KimEcopak: A Vietnamese restaurant owner's journey to becoming an eco-friendly packaging entrepreneur!


Meet Kim Vu, the founder of KimEcopak and an accomplished entrepreneur on an effort to better our environment. Her love of nature and traditional Vietnamese cuisine inspired her to develop a unique eco-packaging solution that is changing the restaurant business. Kim's journey to Canada was difficult, as she left behind a prestigious corporate career in Saigon, Vietnam, but her drive to make a positive difference never gave up.

We'll look at Kim's journey from Vietnam to Canada, the hurdles she had as a restaurant owner, and how she overcame them to start KimEcopak. We'll also go over the environmental impact of food packaging and the future of eco-packing in the restaurant business.
 Kim's journey to Canada began in 2018 after she fell in love with the country's natural beauty while on a road trip of discovery. In 2020, she decided to leave her corporate career at a worldwide corporation in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and relocate to Canada.

Kim was so missing Vietnamese food that she and her partner, chef Yen, decided to start an authentic Vietnamese restaurant. Yenkitchen, the restaurant, utilizes Canadian ingredients to create an authentic Vietnamese feel.

I -THE CHALLENGES OF RESTAURANT OWNERSHIP 

Chef Yen & Kim experienced numerous hurdles as a restaurant owner, including:

In the following section, we'll go over each of Kim's challenges and how they affected her restaurant. You may discover that you, too, are dealing with comparable issues in your own restaurant or in the F&B industry.

Continue reading for an in-depth study of Kim's path, helpful insights, and the knowledge that you are not alone, as well as how KimEcopak could assist you overcome challenges when running your own restaurants.

1.      Finding an eco-friendly packaging supplier

While wholesale suppliers in town treated their consumers unfairly, this was especially true for eco-packaging. For example, a case of 500 take-out containers at $100/case could be raised to $170/case without warning. Furthermore, suppliers challenged Kim to go "on the street" for a lower price, claiming that their offer was already competitive. Kim recognized that the issue of rising prices was a difficulty not only for her business but for many others, particularly in small towns or remote areas of Canada.

Furthermore, inventory management became the second most challenging due to suppliers constantly being out of stock, making it tough to manage the restaurant's supply.

Furthermore, with little kitchen storage, Kim needed to find a strategy to maximize space while yet ensuring that all supplies were readily available when needed. This problem was made even worse by Yenkitchen location in a tiny town with few suppliers.

2.     Dealing with high labor costs:

Kim was in charge of monitoring her employees and making sure they were paid fairly as a small business owner. However, labor prices were high in Canada, making it harder for Kim to keep her costs under control. In addition, given the competitive labor market in her town, hiring and maintaining talented workers was difficult. Kim frequently had to work long hours herself to make up for workers shortages.

3.      Complying with regulations: 

Kim had to follow numerous restrictions about food safety, trash management, and environmental norms. Compliance with these requirements frequently necessitated large expenditures, such as the purchase of specialized equipment or the payment for third-party audits.

Furthermore, during COVID-19, they can only accept customers who are completely vaccinated to dine-in, resulting in 50% of customers opting not to dine-in. Failure to comply with regulations may result in fines, business closure, or damage to the restaurant's reputation.

4.     Balancing work and personal life:

Running a restaurant required long hours and dedication, leaving Kim with little time for her personal life. She frequently worked six or seven days a week, missing family gatherings, friend gatherings, and personal time. Furthermore, the pressures of running a business can be overpowering, leaving Kim agitated and apprehensive.

Kim had to keep her business open seven days a week during the pandemic because closing even for a day meant losing revenue while still having to pay rent and electricity. As a result, in 2020 and 2021, Kim was required to work between 10 and 12 hours per day, seven days a week, making it even more difficult for her to balance work and personal life. 

5.     Maintaining consistent quality: 

Chef Yen, Head Chef of YenKitchen and qualified Red-Seal Chef in Canada, takes pride in offering high-quality food to her clients and requires tight quality control on the entire food in the restaurant.

Maintaining constant quality, on the other hand, was a challenging endeavor that needed her to obtain high-quality ingredients, educate employees, and invest in equipment and facilities. Furthermore, unanticipated incidents such as equipment breakdowns or labor shortages may disrupt the cooking process, resulting in lower-quality meals and unhappy consumers. 

II - KIMECOPAK: THE SOLUTION TO ECO-PACKAGING CHALLENGES 

Kim created a game-changing solution that not only helps her but also the entire restaurant business as a result of her perseverance in overcoming the difficulties of being a restaurant owner. Kim has come up with an eco-friendly packaging solution that has caught the market by storm with the help of her partner, Chef Yen.

KimEcopak addresses issues that many restaurant owners confront, such as locating dependable suppliers and managing inventories. Kim's commitment to a "6-month fixed price" offer has distinguished her company in the industry, consolidating her reputation as a competent entrepreneur.

Follow along with Part 2 of Kim's tale to learn how her vision and tenacity changed the restaurant business and why many restaurant operators in Canada chose KimEcopak.