We communicate with founder Hiy-Ling Nathalie Lao about Southeast Asian espresso, moral sourcing, and the sweetness in being cell.
BY SARAH CHARLES
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Pictures courtesy of Là-Haut Espresso
Within the coronary heart of Bordeaux, France, Hiy-Ling Nathalie Lao, founding father of Là-Haut Espresso, pedals via the town on her custom-built espresso bike, delivering ethically sourced espresso and what she calls “doses de bonheur” (doses of happiness). As a substitute of working behind a counter like lots of her friends, she has chosen a unique path.
For Nathalie, Là-Haut isn’t only a café on wheels—it’s a mission. “I needed to honor and connect with my roots by sharing part of my heritage via bringing Lao espresso to France,” she says. “Southeast Asian coffees are usually underrepresented within the European market. I hoped to not solely introduce folks to an amazing espresso but in addition to make Laos higher identified and appreciated.”
Espresso from Laos stays uncommon in France, even amongst specialty roasters. However via Là-Haut, Nathalie is altering perceptions, sparking curiosity a few area typically neglected in world espresso narratives. “Individuals are typically shocked and a few even ask me if espresso actually grows in Laos!” she says, laughing. “It results in pretty conversations. Many share recollections of touring there, and collectively, we revisit these moments via espresso.”
Espresso is one in every of Laos’ most necessary agricultural exports and a key contributor to the financial system. In 2023, Vietnam imported over 12,190 tons of Lao espresso, making up 81.4% of Robusta exports and 50% of the nation’s whole espresso exports. The U.S. imported simply 0.02%, and Europe 1.5%.
Lao espresso farmers face challenges together with reaching consumers in high-potential markets, enhancing high quality administration, rising productiveness, and strengthening the sector’s group. However via on-line auctions and targeted entrepreneurship from each the producer and client sides, Lao espresso is discovering its place abroad.
A Completely different Means of Doing Enterprise
From the beginning, Nathalie knew she needed to problem conventions. “I suppose I’ve at all times had a factor for being totally different,” she informed Barista Journal. “At first, I needed to open a conventional café, however after touring in Southeast Asia and seeing all these cell distributors, I modified my perspective. I liked the thought of bringing espresso on to folks, of making an open-sky espresso bar that might transfer and adapt.”
In the present day, Là-Haut Espresso has develop into a well-known presence in Bordeaux’s markets and neighborhoods, a small however radiant espresso hub on two wheels. The bike is a acutely aware selection. “After I began my espresso journey, I had left a earlier job the place I now not discovered that means,” Nathalie says. “Selecting the bike felt apparent; it represents freedom, openness, and connection. It permits me to fulfill folks the place they’re, with out boundaries.”
Her enterprise mannequin intertwines sustainability, ethics, and pleasure. Là-Haut’s beans are sourced from a cooperative of smallholder farmers in Laos, the place Nathalie ensures honest pay and direct relationships. “Serving ethically sourced espresso was by no means non-obligatory,” she says. “It’s on the very coronary heart of Là-Haut Espresso.”
Cultivating Pleasure as Resistance
Working a cell café comes with its share of challenges: the unpredictable Bordeaux climate, technical points, and the bodily labor of biking lengthy distances. But Nathalie’s motivation runs deeper than comfort. “I believe most individuals really feel the world may use extra heat, kindness, and connection,” she says. “By means of Là-Haut, I needed to create small moments of pleasure—real encounters that remind us of what actually issues.”
That spirit of connection sustains her. “After I give, I additionally obtain again,” Nathalie says. “That vitality has carried me via 4 years on the street. For me, distributing these doses of happiness is already a type of resistance and hope.”
Her on-line group, too, performs an important position. By means of Instagram, Nathalie shares behind-the-scenes moments, from visits to Lao farms to her bike breaking down, turning even the robust days into tales of resilience and authenticity.
The Highway Forward
Requested about her desires for Là-Haut, Nathalie’s reply is easy but profound: “To maintain delivering these doses of happiness, staying true to my values, and fulfilling my wants,” she says. “For my clients, I need each cup to deliver pleasure and care. For the farmers in Laos, I hope for recognition, pleasure, and higher livelihoods.”
As France’s espresso scene evolves, Là-Haut Espresso stands as a reminder that specialty espresso isn’t solely about precision and method. Coronary heart, connection, and the will to do issues otherwise—and ethically—additionally matter. That is a lesson that Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s typically has typically shared, and the way he constructed a world, well-loved ice-cream model.
Generally, all it takes to brighten a day is a smile, a motorbike, and a very good cup of Lao espresso.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Charles (she/her) is a senior editor and author who is sensible of the world’s messiest techniques—local weather, commerce, tradition, meals—via sharp storytelling, contemporary angles, and evaluation. She interprets world politics and economics into tales that present how they form our every day lives, and vice versa. You possibly can attain her at sarahcharlz@gmail.com.
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