One Year of Spice: Reflecting on What's Next for Sumo Spice
Just over a year ago, in May 2024, we launched Sumo Spice with a simple but bold mission: to bring powerful flavor and playful energy to every table, every bowl of ramen, and every adventurous bite. It started small—just an idea, a jar, and a lot of late-night kitchen testing. We believed that life’s too short for bland food, and Sumo Spice was our way of proving that bold flavor could be both fun and all-natural.
Since then, so much has happened. It’s been an amazing ride, filled with incredible milestones, generous supporters, unexpected lessons, and a community that showed up for us in every possible way. And now, we’re gearing up for our biggest leap yet: going commercial. We’ve got 60 days until the next chapter launches—and we want to take you with us every step of the way.
Here’s a look back (and a peek ahead) at what we’ve been building.
Sumo Spice in Tokyo’s Omoida Yokocho
What a Year It’s Been
In just 12 months, we’ve gone from hand-labeling jars in a home kitchen to becoming a fast-growing small brand with hundreds of customers, new retail partners, and a seriously loyal following of spice lovers.
One of our biggest highlights this past year was getting to meet so many of you in person. We had the chance to attend two incredible events—the Utah Asian Festival and Breakfastpalooza—and they were both unforgettable. We set up our booth not really knowing what to expect. Would people stop by? Would they “get it”? Would they want to try chili crisp with their pancakes?
The answer: yes. In fact, the answer was a spicy yes.
We were blown away by the response. People lined up to sample Sumo Spice on everything from dumplings to eggs, and your reactions fueled us. You told us stories about how you used it on sushi burritos, avocado toast, grilled cheese, and more. You gave us ideas we hadn’t even dreamed of. Some of you came back the next day just to grab more. Some of you became our very first retail partners. (Yes, really—we now have local shops carrying Sumo Spice on their shelves!)
These moments—of laughter, surprise, shared food, and spicy joy—are what keep us going. We don’t just make chili crisp. We make flavor that connects people, starts conversations, and transforms the everyday into something a little more exciting.
What We've Learned
Launching a brand teaches you a lot—fast.
We’ve learned how to work with suppliers, how to scale recipes without sacrificing flavor, how to navigate cottage food laws, how to print and apply 500 labels by hand in one sitting (not for the faint of heart), and how to get a booth ready in the rain at 6am. We’ve learned which jars ship well and which ones don’t. We’ve learned what happens when you underestimate demand. (Spoiler alert: you sell out way faster than you thought.)
But most importantly, we’ve learned what really matters: people love Sumo Spice because it adds something special—not just to their food, but to their day.
Whether it's a college student adding it to noodles in a dorm, a dad leveling up Saturday morning breakfast, or a foodie gifting it to a friend, Sumo Spice became a small but mighty part of people’s lives. That’s everything to us.
What’s Next: The Commercial Leap
And now? We’re ready to take this thing to the next level.
We’re officially preparing to go commercial. That means real production runs, professionally printed labels, new packaging, and full-scale operations. It also means we're saying goodbye to the homemade labels (we’ll miss you!) and making some big changes so we can get Sumo Spice into more hands—and onto more plates.
Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes over the next 60 days:
New Packaging + Labels: We’re redesigning everything to reflect the bold, fun, flavorful brand we’ve become. Expect clean lines, gorgeous anime-style artwork, flavor-specific colors, and a jar that’s built to stand out on a shelf and feel premium in your pantry.
New Production Facility: We’re moving production to a commercial kitchen that meets all food safety standards and gives us the capacity to grow. This will allow us to produce bigger batches, ensure consistent quality, and open the door to wider distribution.
New Flavors and Products: We’re finalizing a few new recipes (👀 stay tuned), and refining our current lineup to be even more natural and craveable. Think crunchy, oily, umami-packed bliss—still all-natural, still shelf-stable, and still uniquely Sumo.
Retail-Ready Expansion: We’re building a playbook for small boutiques, markets, and specialty stores that want to carry Sumo Spice. If you own a shop or know one that needs some flavor, now’s the time to reach out.
And finally, we’ll be documenting the entire journey on social media. Every recipe tweak, every late-night label design, every delivery, every hiccup, every win—we’re sharing it all in real time. So make sure you’re following along (@sumo_spice on TikTok and Instagram) and feel free to cheer, share, or just sit back and watch the launch unfold.
Thank You for Believing in Sumo Spice
This isn’t just about chili crisp. It never was.
It’s about building something that brings people together around food, around culture, around flavor. It’s about showing up for each other with spice and heart and a sense of humor. It’s about believing that something small (a jar, a spark, an idea) can grow into something meaningful.
So whether you’ve been here since day one or just discovered us at a food festival last weekend, we want to say thank you. Your support, your feedback, your taste buds, and your Instagram posts have helped us grow. We see you. We appreciate you. We’re building this with you.
We’ve got 60 days to go. We’re sprinting toward the launch, and we can’t wait to show you what’s coming next.
Stay spicy,
Team Sumo Spice
