Tiffany Leong: Founder of Qi Foods

When I first heard Tiffany Leong talk about her company, Qi Foods, I resonated immediately. I thought back to my Midwestern upbringing and the limited access to Asian superfoods. As I’ve grown older and lived in larger cities, these foods have been abundantly available in different Chinatowns, but I still have difficulty deciphering the Chinese characters on the packages and knowing what exactly to buy. I love that Qi Foods will make Asian superfoods more accessible for everyone.

Below, Tiffany and I discuss the story behind Qi Foods and how it’s brought her closer to her mom and helped her reflect on her Chinese American identity.

Photo courtesy of Tiffany Leong

Rebecca: Can you tell me a little about yourself and your upbringing?

Tiffany: I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, which is a pretty diverse city, but for a while, the elementary school I went to and the neighborhood that I lived in were still pretty homogenous. I learned early on that we looked different and did things differently, which made me feel out of place at times. We would joke at some of the stuff our parents would do and say, “That’s so Asian!” It wasn't until I moved away from home later on that I started to really explore who I was and embrace my culture.

Rebecca: Can you tell me about your parents’ backgrounds and your relationship with them?

Tiffany: I really felt like a third culture kid, because my mom is an immigrant, my dad is Chinese American and I look Chinese, but I was born in America. My dad was born and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City and my mom is from Hong Kong. I’m definitely closer with my dad, because there isn't a language barrier. But I’m closer to my mom when it comes to food and nature, as we would cook and garden together. It was confusing growing up, and I felt like there were two worlds inside my household. For example, for Thanksgiving, we would have turkey and mashed potatoes, but also Chinese ribs and bok choy.

Rebecca: How did you start Qi Foods and what was the inspiration behind it?

Tiffany: I started Qi Foods a year ago. My mom made herbal soups for us everyday when we were growing up (and even today when we come home for holidays), and I think it was a way for her to feel closer to home. She immigrated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana from China without any family, so exploring and making traditional foods is her way of staying close to her roots. I didn't really realize that until I became an adult. We used to make fun of my mom for these soups or tell her that we were too full after dinner to drink them. My friends would come over for dinner, she’d serve them soup, and they would be grossed out by the things that were in them like chicken feet.

I've always had a lot of stomach issues. When I started working, one of my first jobs was in investment banking and my body did not react well to that lifestyle. I got a lot of allergic reactions, hives, and really bad stomach aches. I felt tired all the time, so I went to see some stomach doctors. I took an allergy test that said I was allergic to practically everything, including things like parsley. I knew it was wrong, but I also knew that there was something off in my body. For three years, I cut out the most common food allergens from my diet: dairy, gluten, soy, corn, eggs, nuts and shellfish.

One day, one of my doctors said that I should eat foods that my ancestors ate to heal my body and see how that would help. My mom was in the room and she immediately agreed. She taught me how to make traditional Chinese soups and when I moved away from Houston to San Francisco, I kept making the soups myself.

I got homesick when I was in San Francisco, so that’s another reason I began embracing these Asian soups and foods more. They made me feel more connected to home and my mom. Growing up, it was tough for me to relate to my mom sometimes, because she’s an immigrant. But as an adult, I love calling her and asking how I should use a certain herb in a soup. Having these conversations about food has been a good way to connect and get to know each other better.

I became very obsessed with making these soups. I would stay in on the weekends and just make soup. At the same time, I was living with two non-Asians who would make bone broth and we frequently enjoyed turmeric lattes or other superfoods such as acai bowls together. I thought it was interesting how popular these types of superfoods were, because I had been eating them for all my life. Now I would go to the farmers markets and see bone broth for example being sold for like $15.

I went to Chinatown and Chinese grocery stores and pharmacies a lot to explore and see what ingredients were there. Everything was in Chinese, of course. I realized that my roommates, coworkers, and friends would love to discover and try these East Asian superfoods. It would be tough for them though to walk into an Asian grocery store and purchase these superfoods if they didn’t already know the language or weren’t already accustomed to going to these stores. I realized there really isn’t a bridge product out there that fills this gap. There are hundreds of East Asian plant-based superfoods, the kinds of things that would be in Asian medicine. I think people would love easier access to these foods, things like goji berries and ginseng. There isn't already a brand that represents these superfoods, so I wanted to create it.

So I had these thoughts last summer, but I didn’t know I was actually going to spend all my time working on this or even launch a company. I started business school at Yale in fall 2019 and we have something called Yale Pitch Slam, where you can pitch your business idea of people in a black box theater. Being very health conscious and having been exploring my Asian culture, I wished there was an Asian superfood brand out there, but I wanted to see if other people agreed. I knew I needed a way for people to try the product. I wanted to make a naturally sweet herbal soup and present it in the form of a beverage, so I made and brought the jujube drink which became the OG flavor and fan favorite. The pitch ended up going well and people loved the jujube drink at the reception afterwards. Everyone thought it tasted really good so I thought okay, let me just keep going.

Rebecca: Was there a specific instance after the pitch event that made you want to work on this full time or was it a series of smaller events?

Tiffany: I think it was a series of smaller events. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, we have a commercially viable product now, and I’m seeing how much I’ve grown personally while working on Qi Foods. I also really believe in the product and the industry, because there are so many trends that indicate that something like this needs to be out in the market: there’s a ton of Asian American brands that are emerging, everyone's trying to keep their bodies healthy especially in the wake of COVID, and people are really leaning into ayurveda and other natural preventative health stuff. Asian American culture is also becoming more mainstream, and you can see this in pop culture with Parasite, Crazy Rich Asians, and the emergence of more Asian led Netflix shows. Given these trends, it feels like this is the perfect time for Qi Foods.

Rebecca: Are you making these soups and drinks in your apartment kitchen or somewhere else?

Tiffany: I used to make them all the time in my apartment. When I first started, I spent a lot of time messing with different herbs and different combinations. I talked to some herbalists and food scientists and my mom taught me a lot, but after that I mostly did a lot of research on my own. I formulated the recipes for all three of the drinks we have myself, and turned them into commercial formulas where they are currently being made at our co-packing facility. I still do a lot of product development at home. Over the summer for example, all my friends would go to the beach and have picnics outside, while I would be at home formulating with lots of herbs, a pH meter and beakers. I was like a mad scientist.

Rebecca: What is your parents reaction to you starting Qi Foods? The stereotype is a lot of Asian parents want their kids to be doctors or lawyers - are they supportive or do they think of what you’re doing as more of a hobby?

Tiffany: My mom doesn't fully understand; she thinks I'm going to be an acupuncturist or something. It wasn't until last Christmas when I brought back the chrysanthemum drink that she helped formulate and she was like, “Tiffany I think it's going to work; it tastes really good.” I think she is still scared and wishes I would get a “normal job.” She was born in Shenzhen, China and moved to Hong Kong in her teens. She struggled to support herself growing up, so when she had me and my sisters, she worked really hard on her small design business to ensure we could live comfortable lives. Otherwise both parents are extremely supportive. My dad has a business and finance background, and he will drop everything to talk to me whenever I need a second opinion on something. They're not tiger parents about it at all; they are my personal cheerleaders.

Rebecca: What’s something that’s surprised you so far while working on Qi Foods?

Tiffany: Something that was a little surprising was the reception from other Asian Americans. At pitch competitions and other presentations, other Asian Americans would come up to me afterwards and say how much they resonate with my story and how it reminded them of their upbringing and relationship with their moms. I think it’s really powerful that I’m able to create an experience for people that makes them feel good in that way.

When you’re a young adult, a lot of us try so hard not to be “too Asian.” I’ve watched all of David Chang’s stuff and he says the same thing. I didn't realize initially that a lot of other Asians went through something similar. Then we move away from home and actually realize, wait we’re Asian, and we’re proud of it! As adults, we’re functioning members of society and have a choice about how we want to live our lives and present ourselves to the world. I think there's some self-exploration in your 20s, and a lot of that goes back to your culture and your roots. Food has been a really awesome way for me to connect with who I am and where my family came from.

Rebecca: What have been some of the most challenging parts of working on Qi Foods so far?

Tiffany: I think every step is exciting, but also challenging because it's new and there is no playbook. There are a million things happening at once and you are determining what the next steps are yourself. Oftentimes you can make things work in multiple different paths, but you won't know what’s the “right” choice until you go down that path and see it through. You can talk to other founders, but a lot of times decisions are so specific to your venture, your own comfort levels, and the resources that you have.

Rebecca: What advice do you have for people who are interested in starting a company but aren't sure how or are intimidated by the process?

Tiffany: Just do it. No one's ever completely ready unless you're an industry veteran and have launched multiple companies already. Just go for it, but also realize that it's hard work. It’s important to go into it without being scared to fail. Every failure is a learning experience. If you have a good idea and you've really thought it through, create a business plan and pitch it to people around you. If you're getting good feedback, go for it. Talk to as many people as you can like other founders in similar spaces and other people through customer interviews so you have a clear idea of what you’re building. Overall it’s still a learning process for me, but building Qi Foods has been the most rewarding and fulfilling thing I’ve done with my time. No one can take this extremely personal experience away from you!