Reporter: What cakes will you make for the upcoming Tet holiday?
Stephane Haudebault: We have prepared a few things, including cookies. Quite a variety of cookies. It's New Year! And we'll put them in little jars.
- Who will your customers be?
Stephane Haudebault: : Lots of Vietnamese and also Vietnamese of Chinese origin. Our neighborhood is very international. You can notice on the way here that many signs are translated into Chinese.
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Stephane Haudebault stands in front of the store |
Ngoc Tran |
- But should you also have orders from stores in the city?
Stephane Haudebault: For now, we only have one restaurant here. But we also sell to coffee shops in town like "Good Morning Coffee", "Song Coffee". We deliver every day or every two days.
- Let's go back to the products. Besides the products for Tet, do you have any other new products?
Stephane Haudebault: Of course. It’s not just the New Year! We’re working hard on new products, about every two months or so. For example, we have two breads coming out: olive bread and bread with seeds. We’re also going to make a range of products that need to be refrigerated: apple pie, lemon pie, cheesecake, custard pie. So we’re trying to innovate a little bit. But each time, we try to stabilize the recipes in advance. And also to make sure they sell well. The point is not to launch too many new products.
- Where do you find the necessary ingredients?
Stephane Haudebault: You can find everything you want in the city, from specialists, flour manufacturers... We find everything here, and of course, that includes imported products.
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A pastry counter in the Ê Ô store |
Ngoc Tran |
- Do you make Vietnamese style bread?
Stephane Haudebault: We don’t produce much anymore because the Vietnamese producers do it better than us. It’s normal! And in our shop, we have very little demand for this type of bread, which is mainly French baguettes. However, our bread is not overcooked because it is for the local customers; they like it that way.
- So, just French bread is the main...
Stephane Haudebault: Yes. But because local customers like their bread lightly toasted, here we have a slightly white baguette with 280 grams of flour, while in France it is 250 grams. From tomorrow, we will launch a traditional French baguette at an unbelievable price: 15,000 VND, three times cheaper than in France. We will sell it at a 9 square meter stall 200 meters away. To make the French baguette more known.
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An employee is making a cake. |
Ngoc Tran |
- What is the number one difficulty that bakers have to face?
Stephane Haudebault: Baking is a method. Making pastries is a skill. But the most difficult thing is the consistency, the stability of the product quality. You don't have to be successful in one day; you have to be successful every day...
- Why did you move to Ho Chi Minh City?
Stephane Haudebault: For both personal and professional reasons. But first and foremost, the Vietnamese love for banh mi. The market here is huge.
- How did you open the shop?
Stephane Haudebault: We have not encountered any particular difficulties doing business here. The public service providers are very competent, understanding and responsive to our needs.
- And what does Vietnam, in general, mean to you?
Stephane Haudebault: It means a lot to me personally. I am very attached to this country, where I met friendly and hardworking people, and all with a smile, which in Europe is often forgotten.
- Tell me a little about your background, if possible...
Stephane Haudebault: I graduated from baking school quite late, but I have always been fascinated by baking. I think bread is a universal language: you can hate meat but you can't help but love bread!
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Stephane Haudebault talks to an employee |
Ngoc Tran |
- What are you looking forward to most right now?
Stephane Haudebault: Finding new clients, that's normal. We're at the beginning of the business, we have to be humble. We have to prove that we are good; and good as often and as long as possible. Again, consistency is really the key.
- The name of your bakery, why is it like that?
Stephane Haudebault: We are five investors, one Vietnamese, four French. We brainstormed with a marketing agency. That’s how the name came about: Ê Ô Resto. Along with that, we created a logo: a small rooster with a French flag. Through this, we present an overall image that evokes quality, friendship and professionalism in baking.
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