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Key people at Omsom.
Omsom develops meal starters and sauces, making authentic, bold Asian flavors accessible for home cooking. Its product line includes "rip-and-pour" cooking sauces and saucy noodles, crafted with acclaimed Asian American chefs. This approach enables consumers to quickly prepare flavorful dishes, simplifying diverse Asian cuisines while delivering culturally resonant tastes.
Omsom was co-founded in 2020 by sisters Vanessa Pham and Kim Pham, daughters of Vietnamese refugees. Their insight stemmed from a desire to reclaim and celebrate diverse narratives and authentic Asian flavors, challenging reductive mainstream portrayals. The brand name, "Om Sòm":a Vietnamese phrase for noisy or rambunctious:embodies its spirit of authenticity and cultural pride.
Omsom serves home cooks seeking convenient, authentic Asian meal solutions, appealing to the Asian American community and a broader demographic. Its vision centers on honoring and elevating Asian culinary traditions and stories through its accessible product line. Omsom aims to foster deeper appreciation for the multifaceted nature of Asian food and its cultural integrity.
Key people at Omsom.
Omsom is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company founded by Vietnamese-American sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham, producing meal starters like cooking sauces and saucy noodles that deliver authentic, restaurant-quality Asian flavors for home kitchens.[1][2][5] It serves busy home cooks seeking easy access to diverse Asian cuisines beyond diluted "ethnic" aisle stereotypes, solving the problem of underrepresented, high-quality Asian pantry staples in mainstream U.S. grocery stores.[1][3][6] The brand launched direct-to-consumer in 2020, rapidly expanded to retail in major chains like Whole Foods, Target, and Sprouts by 2022, reaching 2,000+ stores and 100,000 customers, with grocery revenue surging 324% year-over-year by Q1 2024—demonstrating explosive growth momentum.[5][6]
Omsom was founded in May 2020 by first-generation Vietnamese-American sisters Vanessa Pham and Kim Pham, daughters of Vietnamese refugees.[1][5] Vanessa, a Harvard sociology and economics graduate and former Bain & Company management consultant, grew frustrated with her corporate path and teamed up with Kim to channel their skills into cultural impact.[4] The idea emerged from their personal experiences feeling unseen by mainstream grocery "ethnic" aisles, which they viewed as perpetuating stereotypes of Asian food as unhealthy, cheap, or monolithic—prompting them to quit their jobs and build a brand reclaiming diverse Asian flavors and stories.[1][3]
Early traction was remarkable: In its first year, Omsom's Asian pantry sauces sold out 11 times (first within 72 hours), shipped to all 50 states in two months, and earned 50+ national features in outlets like The New York Times, Vogue, Bon Appétit, and CNN, which named it one of their best cooking products tested.[2] Despite initial investor skepticism dismissing it as "niche," they secured backing and pivoted to retail expansion.[3][5]
Omsom rides the wave of cultural reclamation in CPG, fueled by rising demand for authentic global flavors amid Asian American population growth and backlash against homogenized "ethnic" food categories.[1][2][6] Timing aligns with post-2020 shifts toward DTC brands scaling to retail, amplified by social media communities and inclusivity trends, positioning it to redefine the American pantry by mainstreaming diverse Asian cuisines beyond segregated aisles.[2][5] Market forces like e-commerce acceleration, premium instant noodle booms, and investor interest in mission-driven BIPOC founders favor its expansion, as seen in 324% grocery growth and 2,000+ store presence.[5][6] By partnering with chefs, earning media accolades, and influencing industry norms (e.g., MSG perceptions), Omsom elevates Asian-led innovation, amplifying underrepresented voices in food tech and challenging legacy grocery models.[3][5][6]
Omsom's acquisition by DayDayCook in 2024 accelerates its retail push, blending with a like-minded Asian food family for innovations in sauces and noodles amid sustained revenue growth.[5] Next steps include grocery dominance nationwide (and potentially global), new product launches, and deeper cultural influence through community and thought leadership.[2][5] Trends like premium CPG globalization, sustainability mandates, and Gen Z's flavor exploration will propel it, evolving its role from challenger brand to pantry staple that normalizes Asian multiplicity. This trajectory echoes its founding defiance, turning "niche" skepticism into a redefined American table.[3][6]
