What began as a popular chili sauce, served at dinner clubs hosted by Jenny Gao in Shanghai, has now evolved into the bedrock of a business. Jenny, the founder and CEO of the Sichuan chili sauce company Fly By Jing, describes her path from working in a Beijing tech company to opening a restaurant in Shanghai, training as a chef in Chengdu, and now finally operating her own business from Los Angeles. In this episode, she details her painstaking efforts to source organic ingredients from Sichuan, and as a result, how she is challenging perceptions of what “made in China” means. She also shares her experiences managing the day-to-day operations of Fly By Jing.
16:44: Sourcing organic ingredients from southern China
21:08: Building a supply chain in China
38:52: Getting products to consumers
45:48: What’s in store for Fly By Jing
