We Love: Annie Chun

Many busy women and moms can relate: preparing meals that taste good, are healthy, but don’t require much time seems like a fruitless proposition. But thanks to Annie Chun and her delicious line of healthful foods, it’s no longer an impossibility!

What’s not to love about a company with the following mission statement: “We are committed to bringing you and your family healthy, convenient, gourmet-quality meals that support your busy lifestyle.” Chun, a native of South Korea who settled with her family in northern California when she was a girl, began selling her homemade Asian sauces at the Marin County Farmer’s Market in the early 1900s. The ranks of her devoted customers swelled, and all encouraged her to broaden her cooking and build a business—and in 1992, she did just that, founding Annie Chun’s Gourmet Foods with a $500 and a lot of help from friends and family. Her goal was to deliver healthy, authentic Asian foods to Western consumers, and to make Asian cooking “as easy to prepare as spaghetti” for Americans, and more than 16 years later she’s more than surpassed that objective. Many of her products are based on traditional recipes that have been part of her family for generations. And she’s used her business to promote sustainability and fight world hunger—the packaging of her Noodle Bowls is biodegradable, and Annie Chun’s invites their customers to “buy a child a meal” with a $.19 donation to the Friends of the World Food Program. We salute Annie for her entrepreneurial spirit, her altruistic streak, and for her devotion to her heritage and its preservation in the form of yummy and healthy food.