Coffee business is not just a walk in the park
"I want today and many years from now, customers will remember Tonkin Cottage as a small coffee shop located next to Ben Thanh Market, serving smooth cups of Vietnamese coffee." That is the goal of Mr. Ha Nguyen - the owner of Tonkin Cottage coffee shop. With a nostalgic space imbued with Vietnamese culture and the fragrant aroma of coffee spreading to every corner of the table, Tonkin Cottage attracts both Vietnamese and international tourists. The shop is not too crowded but is always cozy and full of life.
Starting out as a person with a passion for food, Mr. Ha gradually learned about the coffee industry, and the dream of owning his own coffee shop began to grow when Mr. Ha experienced the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: "The Covid-19 period was a favorable time for the retail industry, especially the essential goods industry where I work. But this was also a time for me to look back at myself. At that time, I lived with the mindset that these were my last days. I realized that if I did not bravely pursue what I truly loved and spend time on it, at some point I would no longer have the opportunity. So I started to learn about the F&B industry and after 2 years I officially opened the shop."
The owner of Tonkin Cottage compared giving up a stable job that he had been "experienced" for more than 10 years to "jump into" a new field as stepping out of a peaceful garden into a turbulent forest with many challenges. However, he did not "blindly take a risk" but spent 2 years researching, learning, and carefully preparing for his first start-up.
Tonkin Cottage opened in September 2022, but in May 2023, Mr. Ha decided to quit his full-time job to focus on building the shop. Because he knew the F&B industry was very hard and competitive, opening a coffee shop was not a walk in the park.
At first, although he was confused about how to organize and operate the shop, Mr. Ha always knew what he wanted. The 9X owner chose Fine Robusta coffee beans grown in Vietnam to make the shop's "signature" drink.
"Robusta is a bean that accounts for more than 80% of Vietnam's coffee production but is currently classified as second-class coffee. Many people think that Robusta should only be used in the food processing industry to create instant coffee and confectionery, but it should not be classified as a specialty coffee, serving for pure enjoyment. Therefore, I want my small shop to contribute a voice to help restore the position of Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans in the market."
According to Mr. Ha, when grown organically and meeting international standards, Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans have a rich, distinctive flavor. Coffee extracted from these Robusta beans is not bitter or harsh, but easy to drink with a mild sour taste, balanced sweet and salty, and a long bitter-sweet aftertaste. "Currently, I am proud that my shop has made a good impression on coffee lovers from many countries," Mr. Ha confided.
Using Fine Robusta coffee beans grown in Vietnam to create a "signature" drink, Tonkin Cottage has initially succeeded in conquering coffee "addicts".
Quickly get customers thanks to food ordering app
In addition to creating a signature drink, choosing the right coffee business model is very important. With the characteristics of a boutique business model, Tonkin Cottage focuses on on-site sales. However, putting the shop on online food ordering apps is not overlooked. The owner of Tonkin Cottage commented: "From the moment I opened the shop, I cooperated with online food ordering platforms such as Gojek's GoFood. When the shop is new and few people know about it, putting the shop on the app will make customers start to pay attention to me. In addition to supplementing revenue, the app is also a channel to help me reach customers to create the first purchase. There are many customers who order coffee from the shop through the app and then like it and come to the shop to experience it in person."
Cooperating with Gojek's GoFood platform helps the 9X boss solve many problems in operations
According to Mr. Ha, selling through food ordering apps helps solve many problems in operations. For example, during times when the restaurant often has no direct customers, such as early mornings and lunch breaks, there are still online orders from office workers. In addition, when there are promotions on GoFood, customers will be more accessible and open to small and new restaurants like Tonkin Cottage. Customer feedback is also a valuable source of information, recorded by the restaurant and used as a basis for perfecting the operating process. "After only half a year of operation, the store has entered a good operating cycle, has a stable number of customers and is profitable," said Mr. Ha.
Expanding the business model from traditional on-site service to online business through food ordering platforms like Gojek's GoFood helps create new revenue streams for food businesses. Online business is also an effective channel to reach new customers and record customer feedback, according to the story from Tonkin Cottage.
Individual food businesses can register their business on Gojek's online food ordering platform GoFood for free. For detailed information on how to register, please refer here.
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