Sobo Foods

This is NOT an Expo West recap post! ?? It's a gratitude post for Cathy Erway and the folks at TASTE for featuring Sobo Foods in their latest article, "The Next Generation of Frozen Dumplings". Surreal to see my silly college anecdotes in a James Beard Award-winning publication alongside some of the best food journalism in the world ???? The full article features words from some inspiring fellow Asian American food business owners and you can find it on the homepage of tastecooking.com now!!

TGIF?? What a week?? I’m closing it out with a mouthwatering meal featuring Sobo Foods "Pork" & Chive Dumplings, paired with my Kimchi Tofu Fried Rice and Sautéed Bok Choy, plus two scrumptious dipping sauces — sweet chili and chili crisp. As we wrap up February and this month-long celebration of Black History Month, I’m reflecting not just on history, but on the importance of representation, equity, and cultural inclusion, especially when it comes to food. Food is culture, identity, storytelling, and innovation all in one. When we expand the table to welcome diverse culinary traditions, ingredients, and voices, everyone benefits. It sparks more creativity, more innovation, and opens the door to greater economic opportunity for communities that have historically been excluded. Companies that embrace diversity at every level, from leadership to supplier partnerships, consistently perform better and create products that resonate with more people. When cultures are seen, valued, and celebrated, we all thrive. That’s why I’m thrilled to highlight brands like Sobo Foods, who are celebrating authentic Asian flavors while also making plant-based eating more inclusive and sustainable. Culinary diversity isn’t a trend, it’s essential for a more delicious and equitable future. Special thanks to Sobo Foods for sending me their incredible dumplings to try. Their commitment to authenticity, innovation, and plant-based comfort foods aligns perfectly with mindful, compassionate eating. As we step into March, let’s keep expanding our palates, our partnerships, and our understanding. Food innovation reaches its fullest potential when it’s built on cultural respect and true inclusion. And stay tuned ... Sobo’s Founder & CEO, Eric Ji Sun Wu, will be joining us in the future on Plant’ish Live! What cultural dishes are you most excited to explore and expand your taste buds with this year? #BlackHistoryMonth #DiversityInFood #CulturalInclusion #FoodInnovation #SoboFoods #PlantBased #TheCultureOfFood #RepresentationMatters

Totally full-circle moment to go from desperately trying to get the attention of VegNews staff at Expo West just under a year ago, to today:?Sobo Foods Kimchi & Mushroom Dumplings ??????????? gracing the front cover of VegNews magazine! Just goes to show how in the early days of building a brand, every tiny interaction can turn into something meaningful. Make the most delicious product possible, make sure it photographs deliciously ?? , and then just put yourself out there! What's the worst that can happen if you offer someone a bite of food? Humbled to have Sobo Foods named alongside so many other Asian-owned brands I love as one of VegNews' companies to watch in 2025 ?? Rooted Fare Pocket's Chocolates Little Moon Bakehouse (formerly Annie's T Cakes) Hodo Party Of Crafty Counter UNLIMEAT 2foods USA House of Kajaana, Inc.

Sobo Foods is at KeHE Distributors Show this week in Phoenix! ?????? Come by booth #869 tomorrow and Wednesday to grab a piping hot potsticker and see why we were named Best New Vegan Product at Expo West by VegNews AND Best Frozen Product of 2024 by Startup CPG ?? Trust me, it’ll taste great between swigs of your adaptogenic nootropic kombucha and bites of paleo fermented hemp seed butter balls. (If anyone actually runs a company selling products I just made fun of, please forgive me)

A beloved neighborhood chicken and fish shop celebrating 50 years of business. A family-owned craft beer and pinball bar. A Fortune 500 corporate cafeteria. A sustainability-minded local chain of sushi shops. A buzzy brunch spot known for its top-notch?catering. A pioneering Chinese American restaurant once named as one of Bon Appetit's 10 best restaurants in the country. The California State Capitol Building. What do all these place have in common? You can now find Sobo dumplings?on the menu! ??? We've been pushing our bulk foodservice offering HARD for the last 2 months, spending countless hours on the road delivering samples of our vegan dumplings to restaurants across the Bay Area, LA, and Sacramento ?? There's no substitute?for showing up in person, shaking someone's hand hand, giving them a big?smile, and sharing food that matters deeply to you. Undying gratitude?to the chefs and owners who have taken a chance by bringing our dumplings into your kitchen. So, so, so much?more to come from Sobo in both retail and foodservice! Please go support these businesses?TODAY!! I will shout them out in the comments. It's still Lunar New Year y'all, dumplings are good luck if you haven't heard ??

Last week, Sobo Foods took on our very first distributor selling show with UNFI in San Diego. We also took home the grand prize at the UpNext Pitch Slam!! ???? Eternal gratitude to Aaron May and Kayla Riccio (Davis) for putting our little dumpling brand on a pedestal ???? In 2024, we hit the big-name, public-facing shows like Fancy Food and Expo West last year, but this year we're only exhibiting at the private UNFI and KeHE Spring/Summer Shows. While I've been working in CPG for quite some time now, selling at trade shows is still very new to me. Shows like these are an eye-popping investment for new brands, which is why I always tell the Sobo Foods team that our goal at every demo, event, and trade show is to be impossible to ignore. If you walk through those doors, I don't want you walking?back out until you've either A) tried a dumpling?or B) told me to buzz off ?? We're here to max out the number of people that taste a dumpling, because we know tasting is believing when it comes to Sobo's product. If you're doing demos, events, and trade shows sitting quietly on your phone, waiting for people?to come talk to you – you are lighting your money on fire. That's why I?always look for special "side hustle" opportunities in and around the show. Whatever I can do to make noise and get people to take 10 seconds out of their overstimulated days to pay attention to Sobo, I'll take that opportunity. When we attended the Fancy Food Show and Expo West in 2024 I made sure to be one of the final four pitching onstage. We also got free booths by applying through :INCLUDED CPG and?were placed in special red carpet diversity areas of the show floor. Even when I don't come in 1st (most of the time), I still consider these "side hustles" at trade shows a non-negotiable necessity. Unless you have ?????? to blow on the flashiest booth, you have to get creative in cutting through?the noise at these shows. Do the most. Bring the?energy. Be shameless. Tear your pants off onstage (story for another day). Now onto the next one! KeHE Distributors Phoenix show we're comin' for ya! ?? See you next week at booth # 869 ??????

The first pitch slam I hosted was in February of 2022. The audience was mostly comprised of the presenters and any favors I could cash in to bring in colleagues to fill some seats. Cut to last Wednesday in San Diego. What a difference a few years make. As our co-founder Michael Funk highlighted in his incredible time on stage, emerging brands remain the lifeblood of the industry. Our customers recognize this, and UNFI is embracing it. A big shout out to our incredible presenters and partners...Fenella Oakley from OH MY GUM!, Alpy & Robert Broome from Mooski, Marilyn Yang from Popadelics, and our first champion of 2025, Eric Ji Sun Wu from Sobo Foods! Thanks to Katie Diasti and cheers to your incredible success with viv for your v. I've seen what UpNext is firsthand, and I can't wait to see what the future brings. Being a part of the UpNext community is truly gratifying!

Some belated store news for our Bay Area locals... North Bay rejoice?–?find ALL Sobo flavors at Woodlands Market! Kentfield, Tiburon, and downtown San Francisco locations ??? Big thank you to Steven Buhagiar for curating beautiful selections in beautiful stores. AND catch us at (almost) all locations of THE EPICUREAN TRADER: Ferry Building, Hayes Valley, the Castro, and Cow Hollow. Pro tip –?amazing place to find cute Christmas gifts ?? I've been hounding Mat Pond for over a year, thank you for giving us a shot and for putting up with my emails ?? We'll be announcing another all-time-most-frequently-requested store in the next few weeks ?? Happy Holidays from your favorite neighborhood dumpling brand ????

OC! Hollywood! Long Beach! Sobo's frozen dumplings are now available in your local Mother's Market & Kitchen across all 11 locations ?? Thanks to Terry Holland and the Mother's team, we're now available via UNFI, the country's largest natural foods distributor! And Sobo are proud to be part of UNFI's premier emerging brands program, UNFI UpNext! If there's a trendy, healthy, sustainable brand you love –?chances are good that they've participated in UpNext ?? Finally, a particularly big thank you to Nick Breslin and Kayla Riccio (Davis) for being infinitely more helpful and responsive throughout this whole process than I ever could have expected or asked for.

? Meet a Startup CPG Member! ? Sobo Foods proves you don’t have to choose between eating well and helping the planet—you can have it all.???? Their dumplings reimagine beloved childhood flavors with 100% plant-based, veggie-packed ingredients that would make any family proud. Inspired by a deep love for Asian comfort foods, Sobo Foods is built on the belief that every meal is a chance to make a healthy, climate-positive choice. ???? P.S. They’re also a proud 2024 Shelfie Awards winner! ?? . . . #cpg #dumplings #emergingbrands #AAPI