Haben Girma

Coffee, Ube, and Braille!

Haben, Anna, and Tuan smile around a table in a conference room. Anna sits on the left holding a copy of the book Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. Tuan stands behind them holding a cup. Haben sits on the right with one hand on a Braille computer and her other hand around an iced ube latte. The drink is a lavender purple, and the cup has “VietFive Coffee” printed in bright pink letters above a round pink logo. Behind them, a screen shows accessibility resources, and a podium displays an Apple Accessibility sign.

Creating jobs for disabled and justice-impacted communities, designing an accessible café, and crafting delicious Vietnamese coffee: meet Tuan and Anna Huynh of VietFive Coffee. During the One Chicago Accessibility Summit, Anna introduced me to their ube latte, a creamy dream of a drink with delightful vanilla and nutty notes. Next time I’m in Chicago, I want to visit their café, which has Braille menus (an extremely rare treat!) and boundary-breaking snacks like bánh mì empanadas.