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Born out of necessity, passion, and a hunger for something more, UmamiPapi is not just a condiment - it’s a movement.
In 2020, during Melbourne’s lockdown, Ethan Yong found himself stuck in a monotonous cycle: work, eat, repeat. As a first-year analyst, productivity was low, and the excitement of dining out with friends had been replaced by another night of the same old meals. Food had lost its spark. With time to kill and a love for bold flavours, he asked himself - how could he bring excitement back to the table?
What started as a weekend project, selling a handful of chilli oil jars to family and friends, quickly caught fire. UmamiPapi turned everyday meals into unforgettable experiences. Word spread, demand skyrocketed, and before long, UmamiPapi had grown from a kitchen experiment to a national phenomenon - now stocked in supermarkets and home kitchens across the country and beyond.
At its core, UmamiPapi is about connection. Food is more than sustenance - it’s a shared experience, a reason to gather, and a way to connect.
From my home kitchen to a globally recognised brand.
Mum used to serve Ethan two dishes when he was a kid: one spicy, one mild. She'd say, "If you don't learn to eat spicy now, you'll miss out on all these delicious foods when you're older."
That lesson stuck. The FOMO was real, and he never wanted anyone else to miss out on flavour the way he nearly did. That's the whole point.
Making chilli oil became a weekend ritual. Then a mate's Instagram story lit the fuse. No chef background, just a humble kitchen with a faulty stove and an obsession with bold flavour.
Started cooking batches outside so the smell wouldn't stay in the house. Whipped up the logo in 2 minutes, thanks to Microsoft Paint. No marketing budget. Word of mouth and Instagram DMs did the early work.
Weekends cooking and packing orders out of the garage. Lunch breaks spent dropping parcels. When Melbourne wasn't enough, jars went to Ethan's auntie's place in Sydney. Then he took the bus around town to land ranging outside home turf.
September 2020: moved into a cooking school's commercial kitchen. October: first stockist, and the realisation this was bigger than ecom. May 2021: quit the corporate job to go full-time Papi.
July 2022: on shelf at Coles for the first time. November: moved out of the cooking school into our own kitchen. The side hustle had become a national brand.
Featured on Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars. His verdict: absolutely fucking delicious. The product spoke for itself, even for Chef Ramsay.
First proper factory and warehouse. International retailers in Malaysia, Dubai, and the UAE. Collaborations with brands such as Leggo's. Live activations at Chadstone Shopping Centre. A core range that keeps on growing.
Mum's lesson stuck. That fear of missing out on flavour is why UmamiPapi exists: so nobody has to sit out the good stuff. Holy f**k moments, shared tables, and flavour worth chasing, from Melbourne kitchens to shelves around the world.
