Rich’s Yogurt Topping took over the spotlight at workshop in Phan Thiet

In Phan Thiet in the middle of an April’s boiling hot day, I came to Rich’s Vietnam’s Tropical Season beverage class. It was said that among six recipes demonstrated in the class, three contained a very unique ingredient that has never appeared on Vietnam market before.

Soon, TTC Binh Thuan Palace was filled up with more than 30 guests, who all looked forward to the class. All eyes were on the “ingenuous hot boy” Nguyen Thanh Phung behind the bar. 




Although the 28-year-old barista from Saigon just joined Rich’s in August, 2016, he has gained adequate experience from Rich’s classes in Binh Duong, My Tho, Can Tho and Nha Trang.

With a rustic and authentic Southern accent and skillful hands, Phung began to perform 3 recipes, including Yogurt Strawberry, Yogurt Peach Lychee and Guava Saly Smoothie.

The highlight of these applications was “yogurt cream”, presented in Vietnam for the first time under the brand name “Rich’s Niagara Farms – Yogurt Topping”.

Usually when making drinks and desserts that require yogurt as an ingredient, the operator has to make yogurt from scratch or use store-bought yogurt, resulting in some disadvantages such as: When blended with sour ingredients, yogurt experiences separation; when mixed with other ingredients, yogurt’s flavor tends to overwhelm others’. That is not to mention yogurt’s applications are not very diverse.

Rich’s Yogurt Topping overcomes all these drawbacks and is even more versatile than you could imagine.

As for the taste, Rich’s Yogurt Topping is very unique: It still tastes like yogurt but somehow cooler and more distinctive. When mixed with other ingredients, it does not overwhelm the taste of the others and even enhances them, giving a clear taste of each ingredient.

Especially, when blended with sour fruits or ingredients containing acid, Rich’s Yogurt Topping does not experience separation.

About its structure, Yogurt Topping is highly stable; therefore, it can stay in shape for long after being whipped. In addition, it is an excellent substitute for yogurt in all of its applications. It can also be used for making dollops and yogurt milk foam. With such superior features of Rich’s Yogurt Topping, operators are free to create even more applications for it. 

Applying Rich’s Yogurt Topping to familiar beverages such as Guava Saly Smoothie, Yogurt Strawberry and Yogurt Peach Lychee, Phung cleverly modified his original recipes to make it more convenient for the operators and bring new tastes to the guests.

Observing Phung crushing strawberries with sugar, carefully preparing yogurt dollops and decorating slices of peach and lychee, one can see the heart that he put into his beverages and his career. 

 

Yogurt Strawberry
 

“When enjoying Yogurt Strawberry, you get to both drink and chew,” Phung said. “I did not blend the strawberries but rather crushed them with sugar so that the sweetness will stay longer. Besides, with Rich’s Yogurt Topping, I can create delicious yogurt dollops straight from the ISI bottle, which saves time and still brings high quality yogurt applications.”

During the second half of the class, Phung proved his skills as a well-trained barista by keeping the guests interested in his performances of Coconut Coffee Blended, Sea Salt Coffee with Milk Foam and Passion Tea with Milk Foam. 

 

From left to right: Coffee Sea Salt Milk Foam, Coconut Coffee Blended
 

The combination between coffee and new ingredients such as coconut and sea salt stimulated the curiosity of the students, making them follow every single move by Phung. When the ingredients were blended together, the room was quickly covered with the aroma of espresso and passion fruits mixed with the creamy flavor from coconuts and the freshness of green tea.

“Sea Salt Coffee with Milk Foam is my “signature drink””, Phung said in excitement. “Before joining Rich’s, I had spent time researching how to make the sea salt milk foam from Rich’s Whip Topping Base and Non-Dairy Creamer with a blender. Tastiness is one thing, but convenience and easiness can also contribute significantly to the popularity of a drink.”

The guests showed great interest in Sea Salt Coffee with Milk Foam through their nods. The salty taste of salt combined with the rich, creamy flavor of Rich’s Non-Dairy Creamer and Whip Topping Base was so good, it made the guests crave for more. 




Seeing Phung showcase his barista’s skills, little do people know that before starting his career in the beverage industry, he was a diligent banking employee. Graduated from Hong Bang International College with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Banking, Phung thought that he would settle with that career. However, his destiny with coffee from the age of 7 or 8 was so strong that he continued his studies to earn a mocktail preparation certificate from Saigon Tourism Vocational College.

“I remember when I was 7 or 8. I followed my uncle and had a cup of Bac Xiu (Vietnamese-Chinese milk coffee) every morning. The memory of smelling the strongly bitter taste of coffee in the Chicken porcelain bowl in the morning and listening to adults’ gossips from all around the world is always a part of my childhood,” Phung said emotionally.

As if to emphasize his destiny with the barista’s career, he continued telling about his childhood: “My family used to run a coffee shop. The thing that woke me up every morning was not the alarm clock; instead, it was the sound of my father making coffee and the smell of newly roasted coffee.”

During the class, many questions were raised but none was a challenge for Phung due to his many years up and down with the career. He was confident in his working experience and ability to recognize flavors and aromas. The enthusiasm and the sincerity of the young man from Saigon made several students exclaim: “The teacher is so nice!”

The Tropical Season class ended well with positive recognitions from many customers in Phan Thiet city. Wiping quickly the sweats on his forehead after over 4 hours of preparation and demonstrations, Phung hurriedly packed his stuff to travel to the next city, Vung Tau, and continued his journey of wining customers’ hearts with his creative drinks and living to the fullest of his passion for beverages. 

For more information, please contact: ChamSocKhachHang@rich.com