Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of The Lucky Ox

The Startup CPG Podcast

Startup CPG

Startup, Food, Business, Beverage, Cpg, Entrepreneurship

4.9 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Caitlin Bricker speaks with Fane He and Kyle Nguyen, co-founders of The Lucky Ox, a Vietnamese-inspired beverage company. They share the story behind their flagship salted lemonade, the cultural roots and personal meaning behind the brand, and how their backgrounds in fashion and design have shaped a product that stands out both on shelves and online.

From launching with glass bottles and navigating DTC logistics, to building a wholesale business one account at a time—often hand-delivering orders across New York City—Fane and Kyle discuss the challenges and unexpected wins of growing a beverage brand with limited resources but unlimited creativity.

They also explore how The Lucky Ox is resonating across diverse culinary spaces and why authenticity has been their strongest differentiator.

So, what are you waiting for–listen now!

Listen in as they share about:

Authenticity Over Trend-Chasing
Unique Brand Identity & Design
Bootstrapped Hustle & Grassroots Growth
Distribution & DTC Challenges
Retail and Sales Strategy
Mentorship and Startup CPG Support
Community, Mentorship, and Startup CPG

Episode Links:

Website: https://luckyox.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fane-he/

Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.

Show Links:

Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)
Join the Startup CPG Slack community (20K+ members and growing!)
Follow @startupcpg
Visit host Caitlin's Linkedin
Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at podcast@startupcpg.com
Episode music by Super Fantastics

Transcript

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0:00.0	So at first, we wanted to target all of the higher-end Vietnamese restaurants in New York.
0:16.0	And we would visit them and we found out that a lot of them already had something similar that they were making for way cheaper.
0:22.2	So what was their incentive to buy something way more from another brand?
0:26.7	But as far as like other cultures and stuff, it was just on the way back from visiting
0:31.2	that account.
0:32.2	And then with Latin American flavors, for example, like margaritas are also salt
0:37.4	soup lemons as well.
0:38.4	So it was just cool seeing like the reception to our very specific product,
0:44.4	like very specific niche product by with other cultures.
0:47.4	And I think that people can just, no matter what culture they are really trying to push,
0:52.0	like for their specific restaurant or bar. They just
0:55.3	appreciate our authenticity. Hey, everybody. This is Caitlin Bricker, editor at Startup CPG. We are
1:03.2	back with another founder feature. Today, you'll meet the founders of the Lucky Ox, a bold
1:08.3	beverage company with unforgettable branding bringing Vietnamese-inspired
1:12.2	flavors to American shelves. We're diving into the cultural significance behind their brand as they
1:17.5	share their journey from concept to launch. You'll hear about the inspiration for their brand,
1:22.3	and it wasn't just luck tagline, their unique retail strategy, and how a beverage brand bridges the gap between
1:29.2	beverage and fashion. We might even get into some of their favorite NYC spots and cheap eats.
1:35.2	We have a lot of fun and a lot of laughs during this episode, and we hope you do too. Enjoy.
1:43.0	Hey, everybody.
1:46.2	Welcome back to the Startup CPG podcast.
1:51.8	This is Caitlin, and today I'm here with Kyle Newellyn and Fay He, founders of the Lucky Ox.
	...

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