Following a challenging entrepreneurial path, Ca Men Foods has found success by exporting “Ready-to-Eat” food containers to markets in the US, Australia, and Canada. At Startup Wheel 2024, Ca Men proudly presented their narrative of “delivering Vietnamese cuisine around the globe.”
Top 10 Startup Wheel 2024
CA MEN FOODS
Bringing Vietnamese Cuisine to the World
Ca Men: “Bringing Quang Tri to Urban Streets”
In 2009, Mr. Nguyen Duc Nhat Thuan relocated to Ho Chi Minh City for his university studies. After 18 years of enjoying home-cooked meals, his arrival in Saigon left him yearning for the flavors and dishes from his hometown, which were nowhere to be found. Additionally, each visit back home prompted his neighbors to encourage him to find ways to showcase local products more widely. This led to Mr. Thuan’s idea of opening a restaurant that offered the specialty dishes of Quang Tri in Ho Chi Minh City.
After graduating and spending a year at an import-export company, Mr. Thuan saved enough money and gained the experience needed to pursue his dream. In 2015, he left a job that paid nearly 1,000 USD per month to found the ‘Ca Men’ brand. In Vietnamese, ‘Ca Men’ is derived from the French word ‘Gamelle,’ which refers to metal utensils and cookware used during picnics, travel, and military campaigns for cooking, transporting, and storing food. With this meaningful insight, Mr. Thuận helps those away from home reconnect with the flavors of their homeland.
In 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ca Men chose to initiate a “kitchen of love” to support hospitals and quarantine centers. These experiences prompted the Ca Men team to ask a crucial question: “Why not package traditional dishes so that anyone can enjoy them without being constrained by time or circumstances?”
After months of dedicated research and market analysis, Ca Men introduced its packaged snakehead fish porridge in 2022, infused with the distinct flavors of Quang Tri, thereby commencing its mission of “Bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the world.”
Building on these early successes, the product line of “Ready-to-Eat” items has expanded to include snakehead fish porridge, crab noodle soup, and Hue beef noodle soup – each maintaining traditional flavors while ensuring convenience and high quality.
Reaching International Heights – Ca Men’s Aspiration to “Bring Vietnamese Cuisine to the World”
Bringing the flavors of Vietnam to the international market is not an easy journey. From perfecting product quality and establishing safe production systems to meeting international hygiene and packaging standards, each step is fraught with challenges.
Every Ca Men product is the result of a careful selection process and cultivation according to special standards. Thanks to modern preservation technology, the naturally fresh flavors create a unique distinction in every Ca Men product along the journey of “bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the world.”
With strong determination and belief in the cultural value of Vietnamese food, Ca Men has continuously improved and developed. By 2030, the goal is to expand the distribution network in major markets, in combination with other Vietnamese products, to help the Vietnamese community living abroad easily enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Nhat Thuan, Founder of the Ca Men Foods, shared: “For Ca Men, beyond the business story aimed at generating profit, we always strive to create value for the community, especially for the farmers in our hometown of Quảng Trị. This spirit has provided Ca Men with the motivation to overcome the challenges of entrepreneurship.” (Source: camen.vn)
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