#164 Saucy Family - Lisa and Maly Douangphoumy, Sao Noi, LLC

Meaningful Marketplace Podcast

We first interviewed Lisa and Maly Douangphoumy, sisters in the family business Sao Noi, on episode number 54, released September, 2020. Their company produces flavored chili oils and flavored beef jerky, all originated from the family’s restaurant business in Hood River, Oregon. Their mother, Marnie and father, Tom started the restaurant and quickly became a staple for the community because of Tom’s peanut sauce and Marnie’s chili oil. The business name, Sao Noi literally means “little girl” in Laotian as Marnie is the youngest of her eight siblings. She began making her sauces from their cozy restaurant kitchen. The exotic flavors in Sao Noi‘s sauces reflect their Southeast Asian roots, evoking a nostalgia for the family’s traditional Lao and Thai culinary recipes. Marnie used her chili oil on one of the restaurant’s premier dishes and an employee commented the taste was so fabulous she should bottle it and sell it. The family did start producing the oil in jars and selling in small quantities. One day Maly took a jar to the CEO of the company where she worked and the next day he called her in to place an order for a jar for every employee in the company, 210 in all, the largest order the company had received up to that time. On top of that, the CEO had a recipe contest for everyone in the company and those recipes plus the family recipes went into what is now the “Sao Noi Kitchen” cookbook, available on the website and on Amazon. Much has happened to the family business since our last interview. The oil product line has expanded to three flavors, original, lemon grass and ginger. They also started a beef jerky line thanks to one of their food brokers. He came into town to call on them, and overnight dreamed they would have a line of beef jerky. The family liked the idea and the broker introduced them to a copacker who could make it happen for them. That was a relief to the family, as dealing with an animal product puts you under USDA regulatory control and the family did not have time for that learning curve. In addition to knowing the regulations, the copacker was instrumental in taking the three oil flavors and experimenting with the formulas to come up with the three scintillating jerky tastes. Although they started selling the oils in the restaurant in 2015, it was really 2017 when the family expanded out into the community and sold in farmers markets. Their popularity has led them currently to being available in 46 retail outlets in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and East coast. Market of Choice, an Oregon grocer, has been their biggest volume seller and a superb supporter of the local community. Sauces and jerky are available for purchase online. The sauces are still handcrafted in small batches locally to ensure that “a whole ‘lotta love goes into every jar!” as their website says. Their website: https://www.sao-noi.com/. Follow the on: Facebook- @saonoipdx, Instagram- @saonoipdx. Our hosts: Twitter - @sarahmasoni and @spicymarshall, Instagram - @masoniandmarshall.