Hanoi Coffee Club #GIVEAWAY

Hi friends! As much as I #lovelocal I also love empowering local entrepreneurs who are making a difference on the global market. And that's exactly why I'm featuring Hanoi Coffee Club. Hanoi Coffee Club was the dream (and now reality) of two gorgeous love-birds, Michael & Michelle (ah, ca-yoooot!) after having travelled abroad, teaching English in Vietnam for nearly two years. Having since come back home to the Cape, they decided to bring a piece of Vietnam back with them! I'll let them tell you the rest...

Robyn-Ashley (RA): Hey Michelle and Michael, thanks for chatting with me today! So I heard a little bit about the journey of how Hanoi came to be, but would you please mind sharing that story with my readers too? Michael and Michelle (M&M): After extensive studying and time spent in the corporate world, we decided to satisfy our thirst for travel and set off on an adventure together. We booked a one way ticket to Vietnam without much planning or expectation and spent a year and a half there, learning, growing and appreciating a different culture. Most of this time was spent out of our comfort zone, just what we needed at that stage of our lives...  

After visiting home (Cape Town) for two weeks in February 2018, the only thing we were missing was our daily coffee routine in Vietnam. Your conventional day in Vietnam would begin by sitting on street corners drinking delicious coffee from street vendors. Take away coffee in Vietnam is frowned upon as the act of drinking coffee should be an experience and a time to take a step back, slow down and connect with those around you. Vietnamese coffee is also very different to coffee as we know it in South Africa; in both the way it is consumed and the actual nature of the coffee bean. It was in our flight back to Vietnam that we decided we wanted to share this experience with South Africa as far possible and the idea of Hanoi Coffee Club was born. The next 5 months was spent sourcing and acquiring a premium Vietnamese coffee supplier as well as designing and developing the product image. We moved backed to Cape on the 31st of July 2018 and launched Hanoi Coffee Club on the 24th of August 2018. 

RA: Amazing! I love that your initial desire for adventure, birthed forth a dream which now empowers and equips a larger community. RA: You say that Vietnamese coffee is very different to what we know here in South Africa... What makes Vietnamese coffee and the brewing method, so special and unique?

M&M: The Vietnamese coffee experience is made truly unique by the brewing method. A simple gravity, pour over style coffee maker (called a Phin, pronounced f-i-n)  is used to brew the perfect Vietnamese cup of coffee. Vietnamese coffee is always drunk out of a glass, giving you the visual gratification of a strong brew. The Phin mimics traditional pour over methods without the hassle of filter papers, reducing our ecological footprint. RA: We've been using the Phin every day, since you gifted it to us (thanks again for that!) My husband, being an avid coffee connoisseur (as he would call himself) has taken quite an interest in it for sure! As you said, it is very similar to the traditional pour over, but there is definitely such a unique aspect. It's 100% more than just "making a cup of coffee" - it adds so much to a morning/evening routine.

RA: What would you say are some of the challenges, but also some of the advantages of being young entrepreneurs in South Africa?

M&M: We are fortunate enough to be born into a generation where many are in an entrepreneurial mindset, hereby creating a strong network of young, supportive peers. There are a lot of platforms and avenues for exposure available to young, willing South African entrepreneurs. One of our challenges is being a small fish in a big pond. We however view this as motivation and a learning curve for the business.

RA: I love that you're taking the challenges and just using them as fuel for your future! Get 'em! RA: Could we please get a little sneak peak into the future of Hanoi? What’re the goals and dreams?

M&M: We are very excited to announce that we are launching South Africa's first Vietnamese coffee pod this month. Our pods will also be biodegradable, as Hanoi Coffee Club is working towards reducing it's ecological footprint.

Our goal for this year is to make our products more easily accessible to our customers by getting into retail space. We are also working on an extremely exciting project that will be truly Proudly South African. RA: Okay amazing! My husband just heard that and already wants to get his hands on a few of those pods! And with regards to your secret project... We're so excited to find out!   

RA: Lastly, what does it mean to be “Proudly South African” to each of you?

Michelle: South Africa has played a large part as to who I am today. I decided to move back home as there is no other place that I would want to start a business than in South Africa. I believe that being Proudly South African as an entrepreneur means to manufacture our products within South Africa as far as possible. The nature of our product limits this slightly but measures are being put into place in order to maximise our impact within South Africa.  

Michael: To be proudly South African means to hold everything South African in the highest regard. As an entrepreneur this means to uplift South Africa by giving back to the people and economy.  RA: You guys are absolutely incredible! I've loved chatting with you both and getting to learn about you as people, as well as your incredible brand. Thanks so much for your time! So friends, there ya have it! Such an incredible brand and two wonderful people!

Hanoi Coffee Club has been so kind as to offer one of YOU a chance to #WIN a Vietnamese Home Starter Kit - more info over on my Instagram and Facebook pages. Chat soon friends!