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Ashley Xie
Co-founder @ Rooted Fare
Ashley Xie is the co-founder of Rooted Fare, a company that creates modern Chinese-American pantry staples.12 She started the company in 2021 with her childhood friend and fellow co-founder, Hedy Yu.14 Both Ashley and Hedy are second-generation Chinese Americans who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California.2
Background and Motivation
Ashley's entrepreneurial journey was inspired by her experiences as a Chinese American. When she went away to college, she found herself missing the Chinese flavors she grew up with and felt disconnected from her heritage.1 This led her and Hedy to create Rooted Fare, with the goal of making Chinese flavors more accessible to everyone.1
Rooted Fare's Products
The company's first product is Black Sesame Crunchy Butter, which is based on Ashley's grandmother's recipe for tang yuan, a traditional Chinese dessert.1 This spread is described as slightly sweet, nutty, and crunchy, and can be used in various ways, from toast toppings to ice cream mix-ins.1
Professional Experience
Prior to founding Rooted Fare, Ashley had been involved in the food industry for some time.5 She has also been active in community service, organizing food drives and gardening at local elementary schools. Through these activities, she has built relationships with local government officials, including the mayor.3
Entrepreneurial Insights
Ashley emphasizes the importance of:
- Starting narrow and focusing on a single product
- Continuous learning and adaptability
- Networking and learning from others in the industry1
Future Plans
Ashley and her co-founder are working on product collaborations with local Asian restaurants and bakeries. They also plan to continue doing tastings at Bristol Farms stores and creating recipe videos to inspire new uses for their products.1
Highlights
What are the odds of having 2 pitch competitions in ONE day?!
Yesterday, August 8th (8/8) turned out to be an auspicious day for us. While representing Rooted Fare at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in Austin, Texas, Hedy Yu stepped out of her booth to finish the final leg of the Naturally Network NATIONALS competition. With the support of our absolutely amazing community, we got AUDIENCE CHOICE. Thank you to all who voted!!
I had the honor of pitching at the 7th annual Minority Women Lead pitch competition hosted by California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce and National ACE. I’m SO proud to say we won FIRST PLACE this year.
To make the win even sweeter, we applied to this competition last year and didn’t make the final cut. Never give up because you just never know!
I’m so inspired by the 4 other incredible female founders - they were all fierce, passionate pitchers with businesses that will change the world: Pallavi Pande of Dtocs LLC, Kelly Pan of Impact Food., Mayumi Kimura of Insight Therapy and Consulting , and Dr. Rebecca Cesar, DHSc, MS-MHA of Tinted Health.
Thank you to our judges who asked me thoughtful, tough questions and genuinely want us to succeed: Mylen Yamamoto Tansingco, Debra Nakatomi and Abby Malchow.
The incredibly inspiring speakers: Sylvia Kim (QUEEN!), Chiling Tong (Director of National ACE), Jan-Ie L. (VP of National ACE), Farrah N. Khan (Mayor of the City of Irvine), Cottie Petrie-Norris (Assemblywoman for District 73), and Brenda Palomino (Amazon).
This was definitely a day for the books! So grateful for all of my friends and family who came.
Rooted Fare made it to the Naturally Network National Pitch!!
Hedy Yu and I need your help in voting for us for the Audience Choice award. It takes just 10 seconds to vote and make all the difference!
Here are the 2 steps to vote (deadline is 8/8 at 5pm PT):
- Send a text message to 22333 with "NNPITCHSLAM24" in the message body - this will allow you one vote.
- You will receive a text that confirms you have joined Naturally Network's Session. Reply with the short code associated with our company: "ROOTED".
That’s it! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Photo credits: Mike C.
