Growing up as a first-generation Vietnamese-American, I heard the term "fresh off the boat" used as a slur to describe my family — a family that was, quite literally, fresh off a boat. "FOB" was used to label immigrants as outsiders, a shorthand for "you don't belong here."

My family left Vietnam in 1975 on the Trường Xuân, a Vietnamese cargo vessel carrying over 3,600 refugees fleeing Saigon. When its engines failed and the ship began taking on water, a Danish cargo ship named the Clara Maersk came to the rescue, in one of the largest at-sea rescue operations of Vietnamese refugees in history. That's why our logo features a cargo ship modeled after the Clara Maersk.

Not everyone in our community agrees the term should be reclaimed, and that's a fair debate. But we believe it can — and should — be reappropriated, because reappropriation changes who controls the meaning, the context, and the emotional weight of a word. We say we are "fresh off the boat" because we came to America from Vietnam and we are proud of that heritage. To us, "Fresh Off the Boat" represents the arrival of a culture, not merely the arrival of people. We are American, while remaining proudly Vietnamese. Cultural identity doesn't have an expiration date.

That belief is the reason this company exists — and the reason it's a coffee company we built to share with other shops and cafés. Our coffee, like us, made the same journey: it originated in Vietnam and was brought here by boat, carrying with it a culture rich in history to add to the fabric of America.

If you've never had Vietnamese coffee, here's the difference: American coffee is traditionally made from Arabica beans, giving it a mild, light, mellow flavor. Vietnamese coffee has its own signature: bold and intense, with a thick body and nearly double the caffeine, thanks to Robusta beans grown in Vietnam's Central Highlands. It's brewed slowly through a phin — a simple metal filter that drips coffee one patient drop at a time.

We source our Robusta beans directly from small farms in Vietnam's Central Highlands and ship them to California. There, they're roasted, packaged, and delivered to your storefront from our home base in San Diego.

Contact us using the form below to learn how we can help you bring Fresh Off the Boat Coffee to your shop.