The U60 Startup Ride of Uncle Long: A Tale of Resilience and Innovation

Meet Uncle Long, the 58-year-old founder of “Chu Cafe Muoi Chu Long,” a coffee chain that has taken Ho Chi Minh City and several southern provinces by storm over the past two years. The spectacular success of this entrepreneur in his twilight years has ignited a strong spirit of startup among the younger generation.

Uncle Long has had a passion for coffee since he was just a 14-15-year-old boy, to the extent that there were days when he drank 5-6 cups of coffee, causing “stomach churning.” He dropped out of school in the 9th grade and tried his hand at business for three years, but his passion for coffee had to be put on hold when he reached the age of military conscription.

Decades later, Uncle Long took on various jobs to make a living in Saigon, and his connection with coffee seemed to have faded. But in the latter half of his life, coffee unexpectedly led him to a surprising turning point.

In 2019, at the age of 53, Uncle Long decided to start a coffee shop with a borrowed capital of 200 million VND. But less than a year later, Covid-19 struck, forcing the closure of cafes, and his capital was wiped out. Uncle Long went bankrupt and fell into debt.

With his back against the wall due to the pandemic, Uncle Long left Ho Chi Minh City and returned to his hometown in Quang Ngai Province, temporarily “evading” a debt of 120 million VND.

During this time of refuge in his hometown, Uncle Long visited Hue and first learned about salted coffee.

“What is salted coffee? Perhaps it’s just coffee with added salt, like the way people often drink it to neutralize the taste and enhance the flavor,” he thought. “It’s probably just like the salted coffee people usually enjoy.”

However, when he observed the salted coffee in Hue, Uncle Long was completely surprised. The difference lay in the fact that the coffee would drip through a filter into a layer of creamy milk below.

Intrigued by the salted coffee of the ancient capital, Uncle Long also tried salted coffee in Danang. The coffee here was pre-mixed instead of being drip-brewed. He found the taste to be richer than the first salted coffee he tried.

Later, through research and experimentation, he realized why drip-brewed coffee couldn’t achieve the best flavor. “When the cream is put into the glass first, the hot water used for drip-brewing reduces the creaminess. I noticed that drip-brewed salted coffee can’t match the taste of pre-mixed coffee.”

This discovery led him to realize that the salted coffee originating from Hue could be made even better. This was also the idea that sparked the birth of the “Chu Cafe Muoi Chu Long” brand.

After Covid, Uncle Long returned to Ho Chi Minh City, determined to start over again with a small coffee cart on Cong Hoa Street. He did everything himself, from assembling the cart to making the signboard. He chose the time frame from 5 AM to 9 AM to sell coffee, when the street was bustling with people.

At that time, the debt of 120 million VND had not yet been repaid. He discussed with his daughter, negotiated with the creditor, and found a way to gradually repay the debt. Every month, his daughter gave him 10 million VND, half of which he used to repay the debt and the other half for personal expenses. This amount was enough for him not to have to do business.

However, instead of following his daughter’s advice, Uncle Long decided to save all this money to start over, with the hope of having enough money to pay off his debt. This was the path he was determined to take at all costs, so he wouldn’t become a burden to his children in his old age.

“Why should I rely on my children when I’m still capable of working? Why are they successful in business while I keep failing? Why are they successful in their simple endeavors?” Uncle Long kept questioning himself. “I don’t want to stay at home and be taken care of by my children. I want to do something for them while I still have the strength to work.”

In the early days of the business, his daughter and a nephew helped him. While he was busy selling coffee, his nephew accidentally recorded a video and posted it on TikTok. The first video simply captured the image of an elderly man selling coffee with a warm and cheerful demeanor. On the first day, he sold 30 cups, a decent number for a new coffee cart.

Things started to change when, at the end of the day, the video of him went viral on TikTok. Seeing the opportunity, his nephew encouraged him to prepare more coffee for the next day. As a result, the number of cups sold soared from 30 to 120 overnight.

This small success astonished both father and daughter. In a phone call, his daughter asked him: “Now that you’ve gained some traction, are you determined to continue? Are you willing to commit to this path beyond the 5 AM to 9 AM morning hours?”

In response to his daughter, he simply said: “I have the determination and the health. I can do it!”

By the third day, Uncle Long bought two small cream whippers to prepare the cream in advance and store it in the refrigerator, while the coffee was still drip-brewed. At that point, his daughter made a prediction: “I think by the third day, you’ll be selling a lot. And you’ve decided to sell all day, right?”

As expected, 500 cups of salted coffee were sold on the third day.

After the success of the first coffee cart, he had enough capital to pay off his debts. However, he calculated that if he could negotiate to pay 20 million VND per month, the remaining balance could be used to reinvest and recycle capital. He agreed with the creditor to repay 20 million VND per month, and it was accepted.

After six months, Uncle Long was finally free from the burden of debt.

After gaining fame through social media, the small coffee cart on Cong Hoa Street began to attract attention, but it also faced new challenges. Some opinions emerged regarding the sign “Cafe Muoi 15k” put up by Uncle Long.

“Uncle, please don’t use that phrase. Use ‘dong gia’ (uniform price) instead, otherwise, it might be misunderstood,” suggested young customers.

Realizing that this oversight could make customers hesitant about the pricing, Uncle Long decided to only display the sign “Dong Gia Cafe Muoi 15k” in front of the cart and set the price at 15,000 VND for all drinks.

“I don’t see business as a way to make profits. I focus on diversifying the menu instead of raising prices to increase revenue,” he said.

However, there were still quite a few opposing views regarding the “super cheap” salted coffee. Some argued that setting the price at 15,000 VND for a cup of coffee was “undercutting.”

Uncle Long recalled that two years ago, the salted coffee market in Saigon was challenging to penetrate. Only large cafes could sell it. The cheapest was 35,000 VND per cup, and the bigger brands charged 65-70,000 VND. When it first appeared, salted coffee was a luxury that only the “rich” could afford.

He spent time thinking and considering how to make salted coffee accessible to everyone. After careful calculations, he decided to develop the “Cafe Muoi 15k” model so that everyone could enjoy it.

“Initially, I didn’t think about ‘undercutting’ the market. I just wanted to compensate for my labor. For example, if I were paid 300,000 VND for a day’s work, I would be satisfied with earning around that amount from selling coffee,” Uncle Long shared.

However, setting such a low price for a cup of coffee also presented challenges for Uncle Long when coffee prices in the market recently soared. “Although I’ve tried to hold the line, I had to increase the volume offered. Still, the price didn’t skyrocket to shock customers.”

In addition to pricing, another tricky issue for Uncle Long, as the business expanded into a chain, was trademark infringement.

After the success of the brand spread beyond Ho Chi Minh City, Uncle Long was in the process of bringing salted coffee to Binh Duong when someone in Dong Thap province started using his brand name to operate a coffee shop.

That night, as he returned home from Binh Duong, Uncle Long received the shocking news that a brand named “Chu Long” with the owner claiming to be his nephew had been franchised for a fee of 70-100 million VND per cart.

“At that moment, I was determined to stop this behavior to protect customers from being scammed and to prevent the exploitation of my image for personal gain,” Uncle Long recalled as he rushed to Dong Thap to resolve the issue.

Through communication, the owner of the fake “Chu Long” cafe agreed to take down the signboard and apologize on his fanpage.

A few days later, Uncle Long officially registered his trademark using his name.

Uncle Long also received several franchise requests and had granted some of them. The franchisees bought ingredients from him and followed his prescribed ratios, with the requirement not to use his brand name. However, during this process, he received feedback from customers who visited these outlets and complained that the coffee didn’t taste the same, even though the same recipe and ingredients were used.

Uncle Long realized that the drink-making process at these outlets was not consistent. They didn’t follow his prescribed formula, which led to complaints about quality and negatively impacted the brand’s reputation.

Based on this experience, he decided against franchising. He felt that he didn’t have the capacity to control the quality of all the franchised outlets.

“I feel that I can only expand to the extent that I can manage. At this stage of my life, I can’t turn back. If I fail now, I lose everything. So, I’ve decided against franchising and will personally navigate my path,” Uncle Long shared.

Despite not franchising, after a year and a half of entrepreneurship, Uncle Long and his team have opened 44 “Cafe Muoi Chu Long” cafes in various provinces across the country. Uncle Long shared that the cafes in the provinces are managed by his employees who are locals. They are trained in Ho Chi Minh City until they become proficient, after which they return to manage the cafes in their respective provinces.

As a conclusion to this inspiring story of a startup journey in the twilight years, Uncle Long was asked for advice for the younger generation.

“I want to share with you from my life experiences.

First, when you want to do something, put your heart into it. If you commit wholeheartedly, success will come sooner or later, so don’t be lackadaisical.

Second, don’t be pessimistic on your journey. There will always be obstacles and challenges, but don’t let them discourage you. Keep moving forward. Take me, for example; I’ve fallen and gotten back up many times, and here I am today, blessed with your love.” These were the words of encouragement from the founder of “Cafe Muoi Chu Long” to the younger generation.