Our Favorite AAPI-Owned Foodie Brands to Check Out This Month
It's officially Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and there truly couldn't be a better time to discover delicious new AAPI-owned foodie brands.
From meals and drinks to desserts and even cookware, there's so much to check out. To learn more about these brands and the incredible founder stories behind them, just keep scrolling.
Sanzo
In 2019, Queens-born Filipino-American entrepreneur Sandro Roco launched Sanzo sparkling water. It's the first Asian-inspired sparkling water brand, featuring innovative flavors you simply don't see elsewhere, from Lychee and Yuzu to Pomelo, Calamansi and more, and it's just as refreshing as it sounds. The brand was developed in direct response to sugar-packed and preservative-filled legacy Asian beverages, and has attracted some high-profile fans from Chrissy Teigen and John Legend to Steve Aoki, Simu Lee and more.
(via Sanzo)
Also read about: We Tried Sanzo, the Sparkling Water With a Delicious Asian-Inspired Twist
Mason Dixie Foods
Mason Dixie Foods is a fast-growing comfort frozen food brand developed by Ayeshah Abuelhiga, a first-generation American born to immigrant Palestinian-Israeli and Korean parents. Mason Dixie actually started as her parents' pop-up comfort food restaurant and has grown into a fast-growing national brand known for its scratch-made biscuits and sandwiches, carried in over 6,000 stores across the United States.
(via Mason Dixie Foods)
MingsBings
Iron Chef Ming Tsai is one of the most recognizable celebrity chefs on the planet, and the East Meets West star also follows an East-meets-West philosophy with his frozen food brand, MingsBings. The brand combines the crispy exterior of a Chinese bing with scrumptious American fillings to create tasty on-the-go versions of everything from cheeseburgers and pizza to buffalo wings and breakfast favorites with better-for-you recipes. They're also available in both plant-based and meaty versions, depending on your dietary preferences.
(Photo credit: Ellen Yang Photography)
Also read about: Legendary Chef Ming Tsai Dishes on His Innovative and Delicious Brand, MingsBings
wildwonder
wildwonder is a tasty drink brand made with botanicals and fruits and infused with probiotics and prebiotics to create a better-for-you sip, and it was all inspired by founder and CEO Rosa Li's grandmother's herbal tonics. Rosa was born in China before moving to the U.S., infusing her heritage and ancient superfoods to create something as yummy as it is gut-healthy.
(via wildwonder)
Copper Cow Coffee
Debbie Wei Mullin's Copper Cow Coffee isn't just about making delicious coffee inspired by her Vietnamese-American heritage—it also does plenty of good. She started the brand as a way to support sustainable coffee farming practices in Vietnam, resulting in the first organic Vietnamese coffee brand in the world. The brand's unique pour-over bags also make it easier than ever to enjoy classic Vietnamese-style coffee, with single-serve sweetened condensed milk creamers for the best flavor possible.
(via Copper Cow Coffee)
Sweety Ice Cream
Tiffany Yang, Sean Lee and Stacey Lee are the founders of Sweety Ice Cream as it exists today, but it all began with the original Sweetie mochi ice cream parlor, run in the '70s by the co-founders' Chinese immigrant parents in Monterey, California. Since then, it's developed into a popular grocery store staple, with fans all over adoring their creamy ice cream wrapped with perfectly chewy mochi dough in all kinds of tasty flavors.
(via Sweety Ice Cream)
Also read about: A Definitive Ranking of All 27 Classic Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Flavors
Anyday
Of course, the tradition of food also includes cooking it yourself, and Hong Kong-born, California-raised Anyday founder and CEO Steph Chen knows this well. The chef's innovative cookware line is the first in the world intentionally designed for cooking in the microwave with multi-use, plastic-free containers that make it easier than ever to prefer tasty, quick meals at home.
(via Anyday)
Apothékary
Shizu Okusa's wellness brand Apothékary is a true fusion of her Japanese roots and her upbringing in the U.S. She started her career in Wall Street finance before refocusing herself on a balanced lifestyle through herbal medicine, creating Apothékary's natural herbal remedies as a way to help people get at the root causes of their health issues.
(via Apothékary)
Country Archer Provisions
Eugene and Susan Kang are the Korean-American nephew-aunt duo behind Country Archer Provisions, one of the fastest-growing meat snack brands in the U.S. They're all about a focus on high-quality flavors and ingredients, offering both jerky and meat sticks with keto and sugar-free options, and even plant-based jerky.
(via Country Archer Provisions)
Can't get enough of discovering the tastiest new food brands? Click HERE to check out a roundup of the best foods and drinks we tried in April 2024.