From Family Satế to Store Shelves | Steven Nguyen (Drunken Phở) — Solo Spotlight | Ep 52

First batch gone in 48 hours. ~400 jars in ~3 months. Then AHS reached out—so Steven paused home production, moved into a commercial kitchen, and kept building.

Drunken Phở’s founder Steven Nguyen breaks down how a family Vietnamese satế (lemongrass chili oil) became a real brand: a 12-jar retail test that sold out in ~3 days and expanded to five stores, scrappy pop-ups (30 jars in 30 minutes; 45 in ~2 hours), and content that actually converts.

What we cover:

• - Satế vs. generic chili oil (and why consistency is hard)
• - Compliance & ops: AHS pause → permits → commercial kitchen
• - Retail: test → sell-through → reorders and cadence
• - Pop-up playbook that moved product fast
• - Content engine when you only have an hour a day

Guest:

Steven Nguyen — Founder, D ...