After two years of hard work, the dynamic duo behind VIVIN fine foods finally have their products on a supermarket shelf
TWO years ago French expatriate Nicolas Vivin and his Aussie-Thai wife Samantha were elbow-deep in duck liver, in the bedroom of their former poky Sukhumvit flat, wondering if Nicolas’s decision to create his own premium-quality homemade foie gras terrine would ever pay off. So it was no surprise that the couple’s smiles were almost brighter than the high-power spotlights of Central Food Hall, Central Chidlom, when their product range (which, alongside aluminum pots of whole duck foie gras terrine, now includes dried duck magret in a variety of flavours; condiments and spices; and some amazing goat’s cheese from Chonburi – all under the VIVIN brand) officially hit the high-end supermarket’s shelves last month. |
Turning those smiles up even brighter: their foie gras sat next to world-renowned Rougié, whose elegant packaging was actually overshadowed by the bold but classy colours of the VIVIN products. Talk about David and Goliath.
The launch of their products in the store wasn’t the only milestone the couple celebrated last month. The dynamic duo also opened their own, and first, sales corner in the Food Hall’s Deli Section, where shoppers can now sample VIVIN’s wares and learn the story behind each handmade product.
“It makes all the hard work of the past couple of years definitely worth it,” said Nicolas, pointing to his products proudly displayed in all their glory. “But we’ve still got a lot of hard work to do and a long way left to go.”
Sam and Nico, as the couple is best known, will be instantly familiar to most long-term expats or anyone who’s attended one of Bangkok’s popular Farmers Markets. Especially Sam, who, as founder of the Desperately Seeking Bangkok Facebook pages, founder of WP&E Club (Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Thailand), and full-time marketing and communications director/wife for VIVIN, is a marketing guru and something of an online celebrity.
The launch of their products in the store wasn’t the only milestone the couple celebrated last month. The dynamic duo also opened their own, and first, sales corner in the Food Hall’s Deli Section, where shoppers can now sample VIVIN’s wares and learn the story behind each handmade product.
“It makes all the hard work of the past couple of years definitely worth it,” said Nicolas, pointing to his products proudly displayed in all their glory. “But we’ve still got a lot of hard work to do and a long way left to go.”
Sam and Nico, as the couple is best known, will be instantly familiar to most long-term expats or anyone who’s attended one of Bangkok’s popular Farmers Markets. Especially Sam, who, as founder of the Desperately Seeking Bangkok Facebook pages, founder of WP&E Club (Women Professionals & Entrepreneurs Thailand), and full-time marketing and communications director/wife for VIVIN, is a marketing guru and something of an online celebrity.
Like all genuine entrepreneurs, Sam and Nico have an enviable amount of energy which often appears to be limitless. Every weekday, they’re dragged from their dreams by early alarms and, without punching the snooze button, immediately get to work, starting production at their small facility on Sukhumvit 49 (“Much, much better than doing everything in our bedroom, as we used to do at the start,” said Sam. “And sorry for the innuendo,” she laughed). At the facility, Nico, who received his culinary training in his hometown at the three- Michelin starred Maison Troisgros in Roanne, France, as well as at top Swiss hotel school École Hôtelière de Lausanne – and counts among his former workplaces renowned hotels such as the Conrad Bangkok; Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Switzerland; and Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok (where he was a shop coordinator) – creates his terrine by using 100 percent raw duck livers imported from France and following recipes handed down by his grandmother. |
He’s tweaked these recipes slightly to suit the Asian palate, and the results, all without artificial ingredients, colours or preservatives, include creative and delicious flavours such as Whole duck foie gras black truffle 10%, Whole duck foie gras infused with Chalong Bay Rum, and Whole duck foie gras tamarind – all available in either 50- or 110-gram servings, and starting at a very reasonable B540 per pot.
Once potted, the foie gras terrine is immediately good to go. And alongside filling the allotted shelf space at Central Chidlom, this means fulfilling orders from top restaurants and hotels, as well as online customers, all around Bangkok.
“It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come since the early days,” said Nico. “All the mistakes we’ve made along the way, everything we’ve learned – especially about getting our products into a store. It’s been a fascinating journey. And now the plan is just to keep continuing to grow. We don’t plan to compete with the big food importers; that just wouldn’t work. But we’ll continue to offer more niche, high-end products made with high-quality ingredients that people can enjoy at good value for money.”
The goat’s cheese from Chonburi is the perfect example of VIVIN’s philosophy. Rich and delicious, and not too dissimilar from premium cheeses imported from France, VIVIN’s cheese is a steal at B280 per piece.
However, it’s not only good quality products at reasonable prices that have helped VIVIN gain a loyal base of regular customers – but rather pure and simple hard graft.
“All those weekends spent selling our goods at the Farmers Markets, all of those evenings spent networking, all of those hours spent promoting VIVIN online – they’re finally starting to pay off,” said Sam. “Recent collaborations with other Bangkok-based artisans have been a boost too. Ultimately, it’s just so good to see that most of the people coming to our new counter are already familiar with the brand and what we’re offering. So we know there’s a taste for it. Now we just need to get more full-time staff to go along with the nine people we now employ!”
VIVIN’s counter is open daily from 9.30am till around 8.30pm. Alongside the aforementioned whole duck foie gras and cheese, Nico’s new range of duck magret (a dried cut of lean meat from the breast) is also well-worth a try – especially as a tasty addition to a salad or sandwich. Available flavours include Natural, Black pepper, Thyme, Paprika and Pong curry (each priced at B360 per package).
A full list of products can be viewed on VIVIN’s online store: vivinmaison.com. Home delivery is available.
Once potted, the foie gras terrine is immediately good to go. And alongside filling the allotted shelf space at Central Chidlom, this means fulfilling orders from top restaurants and hotels, as well as online customers, all around Bangkok.
“It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come since the early days,” said Nico. “All the mistakes we’ve made along the way, everything we’ve learned – especially about getting our products into a store. It’s been a fascinating journey. And now the plan is just to keep continuing to grow. We don’t plan to compete with the big food importers; that just wouldn’t work. But we’ll continue to offer more niche, high-end products made with high-quality ingredients that people can enjoy at good value for money.”
The goat’s cheese from Chonburi is the perfect example of VIVIN’s philosophy. Rich and delicious, and not too dissimilar from premium cheeses imported from France, VIVIN’s cheese is a steal at B280 per piece.
However, it’s not only good quality products at reasonable prices that have helped VIVIN gain a loyal base of regular customers – but rather pure and simple hard graft.
“All those weekends spent selling our goods at the Farmers Markets, all of those evenings spent networking, all of those hours spent promoting VIVIN online – they’re finally starting to pay off,” said Sam. “Recent collaborations with other Bangkok-based artisans have been a boost too. Ultimately, it’s just so good to see that most of the people coming to our new counter are already familiar with the brand and what we’re offering. So we know there’s a taste for it. Now we just need to get more full-time staff to go along with the nine people we now employ!”
VIVIN’s counter is open daily from 9.30am till around 8.30pm. Alongside the aforementioned whole duck foie gras and cheese, Nico’s new range of duck magret (a dried cut of lean meat from the breast) is also well-worth a try – especially as a tasty addition to a salad or sandwich. Available flavours include Natural, Black pepper, Thyme, Paprika and Pong curry (each priced at B360 per package).
A full list of products can be viewed on VIVIN’s online store: vivinmaison.com. Home delivery is available.