As a baby, Debbie Wei Mullin was surrounded by the influences of her Vietnamese heritage. As she started her entrepreneurial journey later in life, she turned to that heritage to launch Copper Cow Espresso, a direct-to-consumer Vietnamese Espresso that’s launching nationwide in Complete Meals. I sat down with Debbie, the CEO and Founding father of Copper Cow Espresso, to be taught extra concerning the firm, educating the US about Vietnamese Espresso, and the way she stumbled throughout their modern pour-over design on a provider’s desk.
Dave Knox: Let’s begin with the origin story of Copper Cow. What’s the backstory of launching the enterprise?
Debbie Wei Mullin: There have been a few issues in my life that pushed me on this path. The very first thing was rising up within the US because the youngster of a Vietnamese mom and realizing that everyone was consuming actually completely different meals than I used to be consuming rising up. I assumed I used to be sitting on a goldmine and that if everyone may simply attempt Vietnamese delicacies and understand how wonderful it was, we might be wealthy. However I had numerous aunts and uncles who got here right here as refugees, began eating places, and I noticed the way it was such a tough life. For the longest time, that scared me away from entering into the meals trade.
However then I went again to Vietnam to go to the place my mother was from and that basically impacted my profession as a result of I knew I needed to do one thing round supporting the nation to have extra equitable financial alternatives. Whereas I had a profession at World Financial institution, I spotted it was not an incredible path for me, and my entrepreneurial spirit began to bubble up. I began to have a look at the Vietnamese espresso market, realizing it’s the second largest espresso producer on this planet. I had grown up with the standard Vietnamese espresso expertise nevertheless it was starting to evolve within the nation as properly. With the ability to do a contemporary California model of the Vietnamese espresso that resonated with this third wave espresso motion that I used to be dwelling in simply appeared like an incredible alternative. And that’s how Copper Cow Espresso was born.
Knox: What makes Vietnamese espresso so distinctive?
Wei Mullin: There are a selection of how that you could outline Vietnamese espresso. First, we outline it as espresso that was grown in Vietnam. Second, what’s distinctive about Vietnamese espresso is the varietals which can be grown there. However every little thing issues with espresso reminiscent of the way in which that it’s predominantly volcanic soil that it’s grown in. What this yields with Vietnamese espresso is that this actually distinctive, type of nutty, mocha undertone espresso. Lastly, it’s usually darkish roast due to the French affect and served with sweetened condensed milk, which can also be how we promote it.
Knox: While you determined to launch Copper Cow, what was the unique thought and go-to-market technique?
Wei Mullin: My unique go-to-market technique was really to do a ready-to-drink chilly brew Vietnamese espresso. It was about seven years in the past and I used to be concurrently sourcing this Vietnamese espresso, however then additionally attempting to determine how I may manufacture it. Chilly brew was simply starting to get actually standard. And so the concept of with the ability to have a model of that with Vietnamese espresso was so thrilling to me, however I realized that it was so onerous to fabricate one thing in a ready-to-drink format, not to mention, really distribute it. I didn’t actually perceive how we have been going to make cash, particularly given the truth that this was my first firm and the fundraising was such a problem.
That modified when I discovered this pour over format that the corporate revolves round right now. We had gotten a sales space on the Fancy Meals Present, one of many largest meals commerce reveals to satisfy consumers for shops. The final model of our prototype for the ready-to-drink failed proper earlier than the present, resulting from combining the condensed milk and occasional with out including synthetic preservatives, and I wasn’t going to have the ability to current it on the present. .
Fortunately a couple of months earlier than, I had seen this pour over format sitting on our provider’s desk, which they informed me wasa expertise frequent in Japan. My father had made pour over espresso day by day my entire life rising up so once I noticed that format, it simply clicked. It meant that I may preserve the espresso and the condensed milk separate and simply create a creamer packet to go alongside the pour over espresso (which I needed to rush to make in simply two weeks earlier than the present). So we took our 19 prototypes to the present and ended up being chosen as one of many prime 5 improvements of the present..
Knox: With a lot of your provide chain in Vietnam, how did you construct out your community of companions?
Wei Mullin: Via my previous profession, I had a fairly good community in Vietnam of individuals working within the World Financial institution NGO area. I simply began to achieve out to actually anyone I knew in Vietnam and requested who they knew within the espresso area. One in all my first journeys to Vietnam was really for a household reunion and for 3 weeks I simply traveled round to satisfy anybody I may within the espresso trade. It was actually fascinating to see how the panorama was altering. Throughout that first journey, I attempted 40 completely different espresso suppliers. I visited farms, roasting factories and all kinds of conferences with individuals within the espresso trade till I discovered those that I felt like have been on the identical web page about what we have been attempting to carry to market.
These discussions additionally helped me understand that there was numerous skepticism due to false guarantees others had made. Folks informed me that everyone’s saying that they’re going to carry specialty Vietnamese espresso to the US as a result of the US is the biggest specialty espresso market on this planet. However individuals by no means adopted by way of on that promise. That taught me the significance of perseverance as a first-time entrepreneur. It’s a must to get individuals to take you critically and to face out. That perseverance confirmed these those that I used to be going to stay as much as the guarantees I used to be making.
Knox: What makes Copper Cow stand out and defy these regional bounds of espresso that always exists?
Wei Mullin: We started to have a look at nationwide knowledge on espresso grocery gross sales and that there are so few nationally distributed espresso corporations. The problem is that whenever you uncover espresso, it’s going to be in a restaurant first, particularly specialty espresso merchandise. That cafe centric expertise goes to be pretty regional. As an example, in case you’re in LA, it’s Groundwork’s or within the Bay Space, it’s Blue Bottle. That model goes to be so robust there due to the cafe pull and model ambassadorship that it brings. We’re a digitally native firm so we cross these geographic bounds. Moreover, we’ve got this actually genuine story round how we’ve got created the product and the style profile round Vietnamese espresso that resonates with individuals. What has been thrilling is to see that due to this, we don’t do higher on the coast and we don’t do higher in a selected state. That is one thing that interprets to everyone desirous to have an at-home cafe expertise.
Knox: While you look again on the entrepreneurial journey, what’s one thing you would like you had identified earlier?
Wei Mullin: The “if I had solely identified” sentiment by no means ends. The one factor that I at all times come again to although is selecting to do issues with extra confidence that every little thing was going to work out. Bootstrapping a enterprise for years and sitting there and your checking account, attempting to determine the way you’re going to get one thing finished is scarring. It’s actually onerous to really feel like, “Okay, that is going to work out, I’m going to commit. And I’m going to only wager on myself and wager on this concept.” However that’s one thing that I want I had leaned into extra within the earlier days. Clearly, it’s simpler now for me to do it. Now it’s a distinct model of that as a result of the stakes are larger. However I may have saved myself numerous heartache and numerous stress if I had simply been somewhat bit extra cognizant that issues are going to be okay.
Knox: This month you might be launching in Complete Meals nationwide. How did that relationship start and what different alternatives are in retailer for the model this yr?
Wei Mullin: It was fascinating timing as a result of proper once we have been launching, Complete Meals was being acquired by Amazon. It really took a few years for us to get into our first areas of Complete Meals. Proper earlier than the pandemic, we have been actually fortunate that we received into two areas, each Southern California, in addition to the Rocky Mountain space. We have been fairly blown away by how properly we carried out by way of a weekly velocity. It may need been anticipated in Southern California the place we’re primarily based however to see that type of velocity within the Rocky Mountain space was thrilling. That momentum gave us the chance to increase nationwide, and in October, we’re going to be on shelf in each Complete Meals.
Past distribution, we’re actually excited as a result of the format is ideal for flavors. At this time we’ve got these flavored espresso ideas the place the person pour overs simply have pure herbs and spices in them. As an example, our lavender latte actually simply has lavender within the espresso. You may not need an entire pot of lavender espresso, nevertheless it’s great to have a single serving on that Sunday morning. The flavors have been such a giant driver of the model and gross sales and the expertise of Copper Cow.
So we’ll proceed to innovate on that entrance. On our web site, we’re now providing one thing that’s somewhat bit extra custom-made by way of an expertise that you could choose no matter flavors you need. You’ll be able to choose the variety of creamers you need, if any, and so to have it extra day after day. Treating the web site as a product for a custom-made espresso answer is one thing that we’re excited to proceed to spend money on. And we’re positively enthusiastic about popping out with new codecs. The pour over is an excellent expression of Vietnamese espresso, however there are methods that we are able to make it much more accessible and simpler for a shopper to have that very same Vietnamese espresso expertise. Our aim is at all times to make it even simpler so that you can take pleasure in a high-quality cup of espresso at house and on the go.
Knox: Together with your success, what has been the ripple impact on all the farmers that you just’ve labored with for the previous few years?
Wei Mullin: What has been so nice about our provider is that from day one, they’ve actually invested a ton into the co-op the place they get espresso from. That’s required a lot coaching on undoing many years of degradation into the Vietnamese espresso market. Whereas Vietnam is the second largest espresso producer on this planet, in the course of the Communist period, you bought one worth for espresso it doesn’t matter what. It led to a scarcity of high quality and due to that, most of it was simply being made into immediate espresso. Folks didn’t care after they picked the cherries as an example. There are all these items that started to fall to the wayside if it didn’t actually matter how good your espresso was. That has now modified because the market has developed.
Associated to that, we’re within the strategy of being honest commerce licensed and attempting to turn out to be the primary natural licensed Vietnamese espresso firm on the market. It’s a steep studying curve for our farmers to grasp what which means and why our customers care about it. However it’s positively influencing how this co-op is run and the way Vietnamese farmers are occupied with the truth that we’re going to pay them twice market charges to remove chemical dumping within the espresso processing and to select cherries when they’re pink. And to know that I’m going to come back again subsequent yr and the order goes to be even greater. They’re incentivized to do it proper. The espresso high quality right now is unbelievable and can be even higher within the years to come back.
