49 Asian American and Pacific Islander-Owned Home & Grocery Brands We Love

Founded by parents Hanna and Mark Lim, Lollaland designed a cup for kids who found straws hard to use. The couple appeared on Shark Tank, struck a deal, and, now, the line includes all sorts of plates, bowls, and other kid-friendly dinnerware.

You wouldn’t think it’d be possible for a cutting board to have a fan club, and yet here we are. The entire Kitchn team is in love with Material’s recycled plastic cutting boards, which are durable, lightweight, and come in fun colors, including one that donates 50 percent of profits to Heart of Dinner, a nonprofit organization that delivers food packages and “handwritten notes of love” to Asian elders throughout New York City. The direct-to-consumer cookware brand (founded by Eunice Byun and Dave Nguyen) also makes other kitchen gear, including a nonstick pan, knives, and a spatula that we can’t praise enough.

Chrissy Teigen has made such a name for herself in the culinary world that she now has her own line of cookware. Her pots and pans are as functional as they are gorgeous, and you’ll also find knives, baking mixes (which we've tested and reviewed here), and more.

If you’ve scrolled around on Instagram at all, you’ve probably seen the now-famous Always Pan. It’s founded by Shiza Shahid, who spent years designing a pan that’s meant to fit into the multiethnic American kitchen. The Always Pan often sells out and certain colors tend to have very deep waiting lists, so get yours when you see it.

If there’s just one thing we’ve learned from working with Grace Young over the years, it’s that the Wok Shop in San Francisco is one of the best places to get a wok. (Of course, we’ve learned lots more from Grace!) Grace says to get the 14-inch carbon steel wok with a flat bottom and wood side handle (read more here). “Ask the owner, Tane Chan, for a second opinion,” Grace says. “I do think she’ll back me up, though.”

Everything you see in this online pottery shop is handmade by Sam Lee — which means that pieces tend to sell out quick. There’s still something for everyone like planters, mugs, vases, and more.

Ceramicist and artist Carrie Lau was born and raised in Hong Kong, and now lives in Los Angeles where she creates fun, colorful pieces, like a coffee dripper for your morning brew. Once again, this is a small pottery shop, so things do sell out.

The oldest store in New York City’s Chinatown, Wing on Wo & Co has been in operation since 1925. The storefront is only open on the weekends, but you can shop online 24/7 for gorgeous teapots, dinner plates, bowls, and other porcelain pieces.

Virginia Sin's pieces have caught Gwyneth Paltrow’s eye and the porcelain paper plates have been used during dinner service at New York City's Eleven Madison Park. The pronged fruit bowl is one of the brand’s most popular items and we love seeing various sizes and colors pop up at stores like West Elm and Food52.

Established in 1972, KINTO originally started out as a wholesaler of tableware in Shiga, Japan. The brand eventually began developing their own line of products, with a focus on bringing comfort and inspiration into everyday life. The brand now makes simple-yet-beautiful tableware, glassware, and more.

Founded in 1971, Pearl River Mart has become a NYC institution, where shoppers can find Asian-inspired home furnishings, kitchen gear, and, well, pretty much anything you can think of. Browse their site to see what we mean.

Pawena Thimaporn grew up on a farm in Thailand and studied industrial design and ceramics before moving to the states. She works full-time in the design industry and runs Pawena Studio on the side. Her pieces are popular and sell out, so you have to be quick.

Eliza Blank started The Sill with her personal savings and a clever Kickstarter campaign. Now, it’s a million-dollar plant company with a loyal fan base. If you don’t have a single live plant in your kitchen, it’s time to change that.

Founded in 2003 by husband-and-wife team Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung, Poketo is meant to infuse art and design into every day. The brand focuses on curating design-conscious goods, and their own line of tabletop gear should not be missed.

Catherine Choi overcame a drug addiction and has been clean for more than 20 years. Her personal journey led her to start SoYoung as a diaper bag brand. Now, the company makes super-chic lunch bags that you can put to use even if you’re not packing for an office these days.

Founded by Danny Taing, Bokksu features a handpicked assortment of snacks and drinks from some of Taing’s favorite contemporary Asian-founded food start-ups. Get the Subscription Box and, each month, you’ll get an assortment of Japanese snacks, candies, and teas sourced directly from centuries-old family makers.

Nguyen Coffee Supply was founded by Sahra Nguyen, a first-generation Vietnamese American. The company partners with a fourth-generation farmer, Mr. Ton, who owns and operates his family farm in Vietnam’s famed Central Highlands.

It’s no secret how much Kitchn editors love Brightland. The brand was founded by Aishwarya Iyer in 2015 when she realized the subpar supermarket olive oil she was buying was making her feel … well, subpar. Now she makes traceable, high-quality olive oil, all housed in beautifully designed, powder-coated bottles that keep the oil from oxidizing and getting rancid.

Sana Javeri Kadri founded Diaspora Co., a tiny spice company with big ambitions to disrupt what she has called an outdated and unjust spice trade. The brand now has a huge and loyal fan base, with an ever-growing list of spices on offer. The turmeric, Sannam chillies, cardamom, and cacao are all staff favorites.

Another spice brand we absolutely love: Spicewalla was founded by Meherwan Irani, who in 2009 quit his day job in sales to open his first restaurant. He’s now a four-time James Beard Award-nominated chef and another disrupter of the spice industry. Spicewalla’s spices are super-fresh, small-batch, and packed and processed by hand. And they come in these cute-yet-practical tins.

Vanessa and Kim Pham launched Omsom during the pandemic "to bring proud, loud Asian flavors to your fingertips any day of the week, sitting in your pantry right between the tomato sauce and olive oil,” the sisters say on their website. Omsom’s starter packs of spices and seasonings help home cooks to make classic Asian dishes like larb, spicy bulgogi, sisig, and more, all while debunking myths about certain flavors and spices, such as MSG.

After moving to the United States, Cuong Pham missed the flavors of his childhood in Saigon. “Not even the vibrant Asian markets of San Francisco offered the intensely fragrant first-press fish sauce, nước mắm nhi, that Cuong remembered from Vietnam,” says the Red Boat Fish Sauce website. He left his job in 2011 and started the food brand, which now makes fish sauce, salts, caramels, and more.

Jing Gao (who went by Jenny for most of her life before reclaiming her birth name) founded Fly By Jing in 2018, inspired by the flavors of her hometown in Chengdu, China. The Sichuan Chili Crisp is, by far, the brand’s most popular offering, but the line also includes Zhong Sauce, Mala Spice Mix, and more.

One Stripe Chai founder Farah Jesani says, “I’m Indian so drinking chai is basically in my blood." She grew up with chai and, after a brief affair with coffee, went back to chai and eventually set out to bring the South Asian beverage to craft coffee shops stateside.

Tarush and Jasleen Agarwal are first-generation Indian immigrants who realized that the paneer, a fresh Indian cheese, in the U.S. left something to be desired. They founded Sāch and started making artisanal paneer with high-quality ingredients. They even have flavored paneer, including a Spicy Habanero and Turmeric Twist.

Inspired by the blank palate of an ice cream base, Pooja Bavishi founded Malai, which features the South Asian spices of her childhood — including masala chai, fennel, cardamom, and saffron.

Chitra Agrawal is the chef behind all of Brooklyn Delhi’s award-winning sauces and condiments — she’s also a cookbook author and Kitchn contributor. All of her offerings at Brooklyn Delhi are well-reviewed, but the Tomato Achaar — a zingy blend of tomatoes, tamarind, garlic, and chili powder — is a fan-favorite.

Inspired by her Filipino-Polish roots, Alexandra Dorda created Kasama, which is small-batch rum with a hint of sweet pineapples and vanilla, in 2021. Fun fact: Alexandra is the daughter of the founder of Chopin Vodka and Belvedere!

KaiYen Mai’s family has been honing the craft of making traditional Asian jerky for nearly 50 years, so it’s no surprise that she decided to launch her own company — it just took a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to come up with the idea!

Founded by New Yorker Nigel Sielegar, Moon Man specializes in kaya, a rich and aromatic coconut jam popular in Southeast Asia. The brand offers kaya in three flavors — pandan, ube, and Java palm sugar — all of which are excellent slathered on toast, topped on ice cream, or even whipped into a pot de creme.

Phil Wang and Ann Yang (who transitioned to being an advisor) launched Misfit Foods from their college dorm room as a business that turned ugly fruits into juice. It made a pivot in recent years, changed its name to Phil's Finest, and now creates plant-forward products that use a 50-50 blend of veggies and meat in an effort to reduce our environmental impact. (The company even got a deal on Shark Tank!) The chicken sausages and ground beef are packed full of flavor and come in combos such as Citrus Kale, Curry Carrot, and Beet Gochujang.

Lauryn Chun is so passionate about kimchi, she has written an entire cookbook devoted to the fermented Korean staple. Chun founded Mother-in-Law’s Kimchi using a recipe from her family’s California restaurant, and she continues to hand-cut the vegetables that go in it. The brand also has a line of gochujang, a versatile fermented chile paste that can be used as a marinade or dip.

Kevin Chanthasiriphan and Kevin Lee grew up working with their families in the markets of Taiwan and Thailand. The both love ramen and decided to start Immi to pay homage to their favorite foods, but with a more protein-forward twist.

Inspired by heirloom family recipes, Maya Kaimal uses traditional Indian flavors to make some of our very favorite simmer sauces and meal starters. The real Maya Kaimal is an award-winning cookbook author and was raised in Boston by a South Indian father and a mother from New England.

LOMLI Coffee (an acronym for “Love of My Life”) was started by Donna Kim to help people enjoy coffee anywhere. These sustainable steeped coffee bags can be prepared, well, anywhere — as long as you have water and a mug.

Eco-friendly Vietnamese pour-over company Copper Cow Coffee was started by Debbie Wei-Mullin, a first-generation Vietnamese American. The best part? There is no equipment necessary. Simply hang the wings of the coffee filter over your mug, pour enough water to submerge the grounds until you've made a full cup, add sweetened condensed milk, and you have a delicious Vietnames pour-over coffee.

Sanzo was founded by Sandro Roco to celebrate Asian flavors in the form of sparkling water. The line includes Lychee, Calamansi, and Mango, and is made with real fruit and zero added sugar.

Us Two Tea is a farm-to-cup tea company started by Maggie Xue that sources and processes all their tea leaves at tea farms in Taiwan. Xue’s mission? To reclaim Taiwanese tea culture in the U.S. and attract new generations of tea drinkers.

Hannah Bae named her company Noona’s Ice Cream after the Korean word for big sister. Her goal? To diversify the ice cream selection at grocery stores and make flavors such as Thai Iced Tea, Toasted Rice, Black Sesame, Yuzu Blossom more widely available.

Maivino — founded by Mai Vu — is making bagged wine cool again. These bagged (vegan) wines are not only gorgeously packaged, but they’re also meant to stay fresh for 32 days after opening. Also, three bags of Maivino are the equivalent of 6 full-sized bottles of wine, reducing the wine’s carbon footprint by 80 percent.

Vincent Kitirattragarn named Dang Foods after his mom (Mama Dang), whose recipe for Thai lettuce wraps inspired the first item in the packaged snack line: toasted coconut chips. Dang Foods now offers keto bars, Thai rice chips, and coconut chips in a wide variety of flavors.

Founded by Andrea Xu, Umamicart is an online grocery store that curates Asian products and ingredients (both fresh and shelf-stable!). One such product is Momofuku's Black Truffle Chili Crunch, which we use on almost everything.

Yishi was founded by Lin Jang to create a line of convenient, nutritious oatmeal, all inspired by traditional Chinese flavors and recipes. The easy-to-grab pouches come in five flavors and are made with ingredients such as black sesame, matcha green tea, taro, chia seeds, and coconut sugar.

Dina Shi started Tochi Snacks after being inspired by the unique salted egg flavor (which is derived from the yolk of preserved duck eggs) on a trip to Southeast Asia. She quit her job and started a snack line that highlights salted egg and includes potato chips, popcorn, and fish crisps.

Mason Dixie comes to us from Ayeshah Abuelhiga, a Maryland native who founded Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. back in 2014. Customers were so obsessed with her biscuits that she packed them up into a frozen offering, available at grocery stores nationwide. These days her line includes biscuit sandwiches in flavors like Buttermilk and Cheddar, all made with simple ingredients and fresh dairy.

“My journey to use less single-use plastic began when I became a new mom,” says Sarah Paiji Yoo, co-founder and CEO of Blueland. “I founded Blueland with the belief that we shouldn’t have to sacrifice a clean home for a clean planet.” Blueland makes eco-friendly cleaning supplies, using as little packaging as possible. The idea, for the most part, is that you get a “Forever Bottle,” which you just refill time and and time again with small tablets.

Founded by Jules Acree (from the mindfulness blog Om & The City), The Home Bodies curates sustainable goods from small-batch makers and brands. You’ll find all sorts of goodies on the site but we’re especially excited about the cleaning supplies that’ll help with dish duty.

Cook Smarts is all about organizing … your meal plans, that is. Founded by Jess Dang, the site is a meal plan service that delivers a wide range of recipes, a one-click shopping list, and more. Don’t have time to look for new recipes? Want a personal assistant in the kitchen? This site can help.

Based in Philadelphia and founded by Kaz and Yuka Morihata, Rikumo is a lifestyle brand that highlights Japanese craftsmanship, design, and aesthetics. We want everything in their shop, but the Moku towels have a loyal fan base.