FORK
FORK CAPITAL IS FILLED WITH SO MANY FLAVORFUL LOCAL EATERIES INCLUDING FUN SPOTS TO GRAB A
REFRESHING DRINK.
>> ONE BREWERY OWNER HAD A
LARGER THAN LIFE PLAN FOR HIS
BUSINESS AND HOPPED TO AT THE
CHANCE TO BRING HIS BREWS TO
LIFE.
HERE TO TELL US MORE ON HOW
HE'S USED HIS HIGHER EDUCATION
TO MAKE HIS VISION A REALITY IS
CEO OF SACRAMENTO'S KING KONG
BREWERY KONG WYNN.
I HAVE TO ASK DOES EVERYONE
CALL YOU KING KONG?
>> I DO GET THAT A LOT.
YEAH, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A
TENDENCY TO SAY CALL ME KING
KONG AND THEY ALWAYS THE FUNNY
THING IS MY FIRST NAME IS
ACTUALLY KONG AND THEY ALWAYS
ASK ME WHAT'S MY FIRST NAME?
AND THEY THINK KONG IS ACTUALLY
MY LAST NAME.
BUT YEAH, I GET THAT A LOT.
EVEN GROWING UP ALL RIGHT.
WELL THAT'S THAT'S NOT A BAD
A.K.A. RIGHT.
SO DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU ALWAYS
WANTED TO BUILD A BEER BUSINESS
OF YOUR OWN?
>> NO, ACTUALLY I ORIGINALLY
WANTED TO BE A DENTIST A I WAS
RAISED BY MY PARENTS WHO
IMMIGRATED FROM VIETNAM BACK IN
1981 AND COMING OVER THEY HAD A
LOT OF TRADITIONAL VALUES THAT
THEY WANTED TO INSTILL IN ME
WITH THOSE WITH EVERYTHING I
WAS EXPERIENCING AS A CHILD AND
GROWING.
>> I TRIED TO FOLLOW THEIR PATH
AND EVENTUALLY THEY GOT TO A
POINT.
AFTER COLLEGE I REALIZED THAT
THAT WASN'T IN THE BOOKS FOR ME
AND I TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH IN
2014 AND ATTENDED THE MASTER
BREWERS PROGRAM AT UC DAVIS.
AND FROM THERE I KIND OF JUST
CHANGED MY LIFE.
SO TELL US I MEAN HOW DID YOU
GO DOWN THIS PATH WHERE YOU
ALREADY WORKING IN THE BUSINESS
BEFORE YOU STARTED YOUR YEAH.
SO UPON GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE
I WAS STILL TRYING TO GET INTO
DENTAL SCHOOL AND I ATTEMPTED
FOR A GOOD TWO YEARS AFTER THAT
AFTER REALIZING THAT I WAS
GOING TO BE ADMITTED INTO A
SCHOOL.
I STARTED WORKING FOR MY
BROTHER FOR A GOOD FIVE YEARS
AND UPON YOU KNOW, WORKING I
LEARNED A LOT ABOUT BUSINESS
AND MANAGEMENT.
AND WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME
ABOUT WITH THE CRAFT BREW
INDUSTRY I HAD LEARNED ABOUT IT
AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A
REALLY COOL PROFESSION TO
PURSUE.
AND IT KIND OF STARTED FROM
THERE.
WOW, THAT'S PRETTY COOL.
>> AND I'M SURE THAT YOU HAD TO
FACE SOME CHALLENGES GETTING
KING KONG UP AND RUNNING.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THOSE
CHALLENGES AND MAYBE HOW YOU
WORK THROUGH THEM TO STAY ON A
PATH TO SUCCESS.
YEAH, SO I EXPERIENCED A LOT
OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS OR A LOT
OF CHALLENGES THAT MAYBE NEW
BUSINESS
FACE
FACE WHEN
FACE WHEN IT COMES TO START UP COSTS. BRAND BUILDING AND THINGS LIKE
THAT WE WERE ABLE TO KIND TO
DEVELOP DIFFERENT KIND
OF REVENUE CHANNELS SUCH AS
DISTRIBUTION AND CREATING A TAP
ROOM WITH A WITH A KITCHEN TO
ATTRACT PEOPLE TO COME TO THE
AREA.
BEING IN EL PASO BOULEVARD IS
ALSO ONE OF THE CHALLENGES TOO
BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF A
FORGOTTEN NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S A BRIGHT SPOT AND A LOT
OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THE
TYPE OF BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE
ON THE BOULEVARD AND BEING ABLE
TO DRAW MORE FOOT TRAFFIC AND
THINGS LIKE THAT TO THE
BOULEVARD RIGHT.
REALLY COOL AND CHALLENGING
THING TO DO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO SEND SOME
PEOPLE YOUR WAY.
NOW WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAMILY?
ARE THEY ON BOARD NOW WITH THIS
CAREER MOVE?
>> YEAH.
SO IT TOOK MY PARENTS AWHILE TO
KIND OF ACCEPT WHAT I WAS DOING
AND WE HAD OUR DIFFERENCES AND
ARGUMENTS WHEN I WAS GOING
THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
I REMEMBER THEY WERE STILL
TRYING TO ENCOURAGE TO PURSUE
DENTISTRY OR POSSIBLY DO A
DIFFERENT PROFESSION, YOU KNOW,
AND A LOT OF TIMES WITH OLD
FASHIONED ASIAN PARENTS THEY
WANT TO TO PURSUE SOMETHING
THAT IS ADMIRED THROUGH YOU
KNOW, THROUGH THE COMMUNITY,
YOU KNOW, THE ASIAN COMMUNITIES
SPECIFICALLY.
AND I JUST THOUGHT I JUST FELT
LIKE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT
AGAINST WHO I REALLY WAS QUITE
LIKE BECOME.
AND I KIND OF JUST STOOD MY
GROUND AND AND CONTINUE
PURSUING THIS PROFESSION.
AND NOW AS YOU'RE KIND
OF SEEING EVERYTHING DEVELOP
AND HOW THINGS ARE ARE EXCITING
NOW THEY'RE DEFINITELY ON
BOARD.
THEY'RE REALLY EXCITED FROM
WHAT WE'RE DOING AND YEAH, THEY
THEY ACTUALLY ARE FULLY ON
BOARD NOW.
>> THAT'S GREAT TO HEAR.
AND SINCE MAY IS ASIAN PACIFIC
AMERICAN HERITAGE.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO BEING PART
OF THE LOCAL AAPI COMMUNITY AS
A BUSINESS OWNER?
>> YEAH.
SO YOU KNOW, HAVING OUR OUR OUR
BUSINESS ON THE EL PASO
BOULEVARD IN THIS AREA THERE'S
A LOT OF DIVERSITY WHICH IS
REALLY, REALLY COOL.
AND AS WE KIND OF DEVELOP THIS
COMPANY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A
VERY DIVERSE EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE
KIND OF THING GOING OVER THERE
TOO.
AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO KIND
OF CREATE THIS WELCOMING
CULTURE THAT ALLOWS, YOU KNOW,
DIFFERENT TYPES PEOPLE TO WALK
INTO THE BREWERY AND BE ABLE TO
EXPERIENCE KIND OF WHAT THE
CRAFT BREWERY INDUSTRY IS ALL
ABOUT.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE
ABLE TO KIND OF BRING A
DIFFERENT ELEMENT WHEN IT COMES
TO ASIAN-AMERICANS AND BEING
ABLE TO SHOW THAT WE CAN DO
OTHER THINGS AND IT'S OKAY TO
HAVE INTERESTS IN DIFFERENT
PROFESSIONS AS WELL.
I KNOW BEING A FIRST GENERATION
ASIAN-AMERICAN HERE BEING BORN
HERE, I CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCES
IN THE END UP THE CHALLENGES AS
WITHIN YOUR OWN FAMILY THAT
YOU'RE TRYING TO OVERCOME SO
THAT YOU CAN ALSO FULFILL YOUR
OWN LIFE.
YOU KNOW, BREAKING STEREOTYPES
FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION.
I LOVE YOUR STORY.
ALL RIGHT.
SO ONE LAST QUESTION.
IS THERE ONE BREW THAT KING
KONG SOUND FOR?
>> SO WE'RE PRETTY KNOWN FOR A
DOUBLE IPA.
>> BETWEEN THE TWO IT'S HARD TO
SAY WHO WOULD BE THE ORANGUTANG
DOUBLE IPA MOSHING GONNA DOUBLE
IPA.
OKAY, VERY THOSE ARE OUR MOST
POPULAR BEERS.
>> WELL IT'S BEEN GREAT TALKING
TO AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT