Meet Mekhala: a brand built on passion, courage, and the determination of three women. Though they faced the heartbreaking loss of their co-founder Jang, sisters Daphne and Diane are carrying on their shared mission. Inspired by the vibrant flavors of Asia, Mekhala's 100% organic and plant-based cooking pastes are here to make your meals (and your inner chef) shine.
Recently, we caught up with Daphne to learn more about their journey and hear her advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
1. Why did you start Mekhala?
My sister Diane and I grew up in Singapore, which is a melting pot of Asian cuisine. Growing up, food was a big part of our culture, but we noticed that most Asian products were full of preservatives, sugar, and artificial additives. So, we started Mekhala in 2012 with the simple idea that cooking should be easy, healthy, and meaningful. Inspired by the kitchens we grew up in, we set out to bring a “Better Asian Kitchen” to homes everywhere. Our other co-founder, Jang, was vegan and Thai and ran a beautiful retreat in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In fact, our first products were inspired by the vegan meals served at her retreat.
2. What obstacles did you face along the way?
How long have you got?
Jang passed away one year after Mekhala was founded, but we were determined to continue the legacy. Mekhala is her daughter’s name and means “goddess” in Thai. We decided to focus on organic cooking sauces, as pastes and sauces are key to a good Asian dish. However, we struggled to find a manufacturer that met our requirements, let alone one that was certified organic. Eventually, we decided to build a facility and hired some of the most amazing women to run it. None of us come from a manufacturing background, so we learned on the job! Neither Diane nor I speak Thai, so we had to connect with our team in other ways—by working side by side with them when we were at the factory, going on team lunches and activities, celebrating birthdays, and so on. We’ve worked through forest fires, covered in dust and soot, heat, and floods!
One of our worst times was when the factory burned down in early 2020 just as COVID hit—we managed to squeeze in one last trip to Thailand just as borders were shutting down, and it took us several agonizing months to rebuild. Since we were based in Singapore and Thailand, we needed to figure out who our “ideal” customer was, so we ventured into Australia, Europe, Canada, the United States, and more. As a manufacturing company, we’ve also had to deal with food safety certification, getting our organic certification, production challenges, and staffing issues.
3. What lessons do you have for other entrepreneurs?
1. Find a co-founder that you love working with and who has complementary skills. In hard times (and there will be hard times), your co-founder will be your lifeline. If you can’t find someone like that, it may be better to go at it on your own.
2. Find the gap and execute, rather than face risk analysis paralysis. Had we realized how challenging the food industry was, we might have never started! Sometimes, it’s good to not know too much at the beginning and find things out along the way.
3. Do your numbers! We are not marketing wizards, but from the outset, we made sure we understood our costs, processes, and margins, and to this day, we are ultra-diligent with our profits, losses, and cash flows.
4. Find an ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investment that is true to your brand. We run an internship program for Burmese Shan youths from the Schools of Hope that was started by Jang. We then help them get work visas, which give them a leg up for their future. It has given the company such a wonderful purpose, but we were very conscious of not creating ESG for the sake of it. Customers are savvier than you think, and a contrived purpose could be perceived negatively.
4. What’s on the horizon for Mekhala?
We recently got our hands on Nielsen data, and our core Asian cooking pastes are the #1 brand in international shelf-stable condiments and Asian sauces in top retailers. This is super exciting data that we hope will allow us to expand our distribution.
5. How do you keep work/life balance? What drives/inspires you?
Aside from the factory in Chiang Mai, most of our team works remotely. I’m in Australia, Diane is in New York, and other members work in their chosen country. This lets us work with the best people for our team without being limited by location. It also allows us to work from home and gives us a lot of work/life flexibility, so we are very lucky. We figured out during COVID that we COULD run the business remotely. Yes, we do sacrifice some growth, but it’s worth it—happiness is key and work is not a goal, but rather, a part of our journey that is life.
We originally started Mekhala because we wanted to make a difference. Diane was an accountant and I was in finance, and we felt that a tangible product that would bring joy to others, would also give us joy. We are inspired by the achievements of successful entrepreneurs who are changing lives, and also by the changes we can make for our customers and employees.