METAIRIE, La. – The Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission helps celebrate the grand opening of Bambū Metairie at 3 p.m. Friday, July 14 at 4401 Veterans Memorial Boulevard. The ribbon cutting marks the official entrance of the international Vietnamese dessert drink franchise into Louisiana. JEDCO financed the project using the JEDCO Growth (JEDgrow) loan program.
Founded in 2008 in San Jose, Calif., by four sisters, Bambū has grown into an international franchise with more than 65 locations in 27 states, Canada and the Philippines. The company creates Vietnamese coffees and chè, a homemade Vietnamese dessert, as well as Asian-inspired smoothies, teas and yogurt parfaits. Bambū’s core dessert drinks are made to order in a full-service, commercial kitchen, using fresh cut and drained coconut water or house-prepared coconut milk, combined with other ingredients.
Pauline Ngo and Duyan Nguyen, a local husband and wife team, opened Bambū Metairie with support from JEDCO earlier this year. They are longtime Jefferson Parish residents with a history of small business ownership in the area. This is the first franchise location they’ve owned. The business currently employs eight people.
“Ever since our families immigrated to Louisiana in the 1970s, the Vietnamese community has had a strong footprint in the New Orleans metro areas,” said Nguyen. “My wife, Pauline, and I are honored to be a part of this legacy by opening the first authentic Vietnamese chè dessert shoppe in New Orleans.”
