Tag Archives: start-up life

Asulia’s Anniversary: A Year in a Food Start-up

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been a year!  I’ve been working on Asulia full time since September 2012. Looking back at the past 12 months, I see that I’ve made a lot of progress as a food start-up, all while being self-funded. No matter what happens, I can be proud of that.

While there’s still more to do, when I write it down, I can see that I’ve gotten a lot done. The life of an entrepreneur is never dull. No wonder I’m tired some times! Some key things I’ve done since September 2012:

  1. Tested, tasted, and developed 3 vegan dumpling recipes: taro root, chickpea and kale.
  2. Changed the hand cut dumpling wrapper from white to wheat.
  3. Became ServSafe certified.
  4. Sourced dumpling ingredients, as locally as possible.
  5. Made nutrition labels.
  6. Purchased bar codes.
  7. Found a food photographer.
  8. Reshot food photography multiple times.
  9. Looked through hundreds of logos.
  10. Reworked various logos multiple times.
  11. Branded and then rebranded – I actually started with a different name.
  12. Went through 3 graphic designers until I found the right fit.
  13. Completed packaging development and design.
  14. Ran a trademark search.
  15. Legally formed the company.
  16. Found a kitchen to make the dumplings. This took months to do!
  17. Found an environmentally-friendly printer to work with, after calling dozens of places and researching for hours on end.
  18. Became a certified YouthTrade company.
  19. Obtained vegan certification for all three fusion dumpling flavors.
  20. Blogged, emailed, tweeted and posted updates on FB.
  21. Launched a website.
  22. Figured out Asulia’s personality. What does she like? What matters to Asulia? What matters to me? This is a key part of our brand.
  23. Started blogging for Huff Post.
  24. Walked through what felt like football fields of food at two Fancy Food Shows in San Francisco (thanks to air miles) and in NYC.
  25. Attended (and will continue to attend) numerous food networking events.
  26. Attended the Stonyfield’s annual entrepreneurship institute and was selected as a case study.
  27. Launched a crowd-funding campaign.

Along the way, I’ve laughed, cried, and met some truly great people. I’ve lost sleep and skipped meals, but I’ve also eaten some great food in the name of research! I’ve made mistakes. I’ve gotten lucky. I’ve learned so much about business and myself.

But most importantly, I never gave up.

Taro Root, a better starch

unpeeled taro root, peeled taro root, taro root smoothie, an earlier Asulia packaging idea

Above, counter clockwise: unpeeled taro root, peeled taro root, taro root smoothie, an earlier Asulia packaging idea

Above, counter clockwise: unpeeled taro root, peeled taro, taro root smoothie, an earlier packaging pic of an idea I had for a taro & scallion boat before we knew a wheat dumpling wrapper was possible.
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Asulia uses taro root as the main ingredient in our Taro Root dumpling.

Taro root is a staple root vegetable in Southeast Asia, Africa, India, China, the Caribbean and the Polynesian islands. It’s often used like a potato. I grew up eating taro root in China, where I lived until I was five years old, in braised dishes and steamed with savory ingredients. Then, my mother and I moved to New York and then to Montana where I spent the vast majority of my childhood. Needless to say, it was hard to find taro, let alone any exotic vegetables back then.

When my mom and I would travel, we would make sure to eat taro. Taro root can be roasted, boiled, fried or baked. The leaves can be eaten just like spinach! Unlike potatoes, its texture is custardy and it has purple tinge once it’s cooked. It has a nutty flavor from natural sugars that come out during the cooking process. What sets this root vegetable apart from it’s starchy cousins is it’s nutrients. Taro contains three times as much fiber as a potato, is a great source of potassium and is a low glycemic index food. It’s also is very easy to digest.

The glycemic index measures how your blood sugar levels rise after you eat carbohydrates. An index number from 1-100, with 100 as the reference score stands for pure glucose, a.k.a. sugar. Foods are rated high (greater than 70), moderate (56-69), or low (less than 55). On the GI scale, taro is rated low with a score of 18. A low GI means that it’s absorbed into your body slower, which allows you to feel fuller longer since it takes longer to metabolize.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t eat taro raw, it needs to be cooked. To prepare taro root for cooking, peel it with a vegetable peeler under running water. This will help you to avoid any sensitivity to the juices, which can cause a mild stinging sensation. You can also a knife to remove the skin. Shield your hands with a towel or gloves.  Keep your taro covered with water in a bowl or pan until you’re ready to use it. It pairs nicely with with milk or other calcium-rich foods. I love taro with coconut milk. Here’s a recipe for a taro root smoothie.

Sue’s Taro Root Smoothie

1 1/2 cup ice
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup taro powder or ½ cup steamed fully cooked taro
1/4 cup of simple raw cane syrup or ¼ cup of sweetened condensed milk

Blend together and get your taro on!