A Viet Kieu’s journey to become a food millionaire in the US
Wednesday, 03/02/2016 11:51
Mr Munchery is Vietnamese and he came to the United States when he was 11 years old. He now owns a company worth $300 million. He specializes in delivering food to customer in the US.
Tri Tran (second from left to right) is the founder of the Munchery Company. They specialize in delivering food to customers in San Francisco, Seattle, New York and Los Angeles, in the United States. The company started trading in 2011 and it is now worth $300 million. To date Munchery has served more than 3 million meals to customers. Photo: Business Insider
A boy named Tri (From Vung Tau) went to US with his brother and grand-mother in 1986 to stay with his uncle in San Jose City, California. Tri started to school with his limited English, knowing just a few words. He would ask his friends to translate for him. He remembers, “The teacher was speaking in English continuously and I just only nodded my head and said OK or something like that”. Gradually he could speak the language where he is living. Tri and his brother studied at Technical University of Massachusetts in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After graduation, Tri worked at a computer company in Silicon Valley. Photos: Bloomberg
Tri got married in in US to Maria Su when
he was 23 years old. They have two sons. Both he and his wife were so busy so
that cooking took a backseat. They usually bought food on the way home. Tri
paid a neighbor, a chef, to cook meals
and leave them the fridge. He then simply warmed it up when he was hungry. The
chef served several houses, earning $700 per day, but couldn’t cook for many
people. Tri shared his thoughts with Conrad Chu, a friend and colleague and so
the idea of Munchery was born. Tri and Chu quit their jobs and started the
project. Photos: Bloomberg Business Week
At the beginning, both of them signed
contracts with chefs to cook in their restaurant and hotel; they then sold food
online. However, this way still had disadvantages in regard to quality control
and service. They reorganized the company and hired full time chefs to expand
their business. Although the cost was increased, the company could control
ingredients and the quality of the products better. Now Munchery is estimated
to be worth $300 million. Photos: Bloomberg Business Week
Munchery cooks food and delivers to customers at a competitive price; 90% of their business is to repeat customers. Photo: Business Insider
A food box prepared by Munchery. Photos: Bloomberg
Ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Mr Tri Tran at his Munchery office during her visit whilst campaigning for the presidency May 8, 2015. Photo: Business Insider
Conrad Chu and Mr Tri Tran are co-founders of Munchery. They intend to open more branches in the future.
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