Sonny Nguyen, a USC graduate, helped cofound with his brothers a nonprofit organization recognized as the Vietnamese Youth Foundation which continues to operate in Orange County. For the past 20 years through the VN Youth Foundation, Sonny and his brothers have served the community through various programs such as the Mind & Body Martial Arts Center, VN Youth Radio, Multicultural Health and Prevention Care Center (MHPCC), and the Community Education Center.
Professionally Sonny has served on various Executive Management and Corporate Finance positions at Bank of America for over 10 years. He currently serves on multiple Board of Advisor roles such as CSUF President’s Counsel, The Dalai Lama’s Insight Institute, Our Children Our Cause Foundation, & the VN Youth Foundation.
In 2011 Sonny along with his brothers opened a small coffee and tea house named 7 Leaves Cafe in the city of Garden Grove-Little Saigon area. They’ve been compared as being the “Asian Starbucks” or the “In N Out” of refreshments. Today they have over 1000 team members spread across California, Las Vegas, & Texas with 200 locations expected to open within the next 7 years.
What inspired you all to create this company?
A vision to create a company that brings together the best products from various cultures around the world and apply the finer details to make them even better. Details such as consistent product quality, exceptional customer service, and a nurturing environment were added to the equation that encompasses the culture of 7 Leaves. Our goal at 7 Leaves is simple, to be the change in everything that we do, from our culture of care to the quality of our products, and to how we can better serve our communities.
What distinguishes your company and product in the market?
Product, by going back on how our Southeast Asian ancestors “cooked” drinks we ironically brought innovation to the beverage sector by utilizing these methods to prepare most of our beverages.
Culture, hanging on the wall of every 7 Leaves Cafe is a canvas of Gandhi’s famous quotation, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. It is a constant reminder and symbol of everything that we do – from how we create our products to the way we serve our customers, it is the very principle that guides us forward.