((PKG)) VIETNAMESE COFFEE SISTERS
((TRT: 05:25))
((Topic Banner: Vietnamese Coffee Sisters))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Scott Stearns))
((Map: Denver, Colorado))
((Main characters: 3 female))

((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We knew we always wanted to open up our own business together. We come from a family of entrepreneurial parents. They did their own business for the longest time and we were always around that environment.
((Courtesy: Nguyen Family))
We each embrace creativity, innovation, something new,
((end Courtesy))
and we each bring something different to the table. So, we wanted to go into business. We thought, you know, what’s…what’s special to us? Vietnamese culture, embracing it, bringing something new. So, Vietnamese coffee shop.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
So the name ‘ti’, we say ‘tee’ just so it’s easy to pronounce, but it’s actually pronounced ‘thee’ in Vietnamese. It is a term of endearment. It means small or tiny. But Vietnamese people, they also use it as a nickname for
((Courtesy: Nguyen Family))
like their kids or whatever.
((end Courtesy))
So, we just wanted to use it for our brand because we really pride ourselves on just like family. We are all very close-knit. Even in Vietnamese culture, family is a very big thing. And we thought it was important to name our shop that because we do value family so much.
All of these little characters, they are our drawings that my mom kept when we were little. She kept all of our doodles and everything. So, each of these characters represents one of us. This one is my doodle when I was little.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
I think that having a Vietnamese coffee shop is impactful for our generation just because we have so many coffee shops, and coffee shops is such a culture for everybody. But how many Vietnamese coffee shops can you actually think of?
I think that Vietnamese coffee is completely underrated and not a lot of people know what exactly Vietnamese coffee is. And it is a huge part of coffee culture in general.
((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
This is how we brew our coffee. This is the phin-drip process. These are little phin filters. We have the tamper to put on top. So, it’s essentially a slow-drip coffee. We source it directly from Vietnam, but we roast them here in America, so that they are super fresh. This is what we saw growing up in our childhood. My dad always made Vietnamese iced coffee.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen that
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We definitely have to cater towards our parents, who were more traditional in their views and ways, and also be more modern and trendy and up to date with what’s going on. So, I think that being a Vietnamese coffee shop right in the middle of Denver, it kind of gives a home for those people who are in that third-culture realm.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
We are taking a more modern take on coffee. We are not doing it’s traditional, traditional Vietnamese. We are doing it a little bit more modern, blending it with traditional. So, we were very nervous in the beginning that older, older Vietnamese groups would judge us for that. They would come…we were so scared they would come in and be like, ‘This is not Vietnamese coffee.’ But we were willing to take that step because we want to push it more towards modern. I think that’s very important with Vietnamese culture because we are so stuck in tradition, we need to take that step forward.
((NATS))
((Shasitie Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
I think that we opened during a peak time for people just because everybody was cooped up for such a long time and they were excited for new businesses. I think everybody came out of the pandemic a lot more open-minded. So, having new places to go visit, like Vietnamese coffee shops, the first Vietnamese coffee shop in Denver, everybody was just wanting to experience something that was new.
((NATS))
((Shominic Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
As a business, as a brand, one of our biggest values is community. And so, opening during the pandemic was great because, I mean obviously, there’s a six-foot difference [distance] thing, but being able to talk to people face-to-face again was a really comforting thing for people that really needed it, who have been like indoors all the time. Being those like consistent faces you see every single day, being able to interact with people was definitely really important to a lot of our regulars now, to our customers. So, I think opening during the pandemic was very vital and helpful for the world because we all needed that interaction. It’s just so important to celebrate our culture as Vietnamese, Asian Americans in America. We wanted to open this business for that.
((NATS))
((Sashaline Nguyen
Co-owner, tí cafe))
As sisters, we are comfortable with each other. But we know, we know what pushes each other’s buttons, and sometimes, we do it just out of spite. But in the end, you know, we know that we have to put our differences aside to make it work essentially, like we have our moments, but we’re sisters and we are always going to be sisters first, for sure.
You know, it’s all about compromise in a relationship, whether it’s any kind of relationship. But for the most part, we are lucky that we can go into business as sisters and make it work.
((NATS))
Thank you so much. We really appreciate you.