Luu Thai Quang Khai
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Maca Dai Viet started as a tribute to our fathers, who were the first macadamia farmers in Vietnam. The wish then became a brand name—Ông Ba Macadamia. And the past 8 years of our lives have been all about bringing this brand name to the world as a representation of a product of authenticity, quality, and decency from Vietnam. From a small farm experimenting with a new tree, we now run our own factory, operate stores in city centers, have reached 10 countries, boast over 12 different product lines, and guarantee the macadamia output for thousands of Vietnamese farmers.
The best way to do things properly is to take time doing everything in the business, piece by piece, with care.
Our motivation and goals for Maca Dai Viet were clear from the start:
(1) To make Vietnamese macadamia a specialty, both locally and globally
(2) To support and improve farmers' lives (like our fathers') by ensuring them a stable, decent market for their produce.
My work covers a wide range of scopes, from building the company ERP to brand development and market expansion. But the most significant impact, to me, has always been making the brand's representation as decent as possible. That's how I believe products from our country should be seen: decent, full of passion & dedication, done properly, done sustainably, and very authentic.
As inexperienced entrepreneurs and market pioneers, challenges were everywhere for us. From market knowledge—most people didn't know what macadamia was or that Vietnam grows them—to product treatment. Our products were new, so standardized factory treatments weren't readily available. Then there was supply chain management and security: the market was new, so no primary collectors existed, and we had to build connections ourselves. Everything was new, so we had to form and secure everything step by step.
My proudest moment isn't any major milestone, but when Ông Ba himself (the founder's father and brand inspiration) came to our recently opened store in Dong Khoi. He saw the outcome of what he had grown over 20 years ago—not just nuts, but people and dreams—and he looked so proud. That speaks the loudest, louder than any motivational talk I've heard.
I actually started this job while at RMIT; my company signage was even for the school internship. The ERP I built was partly inspired by a team's idea from an RMIT client project (I even hired a student from it). Many of our vital connections are RMIT alumni. The school truly was the missile launcher for me, and I'm on my way to my universe.