Lens Storycast examining race and resegregation in American through housing, pop culture, education, and activism. The series was based off the book of the same title, by award-winning author Jeff Chang, and directed by Bao Nguyen.
Nguyen’s latest documentary, “Made by Refugees: 40 Years of SEARAC” celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center's (SEARAC) 40th birthday by going behind the scenes at the organization's 20th-anniversary Leadership and Advocacy Training. The short documentary takes a look at SEARAC's role in addressing the opportunities and challenges for the Southeast Asian American movement toward equity.
Presently, Nguyen continues her activism as a member of the Google Next Gen Leaders Program exploring creative solutions at the intersection of tech policy and racial justice; serving on the Board of Directors for Mekong NYC, a grassroots organization supporting and developing leadership within New York’s Southeast Asian community; and as a 2020 Census Ambassador with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center working to make sure everyone is counted, included, and represented.
Sahra Nguyen is available for speaking opportunities on the topics of cultural impact, value-driven definitions of success, diversity and inclusion and how to bake it into your business, race and racism, creativity and storytelling, activism, leadership and entrepreneurship, media & journalism, the Asian American experience, and effective strategies for social impact.
Follow Sahra Nguyen on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin. Watch her TEDx Talk.
What People Are Saying:
“Sahra Nguyen’s guest lecture & performance in my 150-person Asian American studies lecture was electrifying and thought-provoking. I was not expecting her to lead the students through such rigorous and historically informed critical interrogations of Southeast Asian refugee experience, as well as such sophisticated and compassionate engagements around her poetry. Sahra’s passion for art and politics inspired and energized an entire room of young undergraduate students.”
“We’re so grateful that Sahra was able to be the keynote speaker at our Asian American Community Conference. Her charisma and confidence were a breath of fresh air first thing in the morning. Her talk about her journey, especially in establishing Nguyen Coffee Supply, was both inspiring and informative. What a unique opportunity to learn from someone who is combating stereotypes and racism from within her own industry!”
Sahra with students at University of Wisconsin
“Sahra served as the keynote speaker for Asian/American Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Duke University, and she was a very engaging, confident, and knowledgeable speaker. She showed deep interest in our campus and students’ needs, and really worked to tailor her talk to the current campus climate. Her energy and passion for activism and highlighting untold stories was an inspiration to students.”
“Sahra’s authentic personal engagement with students and her ability to learn about our campus climate made her visit impactful. Her workshop was able to bridge gaps in our Asian American student community and inspired many of our students to take action. By the end of her visit, students felt equipped to continue difficult conversations and engage in community building for justice.”