Summary:
Lauryn Chun turned a layoff during the 2008 recession into opportunity, founding Mother-in-Law's kimchi company
Started with homemade kimchi using her mother's recipe, selling at NYC green markets and naming it after her mother's restaurant
Strategic vision to position kimchi as a premium, handcrafted product alongside winemaking and cheesemaking traditions
Grew from small batches to 9,000 retail locations including Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and Albertsons
Key business lessons include the importance of diversification and knowing your margins for sustainable growth
Lauryn Chun's story proves that sometimes the biggest setbacks can lead to the greatest opportunities. After being laid off from her marketing job during the 2008 recession, she didn't see it as a failure—she saw it as "my ticket to freedom."
The Turning Point
"There's something magical about the worst of times—you decide you have nothing to lose and just go for it," Chun told Fortune. She embarked on what she calls "a year of self-discovery," attending small-business seminars and networking with people doing interesting work. While initially considering opening a wine shop, a conversation about Brooklyn's foodmaker movement sparked her aha moment.
The Birth of Mother-in-Law's
When a consultant mentioned a DJ making kimchi, Chun realized: "My mom makes the best kimchi on the planet." She'd been transporting her mother's homemade kimchi from California to New York for 15 years to share with friends. Armed with her mother's family recipe, she founded Mother-in-Law's in 2009, naming it after her mother's Korean restaurant, Jang Mo Jip ("Mother-in-Law's House").
Chun maintained an authentic, homegrown approach—cutting napa cabbage and daikon by hand, hand-packing jars for balanced fermentation. "I'd make 70 or 80 jars, then rent a Zip car and drop them off," she recalls. "The scale was so small, and the growth so incremental—I was doing everything, but I didn't know any better."
Strategic Vision and Market Timing
As kimchi's popularity grew—Chun remembers hearing about it on NPR—she saw a marketing opportunity. Her vision was to elevate kimchi as a delicacy, positioning it alongside winemaking and cheesemaking as a handcrafted, premium product suitable for various cuisines beyond Korean meals.
Breakthrough and Expansion
An unexpected New York Times review in October 2009 put Mother-in-Law's on the map. Soon after, Dean & DeLuca and Zabar's became her first corporate accounts. "From day one, my goal was for Mother-in-Law's to be the first kimchi carried by Dean & DeLuca," she says. "I basically willed it to happen."
The brand continued to grow:
- 2012: Chun authored a kimchi cookbook
- 2014: Launched gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
- Today: 12 products, 30 full-time staff, sold in 9,000 stores nationwide including Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and Albertsons
Pandemic Lessons and Business Resilience
Recent supply chain challenges have been "nerve-racking," but Chun applies lessons learned during COVID. When metal cap prices tripled overnight, she quickly pivoted to plastic alternatives. "One of the big advantages of being a small business is that you develop the ability to pivot quickly and really think on your feet," she notes.
She also emphasizes diversification—Mother-in-Law's sells both refrigerated and shelf-stable kimchi, with the latter seeing sales surge during pandemic pantry-stocking. "People talk about diversified investment portfolios," Chun says, "while I feel that way about business: Do whatever you can so your eggs aren't in one basket."
Entrepreneurial Wisdom
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Chun offers straightforward advice: "Always know your margins, and you'll never make a bad deal."
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