Consumers are drawn to products that speak to them and their culture. But unfortunately, sometimes, supply cannot match the demand. That's when innovation steps in.
According to 2020 U.S. Census data, approximately 20.7 million Asian and Pacific Islanders reside in the U.S., an increase of 35.5% since 2010. This demographic is considered the fastest-growing minority group in the United States.
Although this community is growing, it can be challenging for Asian Americans to find traditional remedies, ingredients, and products in the United States.
As a first-generation Chinese American, Tiffany Leong experienced this struggle firsthand. After enduring allergic reactions to more than 30 different foods while in a high-stress work environment, she turned to an unappreciated childhood staple to cure her ailments.
Just like that, Leong felt better and realized something was healing in her mom's homemade herbal soup. The soup became the inspiration for Bo-yi, an East Asian superfood tea.
Discover how Tiffany Leong, a 2021 Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition Finalist, launched her super food tea business, Bo-yi, which brings the benefits of traditional Chinese herbs to a new market while honoring her Asian ancestry.
Watch the entire conversation here.
Tiffany and her mom.
Enthuse Foundation (EF): Tell me about Bo-yi and how you came up with the business.
Tiffany Leong (TL): Bo-yi is an Asian super food brand. Our Asian super food drink line features three drinks, Jujube, Hawthorn, and Chrysanthemum. My mom, who was born and raised in China, would make Asian herbal soups for us as kids every day. I didn't appreciate it and called them witch's brew (laughs). It wasn't until I worked in investment banking that my body retaliated to the lifestyle. I got hives and randomly developed food allergies. After trying numerous treatments, one of my doctors suggested I eat foods my ancestors ate to heal and see what happens. So, my mom taught me how to make the soups, and I drank them religiously daily for a year. I no longer had stomach issues or hives. I took a few more allergy tests, and everything was back to normal. I knew there was something here.
EF: Wow. That's amazing! Total cure. What made you enter the Enthuse Foundation's Pitch Competition?
TL: I learned about the Enthuse Foundation through my female founder mentors. Whenever there is an opportunity with other female founders, I jump at it because there are not many of us. It was a great experience, and I keep in touch with a couple of the people that pitched with me.
EF: We're thrilled to hear that. You mentioned you keep in touch with some of the founders. Tell me a little about that – the community you were able to find.
TL: A few founders and I caught up afterward, especially those like my product. We stay in touch and have had a couple of conversations. I was able to bounce off ideas with them, and some offered to connect me with their contacts. That was so awesome. I try to help wherever I can as well. It’s lovely to connect with other female founders. It's great to support each other through the process because entrepreneurship can sometimes be a lonely path. So, it's nice to talk through some of our day-to-day challenges or wins.
EF: We love hearing that. You did mention that you started the business during the pandemic - a very lonely time for the world. So, how do you keep planning in a world rooted in uncertainty?
TL: That's an excellent question. I think entrepreneurship itself is a very uncertain path. So, you throw in a pandemic, and it magnifies that uncertainty. There have been many supply chain hold-ups due to COVID, but at the same time, it's taught us to be disciplined and reminded us how important it is to stay many steps ahead. We have had to think about how to be creative and innovative.
EF: Thank you for sharing that. As Bo-yi continues to grow, what are you most looking forward to?
TL: There's a lot to look forward to. We got in the H Mart store in Koreatown in Manhattan, where I'm based. We're taking the feedback that we've gotten on our labels over the past few months and deciding how we can tweak it to make it even better. We're also excited about working with a few interns and part-time team members that started a couple of months ago. Editor's Note: Check out our blog post "Need More Hands? Consider Bringing on an Intern." Also, we got accepted into the DoorDash Accelerator for Local Goods, a six-week program that supports consumer packaged goods businesses with owners who are women, transgender, immigrants or people of color. All the businesses received a $5,000 grant, access to marketing and sales resources and an opportunity to sell items through Dash Mart, a DoorDash-owned and operated grocery and convenience store.
EF: Congratulations on H Mart and DoorDash! How did the relationship with H Mart come about? Did H Mart reach out to you or vice versa?
TL: So, we get into our retailers a lot of different ways, but for H Mart in particular, it's kind of funny. I walked into the store, trying to find the grocery manager or buyer, and decided to talk to them and introduce the brand. You're pitching on the spot, in the middle of a grocery aisle with people shopping all around. It's a little chaotic. I walked up to someone with a basket full of groceries and said, 'Hey, are you the manager?' He did happen to be the manager. So, we talked. I introduced the brand and got to know him. And they decided to sell our products.
EF: Did he sample the product on the spot?
TL: I usually walk around with Bo-yi everywhere, but this time I didn't. So, I just pulled up my Instagram, and he looked at it. I think at this stage, relationships are so meaningful. So, make sure you build that connection and trust with the people you're working with or want to work with.
EF: Talk about courage and guts to just go ahead and ask somebody. Kudos to you. What advice would you give other women entrepreneurs thinking about starting their own business?
TL: Where do I start? So, it's the most challenging thing I've ever done. It will challenge you. I think being ready for the journey and knowing it will be difficult is the first step. I didn't know how to make a beverage. I don't have a food science background. I don't even have a CPG background. So, seeing a product I had no idea how to create a couple of years ago on the shelves has just been such an incredible feeling. You should have a solid business plan and ensure that you're solving something that no one else has solved or you think you can solve better. Don't be afraid to ask for help and build a good support group around you, whether supportive friends and family or other founders at your stage.
EF: And what inspires you to keep going?
TL: As for myself, seeing the rise of Asian American CPG products that tell the story of our culture is inspiring. You know, it's not just Asian or American. It's being morphed into this own unique community and culture. It's exciting to see Eastern culture's influence on mainstream Western culture.
Conclusion: When looking for inspiration to start a CPG business, sometimes it is as simple as remembering a childhood staple. Once you've created that business, it's time to grind. Every day is another chance to sell - even if you are grocery shopping. Tiffany showed us how she hustled to make Bo-yi a success; now, we want to know about your victories. Apply to the 4th Annual Enthuse Foundation Pitch Competition.
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