My name is Csaba Bernát – or Chaboo, as they call me in Vietnam.
My name is Csaba Bernát – or Chaboo, as they call me my friends in Vietnam. I don't have decades of experience as a barista, nor do I have my own roastery or coffee shop (yet), but I do have a great love for Vietnamese Robusta coffee, the Vietnamese people, and their culture.
It all began in the spring of 2024, when my long-cherished dream came true and I visited Vietnam for the first time, then as a tourist. During those three weeks, I was completely captivated by the country: the landscapes, the flavors, the coffee, but most of all the people. When I returned home, I felt that something was pulling me back—that I still had unfinished business there.
Leaving behind my 17-year career as a chemical engineer, I returned to Vietnam as a volunteer in 2025. I ended up on a 6-hectare permaculture coffee farm in Dak Lak province, about an hour's scooter ride from the nearest town, Buon Ma ThuotWhen I arrived, I had no idea that iForest Farm would be the place where my new life would begin and where I would see firsthand how the Farm-To-Cup approach works.
Step by step, I got closer to the wonderful world of Vietnamese coffee. Every day I learned something new about coffee plant and how to care for them, about the complex but fascinatingly harmonious workings of permaculture, about coffee processing and roasting, and about traditional Vietnamese coffee brewing techniques.
I also got to know and love the Vietnamese people more and more. From the very first moment, they welcomed me with friendship, openness, and trust, and I quickly felt at home among them. Every day, I admired their incredible strength, perseverance, calmness, positive mindset, natural cheerfulness—and their sophisticated sense of humor, which always brought a smile to my face.
The real turning point came when I participated in one of Vietnam's largest coffee festivals in the city of Buon Ma Thuot .For days, I prepared traditional Ca Phe Sua with Phin filterfor visitors. It was an amazing experience. Everyone stopped, smiled, tasted it, and then patted me on the shoulder or shook my hand in appreciation. I received so much love and positive energy that I almost felt dizzy. It was then and there that I made my final decision: I wanted to bring not only the special Vietnamese Robusta coffee back to Hungary, but also this experience and this atmosphere
This is the story of birth of Chaboo Vietnamese Coffee in 2025.It is not just coffee, but a tribute to the hospitality, kindness and mindset of the Vietnamese people
And the name? In Vietnam, as is often the case in other parts of the world, many people found it difficult to pronounce the name "Csaba". Many excited variations were created, until one day my friend Dzung's little daughter, Ca Phe, simply started calling me Chaboo.The name quickly spread, stuck, and eventually became my brand. Because for me, Chaboo is not just a nickname—it is a symbol of friendship, community, and coffee, a smile and a piece of Vietnam.
