About

Two friends smitten by coffee

In 2019, we met at a friend’s hangout in Sacramento, California and had a lively conversation about our recent experiences.  Nghia just returned from his one-year stay in Vietnam and was reminiscing about his favorite aspect of life there: frequenting the local cafes.  He also joined a barista class where he learned to brew and stayed overnight at a coffee farm. Meanwhile, Tran moved home to Sacramento and was seeking a community to learn more about Vietnam.  With this conversation came a mutual realization that coffee could be the ideal vehicle to bridge our experiences, share our culture, and connect with our community.  During the pandemic, we continued our conversation online, bought coffee gear to brew at home, and started to materialize our grand idea.  

Vietnamese at our core

As we learn more about coffee and our roots, we want to further highlight and promote coffee from Vietnam.  We’ve connected with like-minded roasters and distributors who work directly with the farmers in Vietnam and care deeply about their impact.   We’ve also explored and tested various brewing recipes and methods, specifically with the traditional Vietnamese phin filter common in Vietnamese coffee shops.  Through such efforts, we strive to expand the narrative about Vietnamese coffee, culture, and lifestyle in our local community.

A name to live by

“Ru” means a lullaby in Vietnamese.  We want a simple name that captures the essence and feeling of our coffee experience.   Its imagery perfectly reflects what we want our customers to feel while enjoying a cup of cà phê: something familiar, lyrical, and soothing for the soul.  Coffee can remind us to slow down and live life as such.