Launching Your First Food Product and Strategies for Success in Entrepreneurship With Crystal Ung
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How to Launch Your First Consumer-Product Goods Business…
Have you ever dreamed of bringing your very own food product to market? The path to doing so isn’t always clear, and many would-be entrepreneurs might wonder how to take the first step. From research and development, to marketing and distribution, there are no shortage of factors to consider!
“What goes into making a great product?”
“What should I consider when it comes to packaging?”
“How should I collect and apply feedback from my customers?”
“How do I get my products out to the masses?”
Get these questions answered and more!
In this episode, Crystal Ung, founder of Bowlcut, shares her transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship and how growing up in the restaurant industry helped to inform her journey.
You’ll hear, from start to finish, how she was able to transform traditional Asian sauces into healthier, more versatile products with universal appeal and introduce them to a global audience.
If you’re looking for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look into the process, and want to learn Crystal’s strategies for success, this episode is guaranteed to satisfy your appetite!
Subscribe to the Food Means Business Podcast with Hudson Kitchen founder Djenaba Johnson-Jones to hear the personal stories and “secret ingredients” of abandoning your day job and starting a CPG food business.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
[00:37] Crystal’s story of taking the leap from the corporate world to entrepreneurship and her reasoning behind it
[06:19] The making of Bowlcut, its products, and Crystal’s journey from R&D to an official launch
[15:24] The power of leveraging connections and an example of how a collaboration can help you market your products
[16:44] General tips and insights on being an entrepreneur
If you want to learn more on how to improve your communication around your CPG products, be sure to tune into this episode:
Links mentioned in this episode…
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About Crystal Ung:
Crystal Ung is the founder and CEO of Bowlcut, and a long-time serial entrepreneur with 15+ years of experience working in fashion and consumer products for brands such as Disney, J.Crew, and Saks. Before Bowlcut, Crystal launched two fashion brands featured in Vogue, NYT, NYMag, and Hypebae amongst others, with celebrity fans like Lucy Liu and Gemma Chan. A first-generation Chinese American, Crystal grew up in her father’s local Chinese restaurant where she learned to work in hospitality, fell in love with food, and realized its ability to connect people and communities. While Crystal never had a bowl cut herself, she was similarly humbled after cutting her own hair in the 1st grade.
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Stay Connected with Djenaba Johnson-Jones:
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[00:00:03] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: You are listening to the Food Means Business Podcast, which features the personal stories and secret ingredients behind what it's like to abandon your day job to start a CPG food and beverage business. I'm Djenaba Johnson-Jones, former marketing executive turned entrepreneur and founder of Food Business Incubator Hudson Kitchen. So in our community of fellow food business owners and subject matter experts to learn and laugh with us as we explore a startup world that's a little more culinary and a lot less corporate these days. Hi Crystal. So welcome to the Food Means Business Podcast. I'm so happy you're here. [00:00:34][31.1]
[00:00:34] Crystal Ung: Hi, it's so nice to meet you. Thank you for having me. [00:00:36][1.8]
[00:00:37] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Absolutely. So I would love to learn about your company. But first, I want to hear about your trajectory. Tell us how you made the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship. [00:00:46][8.8]
[00:00:47] Crystal Ung: Yeah. So I've had a pretty varied career in the corporate life before starting Bowlcut. I was most recently working in fashion, mostly marketing strategy, partnerships work, and I think like a lot of people in the corporate world was ready to move on. And having grown up in my dad's business, owning and operating a business is always in the back of my mind. And there are certainly many things I didn't enjoy about working at a big corporation, which you could probably agree with, especially as you start to rise in the ranks and become more senior in an organization, you really start to see things differently. You know, a lot of times it's not merit based and it's more about how well you're able to navigate internal politics. And I could go on and on about all those things. So yeah, I was ready to move on. And again, always had in the back of my mind owning and operating business. And what really compelled me and what drew me to starting Bowlcut was a couple of things. One was trying to solve a problem. I have always been a healthy eater, but when I moved back to Los Angeles from New York, I was trying to help my dad make healthier choices. He has hypertension, pre-diabetic, all these health issues. And I noticed that a lot of these Asian sources we were using had a ton of additives and sodium and sugar, and he needed to cut back on both sodium and sugar, but was using new sources literally every day and every meal. And I couldn't believe there were no alternatives. I couldn't help him make the switch to better sauces and condiments. And because he was in the restaurant business as a chef, I grew up around food. I felt that we were in really good position to adapt these family restaurant recipes into a new line of sauces that were more nutritious, better for you, lower in sodium, low in sugar. And then secondly, you know, another reason I wanted to leave the corporate life was wanting to do something that felt a bit more meaningful. And for me, what I saw growing up in my dad's restaurant was that food, bridges, cultures and food has the power to really drive empathy. And at the height of the pandemic, we were seeing this rise of violence against Asian Americans. And I felt that there was no better time than now to create a food brand that could change the perspective of Asian-American culture in food and really be that near to driving empathy and kind of breaking cultures. [00:03:42][175.1]
[00:03:43] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: It's interesting because a lot of quote unquote, ethnic foods are considered to be unhealthy in America, but were really they were kind of Americanized for the American palate, and that's why they might be a little bit more greasy than some of their traditional, more traditional foods. So it's just really interesting. Yeah. [00:04:00][16.4]
[00:04:00] Crystal Ung: Yeah. And and you're completely right. And what's so fascinating is I think people forget that East Asian cuisine and food, and particularly Chinese food has been rooted in kind of this notion that food is medicine. Right? So you look at traditional Chinese medicine, which has been practiced for thousands of years, and key parts of that practice is around nutrition and eating and herbal medicine. And that's really drives how we think about food and ingredients. But the recent commercialization of food, right, when you look at the origin and the evolution of Chinese food in America, it was about survival, which meant creating dishes and foods for the local palate. And that really changed a lot of things. But if you strip away the recent commercialization of food and even sort. Right. It really is about nutrition and health at the end of the day. [00:05:04][63.8]
[00:05:05] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: True. So how does your family feel about your food company considering that you grew up? You grew up a restaurant kid, right? [00:05:11][5.6]
[00:05:12] Crystal Ung: Yeah. Yeah. It's been really interesting on so many different levels because I think initially, like a lot of immigrants didn't understand. They're like, you go to college, you got an MBA. Like there was a path for you that was supposed to be easier. [00:05:30][17.9]
[00:05:30] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Right. Right. [00:05:31][0.3]
[00:05:32] Crystal Ung: And when I decided to do this again, I think it was just shocking and a little confusion. But since I have really embraced it and I think especially in the early R&D days when we were going through recipe development, it's been really a full circle moment, right? Helping my dad in his restaurant as a kid and fast for decades. And he is in the kitchen helping me and we when we were launching literally packing boxes with me. And it's really been a special journey. So definitely initially, I think a lot of hesitance, but now they're excited and involved especially. And of course the the R&D and and the development of flavors. [00:06:18][46.3]
[00:06:19] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: That's great. She had had a place to go, I assume, to the family restaurant to do your R&D. So that that's fantastic. So talk to us about Bowlcut. What is Bowlcut. [00:06:29][10.0]
[00:06:30] Crystal Ung: Bowlcut is a new line of Asian American sauces inspired by traditional flavors, but made for a new generation that wants to eat well. [00:06:41][11.1]
[00:06:42] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: And how many flavors do you have? [00:06:42][0.9]
[00:06:43] Crystal Ung: We currently have four skews. We have a chili crisp, a spicy version of a chili crisp, a char siu barbecue sauce and a gochujang sauce. And they're all condiments. So you can cook with it. You don't have to. It's really easy and versatile. Put it on anything. [00:07:01][17.5]
[00:07:02] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: You mentioned going through the R&D phase, like what did you do next once you kind of got the product down? [00:07:06][4.2]
[00:07:07] Crystal Ung: Yeah, it's I mean, I probably chose the the worst time to start a food product. There were so many supply chain issues like I'm sure you're aware of and a lot of people experienced. So there were a ton of delays and it was very hard to get certain ingredients. But when we honed in on what flavors we wanted to go to market with, it was really about perfecting them and making them in a way that we could commercialize and scale. And that's really hard because flavor is so subjective. Well, luckily my chef is convinced that I'm a super taster so I can taste a lot of notes and a lot of nuance I think the average person can't taste, which is great. But at the same time, I think I can be very specific about the journey of the flavor when in reality most people probably can't really taste the things that I'm tasting. But I think it was very challenging also trying to balance, you know, wanting to be respectful to traditional flavors while also providing a new kind of Asian-American perspective on things. And there's this, I think, constant conversation that we have internally about the consumer, right? Always starts with the consumer and what they need and want. And it goes beyond just flavor. So the format, the packaging, the use case, all of it. [00:08:44][97.2]
[00:08:45] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: So let's talk about the packaging. So you have glass jars, right? So why did you choose a glass jar over a plastic? [00:08:52][7.0]
[00:08:52] Crystal Ung: There are a few different reasons. And number one is it's definitely more sustainable. But that then means a lot of business implications because it's fragile. There's a lot of breakage, they're more expensive, all these things. And we also thought from a consumer perspective, it's easier to use than a plastic jar or a plastic bottle. And there was sustainability reasons. And from a consumer's perspective, better and easier to use. [00:09:29][37.0]
[00:09:30] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Obviously, your parents or, you know, your family, those are deeply involved in the R&D. But did you taste test it out with like other people in the community to see what they thought? [00:09:37][6.6]
[00:09:38] Crystal Ung: So many people. I mean, I wanted to make sure that we represented a wide spectrum of people that would use the product. So we had people that were involved in the food space, chefs, people that worked in the food industry to taste it all the way to people. But don't really cook it and don't really know what to do with a sauce like this, but enjoy flavor and enjoy food. And so it was early days. I was literally making these batches, dropping them off, sending them to people, anyone who would would be willing to taste and sending us the survey on and filling out our survey of their thoughts. And that helped us really hone in on size of the packaging, what people cared about, what they didn't care about, and which flavors we should focus on. [00:10:34][56.1]
[00:10:35] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Out of your survey, did did you make any changes to the recipe based on any feedback from people? [00:10:39][4.5]
[00:10:40] Crystal Ung: Not exactly. I think one interesting thing was that we found out through the survey it was that people don't really care about the color of the sauce, and that was really big because in a lot of Asian sauces, caramel color or red dye 40 is used because there's this assumption that it needs to look a certain way and to be a certain color. But based on the people that we surveyed and talk to, people really care. And that was helpful to know. I mean, obviously we weren't going to be using any kind of additives or dyes or anything like that. But it was interesting. [00:11:17][36.6]
[00:11:18] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: So since you're not using dyes, but the product is, I think, a red color, how did you achieve that? [00:11:22][3.9]
[00:11:22] Crystal Ung: So the spicy sauces are chili based. So naturally with the red chilies, they're getting that that color. And for the barbecue sauce, we're actually using beet juice, organic beet juice. And it actually provides us a hint of sweetness. So we didn't necessarily use it for the color, but more so for the actual taste. [00:11:44][21.4]
[00:11:45] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Got it. Okay. So you surveyed the community and consumers and then what did you do next after that? How did you kind of launch yourself? [00:11:52][7.4]
[00:11:53] Crystal Ung: So, yeah, so we we started with all these family recipes, made a ton of samples, got feedback from the community and from there had to decide which flavors we wanted to go to market with. And it was really important that we launched with products that were easy to use and versatile because when you think about this kind of new generation of consumers, they likely grew up with a sriracha sauce, for example, and they understand how to use that, and they use that across a lot of different types of dishes. It doesn't have to be specifically an Asian dish, and that's how we as a generation consume. So it was really important that it needed to be versatile and kind of easy to try low risk and trying. And that's exactly what we did. We focused on condiments first for that reason, so it felt more approachable and lower risk and trying. And you can really fall in love with the flavors and hopefully the brand when you try it. [00:12:54][60.3]
[00:12:54] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Talk about how you got the product out there to the masses. [00:12:57][2.7]
[00:12:58] Crystal Ung: Yeah, I think like any small business, you start small and we are an L.A. based company and so targeted a lot of smaller stores and boutiques in the area. And I was really eager to also hear from consumers. So we've been doing quite a bit of demos and in-store activations to really understand what people are liking or disliking, and we're getting overwhelmingly positive feedback. I think what's really exciting is the flavors are so nostalgic that people are so excited and are filled with so much joy once they taste the flavors. And if you didn't grow up eating these flavors, there's still so much enthusiasm and excitement. I mean, there's just something about seeing a consumer taste your product for the first time that is so special and magical and especially when they really enjoy it. Yeah. And so we, you know, launched DTC but are actively trying to grow retail and have started grassroots small boutiques, small stores first get the feedback, understand what's working, not working, and then looking to grow. From there I will be launching into Sur La Top nationwide later this year. [00:14:18][79.2]
[00:14:18] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Wow. Congratulations. It's amazing. [00:14:19][1.4]
[00:14:21] Crystal Ung: We have some other retailers that will be announcing soon, though. It's all it's all happening. It's exciting. [00:14:26][4.6]
[00:14:26] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: So great. Is there any education for the consumer that some people just like not know what the product was like? And how did you handle that? [00:14:33][6.7]
[00:14:33] Crystal Ung: Oh, absolutely. I think our barbecue sauce is exactly that. People love it and are obsessed when they try the product and taste it. And for those that grew up knowing what a char siu barbecue sauce is, they're so excited. Like, wow, this flavor is now ready to eat, which doesn't exist. And it takes hours and hours to to make traditionally. And for those the. You didn't grow up tasting it or eating at day. There's definitely education involved. I think it helps to know that it's a type of barbecue sauce and people know how to use that. But the the actual flavor itself is so special. It's sweet, smoky, savory, it's so delicious on anything. And yeah, it does require some education there. [00:15:23][50.0]
[00:15:24] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: I read that you did a collaboration with the fashion designer. I'd love to hear more about how that came about and the execution of it. [00:15:30][5.9]
[00:15:31] Crystal Ung: Yes, we did a collaboration with a friend of mine who is a fashion designer, Ji Won Choi. I am obsessed with her work and I love how connected she is with her heritage and being kind of having this hyphenated identity of being Korean-American. And we've talked about collaborating for so long and we we just organically came up in a conversation, How fun would it be to honor her mom and her love for food through this joint effort to make a sauce? And we want to expand beyond just Chinese American sources and just kind of the perfect way to also do that to expand into other East Asian cuisine. So that was really fun and was something that just happened organically with a friend. Yeah, it's been really special to work on that together. [00:16:28][57.5]
[00:16:29] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: It's really nice. The packaging is beautiful, so nice. And I actually went to her website just to look at her clothes and kind of I kind of saw how everything came together as though. That's amazing. [00:16:37][8.3]
[00:16:39] Crystal Ung: Yeah. Yeah, she designed that. So we can't take any credit there. [00:16:42][3.8]
[00:16:44] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: So you've been an entrepreneur for, I guess, almost three years now, right? I'm wondering how you are taking care of yourself. What do you do for self-care? [00:16:51][7.4]
[00:16:52] Crystal Ung: That's a really good question, and I wish I had, you know, better, better things to share on that front. I can't say I'm the best when it comes to balance and taking care of myself. I think having seen my dad open and operate a restaurant and literally did not take vacation for decades, I'm very bad at finding the balance there. I also am a new mom. [00:17:21][28.3]
[00:17:21] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: So congratulations. [00:17:23][1.4]
[00:17:24] Crystal Ung: Thank you. It's been a lot to juggle, but I think the number one thing for me is being active. I mean, there is nothing like movement doing something that that is active, that makes you happy. So I actually have an app called Steezy, and I take dance classes on the app. [00:17:44][20.0]
[00:17:44] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Yes. [00:17:44][0.0]
[00:17:45] Crystal Ung: I didn't know about that. I love it. Oh, if you love to dance are into it. I just have so many tutorials and classes, and there's short classes. Long ones. You can take some for a few minutes. So that's been really fun. And I have been putting my baby in the same room and he just laughs and asks how much fun watching me be silly. [00:18:07][22.1]
[00:18:07] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: That's so fun. Like what type of dance classes have been taking. [00:18:09][1.6]
[00:18:10] Crystal Ung: I'd like to do there. They have like a fitness dance, one ballet, hip hop. Those are mostly the ones that you. [00:18:17][6.6]
[00:18:17] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: That's really fun. So at Hudson Kitchen, we have what we call a money bell that we bring when someone celebrating something. It could be that they're taking on a new retail partner or maybe their employee got their paycheck, whatever it is. And I'm wondering what you're celebrating right now. [00:18:34][16.6]
[00:18:36] Crystal Ung: Ohhh. I try to remember to practice gratefulness every day because it is such a hard business and it's really hard being an entrepreneur. So it's a perfect question because always trying to celebrate a little win along the way. I think one really big one is I mentioned before that we're launching into Sur La Tab in the fall. Mm hmm. And I think the other kind of on the more personal side is my son just turned eight months and it's been a wild ride trying to balance everything. And he took a few weeks off for my maternity leave and kind of jumped right back in. So it's amazing to see how much he's grown the past several months and exciting to to see him crawling and babbling and getting his teeth. And yeah, I think just like the little milestones on the personal side has been really, really fun. [00:19:38][62.0]
[00:19:39] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: That's nice. Helping kids definitely makes you prioritize everything. So, you know, you kind of only do the important things. So that's really good. [00:19:45][6.5]
[00:19:46] Crystal Ung: Yeah, I agree. I think it's made me a bit more efficient. [00:19:48][2.5]
[00:19:50] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: How has entrepreneurship changed you? [00:19:52][1.9]
[00:19:53] Crystal Ung: Wow. It's a really good question. I don't know that it has changed me. I think it's maybe sharpened like certain skills and perspectives I have on. One thing that we did mentioned was just like efficiency, right? So it helps to put into perspective like what things are important and what things aren't. And am I going to care about this thing that seems super stressful in the moment? Am I going to care about it in a few hours, in a few weeks, in a few months, in a few years? And I think it brings, yeah, a different perspective. But I don't know that it necessarily changed me because, again, it's been I've been immersed in a business and entrepreneurship since I was so young. And to me that kind of like stress and chaos has been in a way a constant, which is I don't know if that's good or bad. And so I'm kind of I'm used to that. And so I guess the short answer is I don't know that it's changed to me and maybe it's just brought things to perspective that I hadn't seen before and has showed me that there are certain things and skills that are so important that and maybe it's because I'm a new mom that I'm thinking about what are the like life skills that that my child needs to have that aren't taught in school and not necessarily self taught either. And I think those are like key things that I learned growing up in a restaurant and being an entrepreneur. You know, the I think the two really big things would be figuring things out. I think that is a key factor of being an entrepreneur. Like no one is going to show you or tell you how to do things. You're going to get no's all the time and you need to have the resilience and tenacity and grit to figure it out. If you hit a wall, I mean, you just have to. [00:21:59][125.9]
[00:21:59] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: It's true because you're like presented with a set of information and you need to make a decision about that thing. You might be wrong a week from now, but right now it's the right decision and you feel confident in that and just kind of move forward. [00:22:09][9.5]
[00:22:09] Crystal Ung: Yeah, Yeah, exactly. And and if it looks like there is no path for you have to find one route and make one. And I think the other thing would be kind of having a bias for action. And I think this is very key to, again, growing up in a restaurant and working there at such an early age, when you see something, you just do it right. You know, when I would the the trash is full and it's super busy. You know, I'm eight years old working at the restaurant. I mean, I'm literally going to do that thing right, Because who else am I going to ask for help? You know, Dad's busy in the kitchen, Everyone's busy. I'm just going to do it. And I think I've taken that with me in my life and it's so critical to just do it. Yeah. No matter how small, no matter how big, Like, you just do it. [00:22:59][49.6]
[00:22:59] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Yeah, that. That's great. That's great. Thank you. All right, Krystal, thank you so much for being here. Please let everyone know where they can find out about you and Bowlcut. [00:23:08][8.5]
[00:23:08] Crystal Ung: Yes. Thank you so much for having me. I'm on Instagram, Crystal_Ung is my handle, and you can find Bowlcut at Bowlcut.com and get Bowlcut. [00:23:20][11.7]
[00:23:21] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: Me thank you. [00:23:22][1.0]
[00:23:22] Crystal Ung: Thanks. [00:23:22][0.0]
[00:23:25] Djenaba Johnson-Jones: The Food Means Business podcast was produced by Hudson Kitchen. It is recorded at the studio at Carney Point and mixed and edited by Wild Home Podcasting. Our theme song is by Damien de Sandys, and I'm your host, Djenaba Johnson-Jones. Follow Hudson Kitchen on Instagram at TheHudsonKitchen and to get Food Business Bites right in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter at TheHudsonKitchen.com/newsletter. Listen, follow and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Until next time.