About Ashley's Entrepreneurial Journey
Rooted Fare is a Chinese-American pantry staples company founded by childhood friends, Ashley Xie and Hedy Yu, on a mission to help people celebrate their heritage in a fun, unique way. We’re best known for our Crunchy Black Sesame Butter, inspired by the iconic traditional dessert, tang yuan.
Share with us how your personal journey has shaped your business’s values and strengths, and how those experiences will be highlighted in the upcoming Minority Women Lead live pitch competition.
Growing up as a Chinese American girl, I wasn’t always proud of my roots and it was a journey before I could finally embrace my in-between identity. A lot of flavors I loved deeply from childhood were hard to find or hard to incorporate into daily life, which caused a longing deeper than just a craving. We were inspired to create something both Chinese and American, like ourselves, at Rooted Fare. I can’t wait to share how Rooted Fare is a place for Asian Americans who want to feel seen, feel pride in who they are through food.