May is a month full of celebration. For these next 31 days, we get to honor Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. Along with going to regional events, parades, and festivals, you can also spend your money at AANHPI-owned businesses, both small and large. We’ve gathered our absolute favorite food and kitchen-based brands founded by AANHPI entrepreneurs. You definitely need AANHPI-owned brands in your pantries ASAP.
During this month, you can also donate to various AANHPI-based charities including the Asian Americans For Equality, the Stop AAPI Hate organization, the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, and more. Be sure to also look out for local organizations in your area who are in need of volunteers or donations.
Brightland Oil
Want to elevate your vinaigrettes, bread dipping oils, and olive oil coffee, look no further than Brightland. “It’s my wish that our products provide abundant nourishment to you and the people you love for many breakfasts, lunches and dinners to come,” founder Aishwarya Iyer shares of her California-based company. Brightland doesn’t just sell rich EVOO in gorgeous bottles. Iyer’s company also offers an array of flavored oils including garlic, chili, and rosemary infusions, as well as various honey flavors and vinegar to add to your cabinet.
Our Place Cookware
Spruce up your kitchen with some beautiful, long-lasting table and kitchenware from Our Place. Co-founder and co-CEO Shiza Shahid is just like me, and by that, I mean we both hate having too many dirty pans. She created the Always Pan to be deep enough to boil water, and shallow enough to flip a little midnight grilled cheese. Aside from this basically perfect kitchen invention, Our Place also offers baking sheets, pots, plates, bowls, cutting boards, and more kitchen necessities.
Kasama Rum
Grab your own small-batch liquor for less than $50 with Kasama Rum. Founder Alexandra Dorda named the rum “Kasama” as it translates to “together” in Filipino, reflecting her heritage. Bring all your friends together with fancy, fruity drinks with these recipes.
Saigon Drip
Have you ever had Vietnamese coffee? If you haven’t, you need to order some right now, and then order your own kit from Saigon Drip. Made with a slow-drip coffee dispenser, the coffee pours directly into your glass to mix with sweetened condensed milk for a creamy and rich beverage that’s fabulous hot or iced. Brand founder Sang Nguyen “wanted to put an end to coffee snobbery and introduce coffee drinkers to a coffee type and preparation that has been enjoyed in Vietnam for generations.” I can’t wait to have my fill of this coffee so soon.
ChocoVivo
Calling all chocolate lovers! Load up your cart with ChocoVivo candy bars immediately. “What makes the journey special is that through the years of trying to figure out how to stone-grind, I developed a relationship with my grower,” founder and owner Patricia Tsai shared. “It was important for me to know where I get my cacao beans.” From delectable bar flavors including Almonds + Sea Salt and Matcha Green Tea Dark Chocolate all the way to cacao nibs for baking, and even cocoa-based skincare, you will find thrilling and luscious gifts for yourself, friends, and family here.
Numa Foods
Mother and daughter team Jane and Joyce Zhu collaborated to make an all-natural candy option with low amounts of sugar and high protein counts, so that Joyce, who has an autoimmune disease, could still satisfy her sweet tooth. Together, they made Numa Foods, which offers customers various flavors of taffy including Original Creme, Strawberries and Cream, Creamy Coconut, and more. Plus, don’t forget to add some of their yummy peanut bars to your cart, too. This is definitely going to be my new go-to study snack.
Yobo Soju
Upgrade your bar cart with some fabulous Yobo Soju offerings from Korean American entrepreneur Carolyn Kim. With its beginnings in 2015, Yobo has grown their product line to include a wide range of soju flavors, apéritifs, and even canned cocktails. Their KTown Soju line boasts unique flavors such as Korean Pear, Perilla + Lime. Check out ways to transform these spirits into a fancy, crowd-pleasing cocktail.
#SpoonTip: New to drinking soju? Check out our favorite flavors to start with.
Fly By Jing
Fly By Jing is a cool brand for hot girlies. You may recognize the name from the Fishwife x Fly By Jing crossover — a tinned smoked salmon made with Fly By Jing’s signature Sichuan Chili Crisp. L.A.-based founder Jing Gao is all about sharing the “amazing flavors of my hometown Chengdu and its famous fly restaurants.” You’ll find a wealth of sauces, spices, chili oils, and more at this store. Plus, Fly By Jing has trendy merch items, including this cute blue crewneck.
Sisterfriend Jewelry
Looking to treat yourself or someone you love with a food-themed gift? You have to check out the gold and silver charms at Sisterfriend. Founders Lisa Maita and Kelli Mercado make a variety of Kawaii-inspired charms, rings, pendants, and beyond. You’ll adore their collection of culinary jewelry including this martini glass, tinned fish, and beyond.
Bowlcut
You need Bowlcut’s Chili Crisp in your pantry as a condiment staple. Founders Crystal Ung, Adrian Ng, and Will Kang officially launched their brand in the spring of 2022 and have been heralded by food lovers and food publications ever since. Use their Chili Crisp as a topping for dumplings, noodles, rice, and more. Plus, use the brand’s Char Siu BBQ sauce to marinate your meat and veggies for a perfect weeknight dinner. At only $13.99, you’ll make a cost-effective choice for a fabulous product for a growing brand. Bowlcut’s even got you covered with an array of recipes and a group chat you can join for exclusives, new product info, and beyond!
The Boiis Co.
Are you as obsessed with mochi as we are? Make a stop at NYC’s own The Boiis Co., which specializes in baked mochi desserts. Founded by Kert Lasdoce and Rivy-Major Q. Oponda, this bakery is famous for its “Mooks” – mochi-filled cookies. With flavors such as ube, salted caramel, matcha, and more. Plus, with nationwide shipping, you don’t even have to step foot in the Big Apple to sample these beloved treats.
Kikori Whiskey
If you can score a bottle of Kikori Whiskey at your local bar or liquor store, your bar cart will certainly thank you. And this isn’t your average whiskey either, it’s made 100% with rice, and is produced in Japan. Founder Ann Soh Woods launched the brand to share her deep love of Japanese culture as well as offer a new flavor profile to typical whiskey-based cocktails. Additionally, Kikori Whiskey always gives back, including donating to the Asian Mental Health Collective and sponsoring and supporting organizations and initiatives to promote AANHPI culture such as GYOPO and Little Tokyo Table Tennis.
Popadelics
If you’re totally over potato chips, you should def try snacking on some Popadelics. These crunchy mushroom chips come in three flavors: Twisted Thai Chili, Rad Rosemary + Salt, and Trippin’ Truffle Parm. Co-founder Marilyn Yang built the snack brand by blending her Chinese heritage with American culture. “I remember being made fun of for eating ‘weird food’ in elementary school,” she said. “Popadelics personifies my journey of self-acceptance and sharing my love of mushrooms with the world.” In the future, Yang hopes to create more snacks showcasing “underloved” veggies.
BOBABAM
Boba is the ultimate sweet treat. With help from BOBABAM, you don’t even need to visit a boba shop to enjoy the delicious beverage. BOBABAM is the premier microwaveable boba brand with flavors including milk tea, matcha, brown sugar, mango, and more. Founded in 2021 by Bob Yau and Ron Escopete, BOBABAM is the ideal freezer staple for all the beverage goblins out there. Excitingly, you can find the boba kits at /Safeway, Sprouts, Costco, Target, and online. Trust me, it’s so worth it!
Omsom
Sisters and Omsom entrepreneurs Kim Pham and Vanessa brought their Vietnamese roots to their sauce and noodle brand. “Omsom is explicitly our way of reclaiming the complexity, integrity, and nuances of at-home Asian cuisine,” Kim said. “This is our opportunity to give third-culture Asian Americans like us access to a real taste of home and show non-Asian Americans what it means for this category to be done right.” In Vietnamese, om sòm means rowdy or rambunctious, and that unabashed authenticity is the ethos at the center of the brand. You can read a full interview with Kim Pham here.
Big Island Candies
With Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, wedding season, and beyond approaching this summer, you should definitely stock up on delicious chocolate gift sets. The sweets from Big Island Candies are a great choice to add to your cart. The candy brand began back in 1977 when Hawaiian natives and husband-wife duo Allan and Irma Ikawa began their chocolate journey. Today, they are beloved across the islands, and the mainland U.S. and Canada, as well. To this day, all of their chocolates, shortbreads, and brownie bites are handmade at their factory in Hilo.
Gimme Seaweed
Seaweed is an underrated snack, TBH. Gimme Seaweed is definitely something you should add to your bag ASAP. Co-founder Annie Chun was born and raised in central Seoul and grew up eating her mother’s dried, roasted seaweed. This beloved childhood snack inspired her to make it widely available to all people, and in many delicious flavors. (My personal fave is the Teriyaki flavor.) Plus, Gimme Seaweed is a sustainable organic snack that contains more iron than spinach.