The Story of Venjii Hernando, a Businessman with Thousands of Culinary Outlets and Celebrity Brand Ambassadors

Kapanlagi.com - Venjii Hernando is a successful businessman in the culinary field. Born on October 29, 1984, he is known to have a series of different culinary brands and thousands of outlets spread throughout Indonesia.

Such is his success, Venjii himself has dared to collaborate with a number of celebrities to become his brand ambassadors, such as Dwi Andhika (Tentang Kopi), Tora Sudiro (Foodpedia), and Gilang Dirga (Pasta Kangen). Speaking to the media, Venjii shared the beginning of his business journey.

"Initially, I worked for someone else's company for 9 years, and my last position was as a marketing director. Then, in late October 2015, we established our own company. So, our company is only 5 years old," said the owner whose real name is Hernando Yudha Setiawan when contacted on Monday (30/8/2021).

"In the culinary industry, it's unique because when a sweet tea that costs, let's say, Rp 720, is sold for Rp 3000, people say the sweet tea is cheap. But the profit is many times higher, so I chose the culinary business because the profit is much higher than others," he continued.

1. Business Journey Story

Venjii Hernando / Photo Credit: Personal Documentation

Venjii opened its first business called Pasta Kangen in 2015. Initially, this Italian specialty menu was sold at booths. As time went by, the business began to grow rapidly.

"Yes (from the booth) Pasta Kangen is a brand, initially it was sold at booths or street stalls. After six months, there were requests from clients and partners to make it available in restaurants or shop houses. Finally, because of the high demand, we dared to sell it in restaurants, shop houses, or small shops," he explained.

In the same year, the business grew rapidly. The eldest of the two siblings opened six other culinary businesses spread across various regions in Indonesia, such as Foodpedia, Foodbank, Tentang Kopi, Kopi dari Hati, Barberpedia, and Gorengan Bahagia.

"Nowadays, the success story is Kopi dari Hati. Because within 6 months, there are already 600 outlets. I think it's because of the trust and the fact that our product is superior to others. Maybe that's the reason," he said.

2. Surviving in the Midst of a Pandemic

Venjii Hernando / Photo Credit: Personal Documentation

As mentioned above, Venjii has thousands of culinary outlets. And uniquely, despite being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, he managed to sustain his business successfully.

"There were around 1800 outlets, but due to Covid-19, quite a number of them closed down. But for me, this achievement is very gratifying," Venjii concluded.

(kpl/pur/gtr)