How To Disrupt Your Industry | Sahra V. Nguyen | TEDxNYU
The speaker argues that true disruption comes not from inventing new things but from increasing transparency, using the example of Vietnamese coffee to show how current market practices misrepresent the product and disempower the producers. The core evidence is the contrast between consumer perception (believing coffee comes from Colombia) and reality (Vietnam being the world's second-largest producer), illustrating that transparency builds trust, which is vital for sustainable business models. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker; previously lived in New York City working as a full-time freelance filmmaker and writer, covering immigration, racial justice, and creative entrepreneurship. - The speaker's professional interest has always been increasing representation and visibility for historically marginalized communities. - At a young age, the speaker fell in love with Vietnamese coffee after experiencing it in Vietnam. ## Theses & Positions - The key to disrupting an industry is not reinventing the wheel, but rather taking control of the wheel to increase transparency. - The speaker asserts that transparency is beneficial for business, as 73% of consumers are willing to pay more for complete transparency, and 85% of Americans state business transparency is more important than ever. - True disruption allows for creating a system of openness, honesty, and sustainability that creates a win/win world. - Consumer and corporate roles in disrupting industries include demanding and providing transparency, respectively. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Cultural appropriation:** Using Vietnamese coffee's buzzwords without crediting or including the producers of Vietnamese coffee beans in the transaction. - **Disruption:** Taking control of an existing industry's mechanics rather than creating something entirely new. - **Transparency:** Openness regarding the entire supply chain, from producer to consumer. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Vietnamese coffee preparation:** Majority Robusta slow-dripping through a Vietnamese phin filter. - **Market misalignment:** Coffee shops in NYC using house cold brew (Ethiopian or Peruvian) with condensed milk and labeling it "Vietnamese iced coffee." - **Inclusion mechanism:** For a business to benefit from a culture, the producers of that culture (Vietnamese coffee bean producers) must be included in the transaction. - **Systemic change:** Breaking down informational walls that keep producers in poverty, consumers from being empowered, and companies from developing trust. ## Timeline & Sequence - **2018:** Launched Nuyen Coffee Supply, solely dedicated to importing, roasting, and distributing coffee beans to Vietnam. - **Prior to 2018:** Worked as a full-time freelance filmmaker/writer in New York City. - **At a young age:** Made frequent trips to Vietnam to visit family, developing a love for Vietnamese coffee. - **Last five years (NYC):** Witnessed the booming nature of Vietnamese food and culture in NYC, alongside the trend of "Vietnamese iced coffee." ## Named Entities - **Nuyen Coffee Supply:** Company launched in 2018. - **DMD Madame Bois, Saigon social:** Examples of new modern Vietnamese restaurants in NYC. ## Numbers & Data - Vietnam is the **second largest producer** of coffee in the world. - Vietnam is the **number one producer** of Robusta beans. - **9 out of 10 people** are more likely to give second chances to companies with a track record of transparency. - **73%** of consumers say they are willing to pay for a product offering complete transparency. - **85%** of Americans say business transparency is more important than ever. - In **2017**, the U.S. imported **700,000 tons** of Vietnamese coffee. ## Examples & Cases - **Initial career:** Freelance filmmaker/writer covering immigration, racial justice, and creative entrepreneurship in NYC. - **Cultural trend:** The rise of Vietnamese cuisine and "Vietnamese iced coffee" in NYC, which the speaker found was often misrepresented using non-Vietnamese bases. - **Initial sourcing difficulty:** Limited options for fresh roasted Vietnamese beans in NYC: 1) Jammu (pre-ground, potentially artificial ingredients) or 2) Cafe Du Monde (New Orleans based, no source info). - **Disruptive action:** Importing and roasting Vietnamese coffee beans in Brooklyn, facilitated by a friend who took over a family coffee farm in Vietnam. - **Consumer Survey Data:** National Coffee Association survey showed 84% associating Colombia with coffee, 60-70% associating Brazil, and only 16% associating Vietnam. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Vietnamese phin filter:** Specific method for slow-dripping coffee. - **Jammu:** Brand of pre-ground Vietnamese coffee beans. - **Cafe Du Monde:** New Orleans-based company offering pre-ground coffee. ## References Cited - **National Coffee Association:** Source of the survey data used on coffee production associations. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker acknowledges that a business model focused purely on maximizing profit might prioritize squeezing every penny over creating a financially thriving model built on ethical practices. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - For entrepreneurs: Disrupt their industry by building transparency. - For consumers: Disrupt their industry by demanding transparency. - The goal is to build trust and loyalty by showing care for the sources of products, transforming a "daily ritual of coffee" into something associated with the Vietnamese production process. ## Implications & Consequences - Lack of transparency allows large corporations to benefit financially while Vietnamese workers and farmers remain in poverty due to low price tags. - Failure to address transparency can lead to dangerous consumer outcomes, such as companies adding fillers to ground coffee in Vietnam. - Establishing transparency can lead to a system of openness, honesty, and sustainability that benefits all stakeholders. ## Verbatim Moments - *"in essence I've always cared about increasing representation and visibility of communities that were historically pushed to margins."* - *"I was utterly repulsed"* (when trying misrepresented Vietnamese iced coffee). - *"if a business is going to benefit from a culture by using the buzzwords Vietnamese iced coffee the producers of this culture in the producers of Vietnamese coffee beans should be included in the transaction to benefit from the trend as well."* - *"what if I told you that the key to disrupting your industry is not to reinvent the wheel but to take control of the wheel and increase transparency."* - *"perception and reality our opposite ends the poll right"* - *"if we can break down the walls of information that keep producers in a cycle of poverty consumers from being empowered and companies from developing trust we can create a system of openness honesty and sustainability that truly creates a win/win world"*