Owner Arinchaya, known by her nickname “Koong, ” was born in the Northeast region of Thailand called Isan. Raised on the family farm in Sisaket Province close to the Cambodian and Laos borders, she grew up in modest surroundings where rice farming is the main source of income for many people in the region. Thanks to the initiatives of His Majesty, King Bhumipol Adulyaded, to improve the lives of Isan people through education, social programs, and public works, Koong was among the first generation of Isan youth to attend new public universities in the largely rural northeast. Koong earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Suranaree University of Technology and went on to work for 10 years in Thailand prior to moving to the United States.