Some stories are better told through the people who lived them.
Earlier this year, we travelled into the mountains of Da Lat, Vietnam, to visit Zanya Coffee Farm.
We went to discover more about Vietnamese speciality coffee, meet the people producing it and understand how coffee growing in Vietnam is changing.
We took our cameras with us.
Today, we’re excited to share the film that came from that journey.
A story about coffee, family, community and the future of Vietnamese speciality coffee.
Filmed at Zanya Coffee Farm, Da Lat, Vietnam. A Nam Song documentary.
When people think of Vietnamese coffee, they often think of strong, dark Robusta, slowly brewed through a traditional phin filter and served with condensed milk.
It’s a coffee culture we fell in love with during our travels through Vietnam, and one that has been central to Nam Song ever since.
But Vietnam’s coffee story doesn’t end there.
In the Central Highlands, around the mountains of Da Lat, producers are exploring the potential of speciality Arabica coffee.
New processing methods, a growing focus on quality and a desire to challenge perceptions of Vietnamese coffee are creating something exciting.
And that’s what brought us to Zanya.
At the heart of Zanya are Marián and Lim, who have brought together their families and local coffee farmers around Langbiang Mountain.
Their work goes beyond producing speciality coffee.
It’s also about improving the way coffee moves from the people who grow it to the people who drink it.
Traditionally, coffee can pass through numerous intermediaries before reaching its final destination, leaving farmers with limited influence over how their coffee is valued and sold.
Zanya is working to create a different approach, with closer relationships between producers, processing and the wider coffee market.
During our visit, we wanted to understand what that means for the families growing coffee in the region, and how it might help shape the future of Vietnamese coffee.
One of the things that fascinated us most about Zanya was the variety of coffees being produced from the same origin.
During our time at the farm, we learned more about how different processing techniques can transform the character of a coffee.
From the clean, delicate qualities of washed processing to the fruitier expressions of natural coffee, and the more experimental flavours made possible through co-fermentation.
It’s a reminder that coffee is far more than simply a country of origin or a roast profile.
Behind every cup are decisions made by the people growing, processing and preparing it.
And those decisions can make all the difference.
Nam Song began with our travels through Asia and the experiences we brought home with us.
The places we visited. The people we met. The food we ate. And, of course, the coffee we drank.
We’ve always wanted Nam Song to be a way of sharing those experiences with people back home in Sheffield.
Not simply by bringing coffee from Asia to the UK, but by introducing the people and places behind it.
Travelling to Zanya gave us the opportunity to do exactly that.
Rather than just telling you where our coffee comes from, we wanted you to see it.
To see the landscape where it’s grown.
To meet some of the people responsible for producing it.
And to understand a little more about the work that goes into the coffee we drink every day.
That’s what this documentary is about.
Following our visit, we’re now bringing four of Zanya’s speciality Arabica coffees to the UK, roasted by Nam Song in Sheffield.
Each showcases a different processing method:
Four different approaches. Four opportunities to discover another side of Vietnamese coffee.
There’s something special about drinking a coffee when you’ve seen where it comes from.
When you’ve walked through the farm, met the people growing it and understood even a small part of the work that goes into producing it.
It’s an experience we feel fortunate to have had.
And through this film, we hope to share a little of that experience with you.
To Marián, Lim and everyone at Zanya, thank you for welcoming us and allowing us to tell part of your story.
And to everyone watching, we hope you enjoy the film.
From Da Lat to Sheffield.
Nam Song