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§ Private Profile · 278 106th Ave NE, Bellevue, Washington, 98004, United States
Xiao Chi Jie is a company.
Key people at Xiao Chi Jie.
MìLà, formerly known as Xiao Chi Jie, produces and distributes premium frozen Chinese culinary products, specializing in items such as soup dumplings and noodles. The company employs specialized freezing techniques and optimized logistics to deliver authentic, high-quality flavors directly to consumers. This approach ensures that traditional Chinese dishes retain their integrity and taste in a convenient, at-home format.
The company was co-founded by Jen Liao and Caleb Wang, evolving from their Bellevue restaurant opened in 2018. Their shared journey of navigating their Chinese American identities and a desire to honor their heritage served as the foundational insight. Caleb’s background in finance, coupled with Jen’s deep appreciation for Chinese culture, provided a robust framework for transforming their culinary passion into a scalable business.
MìLà caters to individuals seeking accessible, high-quality renditions of classic Chinese comfort food for home preparation. The company envisions establishing Chinese cuisine as an integral and respected component of the broader American food landscape. Its long-term mission is to continually innovate within the frozen food sector, offering diverse and authentic culinary experiences that celebrate the richness and evolving nature of Chinese American identity.
MiLa (formerly Xiao Chi Jie or XCJ) is a direct-to-consumer (DTC) Chinese food brand specializing in restaurant-quality frozen products like soup dumplings, Chinese BBQ skewers, noodle kits, sauces, and ice creams, shipped nationwide to home kitchens.[1][2][3][5][7] Founded by second-generation Chinese Americans Jennifer Liao and Caleb Wang, it serves consumers seeking authentic, underrepresented regional Chinese street foods and flavors, solving the problem of limited honest representations of Chinese cuisine in the U.S. CPG market—especially beyond restaurants—while emphasizing accessibility, education, and plant-based innovations like Impossible Foods collaborations.[1][2][3][5] The company has shown strong growth momentum, shipping over 10 million soup dumplings since late 2020, achieving 300% year-over-year growth pre-2023 rebrand, raising $10M in Series A (2022) led by Imaginary Ventures plus $21M more ahead of retail expansion.[2][3][6]
Jennifer Liao and Caleb Wang, second-generation Chinese Americans frustrated by the lack of authentic Chinese street food in the U.S., launched Xiao Chi Jie in 2018 as a passion-project restaurant in Bellevue/Seattle, WA, offering specialties like handmade soup dumplings.[1][2][3][5][7] The COVID-19 pandemic forced a pivot: they began freezing batches for local deliveries, sparking national shipping demand and leading to a full DTC relaunch in late 2020.[1][2][3] Early traction exploded, with over 10 million dumplings shipped nationwide, culminating in a $10M Series A in 2022 from Imaginary Ventures, Simu Liu, and founders like those from Stitch Fix and Zola.[2][3] In 2023, they rebranded to MiLa ("honey and spice" in Chinese) to reflect portfolio expansion beyond street food into a national CPG brand, appointing ex-Dang Foods co-founder Vincent Kitirattragarn as GM.[5][6][7]
MiLa rides the DTC CPG boom in ethnic foods, capitalizing on pandemic-accelerated demand for premium, frozen home-cooking kits amid a $50B U.S. Chinese food market dominated by restaurants but ripe for branded online/wholesale disruption.[2][3] Timing aligns with rising consumer interest in authentic global cuisines, plant-based alternatives, and cultural education, filling a gap in diverse, high-quality Chinese options beyond Americanized takeout.[1][2][5] Market forces like e-commerce growth, supply chain innovations for frozen goods, and investor enthusiasm for "generationally defining" food brands favor its vertical integration and 300% growth trajectory.[2][6] It influences the ecosystem by normalizing regional Chinese diversity in CPG, partnering with Impossible Foods for vegan accessibility, and paving the way for Asian-led brands in retail via rebrand and funding.[3][5]
MiLa is poised for retail debut and category expansion with $31M+ raised, targeting wholesale, foodservice, and new sweet/spicy products while upholding pillars of culture, craft, commitment, and community.[5][6] Trends like sustainable scaling in a tough economy, AI-driven personalization in DTC food, and demand for authentic immigrant-led CPG will shape its path, potentially dominating online Chinese food sales.[2][5] Its influence may evolve from DTC pioneer to household staple, inspiring more underrepresented cuisines—building on its origin as a local restaurant that fed a national hunger for real Chinese street food flavors.[1][7]
Key people at Xiao Chi Jie.
