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Our Story

Visiting home = Mom’s delicious home cooking.

Visiting home = Mom’s delicious home cooking.

IN THE BEGINNING

Xiaojun wanted to make spicy chili oil sauce for her Chinese-American family. She found the options at the grocery store limited. So, she started making her own all-natural recipe at home, adding it to stirfries and noodle dishes.

It tasted so good that when Jin brought some along to college, it sparked a deep and lasting connection with Alia, who often came over for dinner. “Your mom made this?” They exclaimed. “It’s amazing!” Soon, every night at dinner, they’d say:

“Can I have some of that delicious momspice?”

A shot from the early days of Momspice in our Seattle kitchen!

FAMILIES INTERTWINE

A little while later, those two brought the jar of heartfelt hot sauce to the Pacific Northwest, where Alia’s mom, Colleen, tried it and also fell in love.

Momspice became a staple of their community, helping to build new friendships over shared feasts.

Stuff happens in life, and it just so happened that the three of them were all dealing with chronic health issues that made traditional jobs difficult…

MOMSPICE IS BORN

One day, while brainstorming how to build a sustainable & meaningful livelihood, business-savvy Colleen had a lighbulb moment. What if we shared the magic of Momspice with the world? Xiaojun said yes, and Burning Brightly, LLC came into being!

Momspice is so much more than a hot sauce: it’s a triumph of Chinese diaspora, Radical love, and the idea that we all have something deeply meaningful to bring to the table.

When that chili oil umami goodness hits your tongue, you get a taste of connection, possibility, and home, no matter where you are. 

We hope you’ll share it with everyone you love!

With gratitude,

Alia, Colleen, Jin, & Xiaojun

The Momspice Family