Part 1:

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(00:03 - 00:13) Luan: You’re listening to “Morning Coffee 101 “ . A special kind of spotlight episode on the coffee podcast, introducing the features of Vietnamese coffee shops. My name is Luan. 

 

(00:14 - 00:23) Mai: And I’m Mai, welcome to our studio today Mr. John Trung Nguyen, the owner of Cheese Coffee. Today, our topic is about Mr. John and his journey of creating the Cheese Coffee brand. 

 

(00:30 - 00:33) Luan: Good morning Mr. John! How are you doing? 

 

 

(00:34 - 00:36) Mr.John: I’m doing great. How about you guys? 

 

 

(00:37 - 00:41) Luan: Couldn’t feel better. So, we’re gonna break the ice by first introducing about yourself. 

 

(00:42 - 00:58) Mr.John: Hi guys, my name is Trung Nguyen, but you guys might know me with the name Mr.John. I’m nearly 30 now. And I’m the co-founder of Cheese Coffee. Until now, I’m proud to say that we have opened 10 branches located at different parts in HCM City. Anyway, is there a cup of my brand’s coffee on your table? 

 

(00:59 - 1:01) Luan: Yes! I'm a huge fan of your coffee shop. 

 

 

(1:02 - 1:06) Mr.John: Oh, that’s great. And what do you think about the drink? 

 

 

(1:07 - 1:19) Luan: Oh, that's a taste of heaven, to be honest. However, some drinks are too sweet for me to drink for a whole cup. Anyway, we wonder if “Cheese” in your Coffee brand name is a dairy product? If it's true, you're such a cheese lover! 

 

(1:20 - 1:30) Mr.John: As a matter of fact, there are lots of people confused about that. But, my intention to put “Cheese” in is to encourage people to “Say Cheese” and live their life happily. 

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(1:31 - 1:37) Luan: Oh, that’s a great idea! I also wonder, are there any stories behind the foundation of your brand? 

 

(1:38 - 1:55) Mr. John: Why does everyone just keep asking me that question? To be honest, there is not. The idea of running this coffee shop just came up to my mind after I had jumped out of my previous job. I thought the job just didn’t fit me at all, so I started to think about something new and then Cheese Coffee was founded. 

 

(1:56 - 2:06) Mai Anh: Oh, many start-ups have done the same way as you – gaining experience from previous job, then running their own business. And, could you please tell us what motivates you to run your business? 

 

(2:07 – 2:10) Luan: But, before hearing his answer, let's take a short break! 

 

 

(2:11 - 2:12) Mai Anh + Luan: Please stay tuned! 

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(2:13 - 2:14) Mai Anh: We’ll be back in a minute. 

 

 

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Part 2:

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(2:45 - 2:54) Luan: Welcome back to our studio. Let's continue with Mr.John’s sharing. About the previous question, we asked you about your motivations when running your own business. 

 

(2:56 – 3:33) Mr. John: Oh. That’s an interesting question. So, the first motivation springs up to my mind is that I always see Cheese Coffee as my own child, so I want to give “him” the most fulfilling life. The next motivation is that I want to give people the most comfortable atmosphere/, giving them a place to have social gatherings/, bonding with their peers/ and even dating. To be honest, my wife and i had our first date at a coffee shop as well. And… Do you guys guess what is my final motivation? 

 

(3:34 – 3:37) Mai Anh: Is that your special interest in coffee? 

 

 

(3:38 – 4:04) Mr. John: Well, I do have an interest in coffee, but/ that’s not what I want to say, the main reason that keeps me in this job for so long is the staff. Fortunately, I have a number of great employees who are enthusiastic, energetic and willing to contribute to the success of Cheese Coffee. From several things mentioned above, I always try to remind myself that I never have the reasons to give up on my work. 

 

(4:05 – 4:07) Luan: So, thank you for… 

 

 

(4:08 – 4:11) Mai Anh: Hold up, it’s too early for us to end this talk, Luan. We still have one more question, right? 

 

(4:12 – 4:14) Luan: Oh, I definitely forgot the important one. 

 

 

(4:15 – 4:27) Mai Anh: So, we want to ask you that “ When the country was suffering from the pandemic – Covid 19, a lot of brands were closed in order to lessen financial problems, what kept you going during this time? 

 

(4:28 – 4:57) Mr. John: Wow, I’ve never thought you all will ask me that question. Here’s the thing. I think the reason why my coffee shop remained stable or even made progress during the crisis is that I understood the global problem, then did a lot of preventative actions including letting my staff stay at home, limiting customers staying at our coffee shops, and the list goes on. We actually equipped our shops with touch-less hand sanitizer to avoid spreading the disease. 

 

(4:58 – 5:05) Mai Anh: Wow, that’s such a great thing, we appreciate what you’ve just shared with us. Thank you for spending time with us. 

 

(5:06- 5:08) Mr. John: Thank you for inviting me to the show. 

 

 

(5:09 – 5:15) Luan: And thank the listeners for joining us today. / Make sure you subscribe to our channel so you’ll never miss the upcoming magazine. Thank you again. 

 

(5:16 – 5:18 ) Mai Anh + Luan: And see you next time. 

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