Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmytay Trinh.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our story started when we immigrated to America from Vietnam. I grew up learning and cooking with my Mother’s homemade Vietnamese dishes. But went to engineering school and graduated with no job. I did it for my parents. Fast forward 2008 I applied to cook schools. The problem I noticed was that I was gaining a lot of weight due to my 200lbs of obesity. With self-awareness to the foods I was consuming, I made it a conscious choice not to eat processed foods.
During my culinary training at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY (Anthony Bourdain, Steve Ells (Chipotle: Alumni’s as well), I realized where food was made and where it came from. Sister with cancer, mother with diabetes, and father with 13 stents in his heart, I came back to my roots of Vietnamese food, loss 50lbs and my Mother’s recipe inspired me to launch Naturally Noah’s (formerly naughty noahs), and I named the brand after my Son as a legacy to “nourish the next generation.”
Naturally Noah’s Vision is to help families make healthier food choices through education and plant-based Asian noodles. We do this by curating alternative plant proteins, fermentation and gut healthy ingredients like probiotics & coconut oils. Here’s our timeline: 2002: BS Engineering Degree, 2002-2008 Real Estate and Mortgage, 2009 The Culinary Institute of America, 2010-2013 Real Estate & Mortgage, then Retired from industry, 2014-2016 Research and Development of Natural/Vietnamese/Ethnic Foods.
2017 March: Soft Launch at Natural Products Expo West. We Won Best Vegan Product from VegNews. April 2, 22: did Half IRONMAN & Full IRONMAN first time two weeks apart. August: Daughter Mila was Born during “Hurricane Harvey” in the Car. Sept: Launched Naughty Noah’s.
2018 Launch in Central Market (10) locations, Launch in Cost Plus World Market (220) locations in less than 8 months. Finalist for Editors Choice CPG Award. Accepted into Food X Accelerator, in NYC w/ Venture Capital Funding from SOSV VC. Featured in Entrepreneurs TV Show, “Season 2 of Elevator Pitch”
2019 Award from Eating Well Magazine for Best of Expo West. Finalist HEB Quest for TEXAS Best. Naughty Noah’s was Featured in Mintel’s: Global Annual Report 2019: “The Future of Pasta, Rice, and Noodles”
2020 Accepted into Founder Institute Pre-Seed Accelerator, Pandemic Hit, Founder Audit & Brand Audit, Chose to Rebrand to Naturally Noah’s.
2021 Accepted into M/O Fellowship (a collaboration between NaturallyAustin.org & Sku.is Accelerator). Accepted into Sku M/O Accelerator.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not a smooth road by any means… had a sister in the business and exit the business. Supply chain issues… bootstrap capital of $300K, pretty much solo founder doing product dev, marketing, sourcing, sales, operations, logistics, kids, didn’t pay myself an income for seven years now, so… it’s been ups and downs. Now we are rebranding to nourish the next generation of families.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a culinary trained Chef and specialize in Plant-based Asian Noodles. Known for making Vietnamese Pho Noodles and reimagining to an All Plant-based Pho version and Healthier! I’m most proud of our journey and legacy we are building to nourish the next generation. What sets us apart: Eat Different, Taste Culture. We bring a unique, differentiated perspective to Asian foods, making it clean, tasty, yet more sustainable and healthier for people and the planet. We follow the UN Sustainable Development Goals. SDG.org
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Commitment, Willingness, Intentional, Transformation and Passionate.
Pricing:
- 4.99 MSRP
- 3.49 New Price on Relaunch/Rebrand
Contact Info:
- Email: jimmytay@naturallynoahs.com
- Website: www.NaturallyNoahs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallynoahs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoahsPhoNoodles/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/EATNaughtyNoahs
