We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yondje Choi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Yondje thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My name is Yondjé Choi, and I was born and raised in France by Korean parents. Growing up, I was lucky to enjoy my mom’s incredible traditional Korean dishes—she always make home made Kimchi, and I’d help her with my hands smelling garlics for days!
Now, as a full-time working mom of a 2-year-old living in New York, far from home for over 15 years, I often found myself craving the warmth of my mom’s “guk” (soup) but simply didn’t have the time to cook.

After a difficult pregnancy, my mom came to New York when I gave birth, and from the very first day, she brought a giant thermos of the traditional seaweed soup (miyeok-guk) to the hospital.
It was such a special feeling to be cared for like that—the warmth of a mother’s love, exactly when I needed it most. Following Korean postpartum tradition, my mom lovingly made the soup every single day, and my recovery was incredibly fast. My belly healed so well that my friends started asking about it. That’s when I began making the special Seaweed soup for them, and they loved it!

This experience inspired me to create OMA (which means “mother” in Korean) a year ago — to share that same homemade comfort in a convenient, ready-to-eat form. My goal is to make nourishing food, featuring traditional Korean ingredients, accessible to everyone. Korean food is about so much more than fried chicken or bibimbap; it’s rooted in centuries of history, where each ingredient was carefully chosen for its health benefits. In our busy lives, I want to offer a nourishing food option that doesn’t require cooking skills. Broth, in particular, is time-consuming, and we often skip it, but it’s so important for overall health. That’s why I created OMA: to make it easier for people to enjoy the comfort and benefits of healthy, traditional foods without the hassle.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a French Korean living in hectic NY, the warmth of my mother’s broth stayed with me, even amidst the rush of modern life. I wanted to share that feeling of comfort through ready-to-eat soup with clean ingredients.

Becoming a mother myself, and having the traditional seaweed soup for 100 days, I felt the need of always having available an easy to consume broth, which gave me the desire to create OMA: Meet Seaweed soup aka “Miyeok-guk”, that will help you recover with delicious natural taste.

Our soups are freeze-dried, preserving their nutritional value over the long term. Made with 50% seaweed, our soup is the first packaged food to feature such a high concentration of this powerful ingredient, seaweed.
– Seaweed is a nutritional treasure, rich in essential minerals like iodine, calcium, and magnesium, as well as vitamins A, C, and B12. It’s an excellent source of fiber, which supports digestion and regulates blood sugar. Packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, seaweed offers anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting, and heart-healthy benefits. Additionally, it’s one of the most sustainable resources, growing quickly without the need for freshwater or fertilizers, making it both nourishing and eco-friendly.
– Bone broth: Our shelf-stable version makes it easy to enjoy on-the-go or have on hand at home whenever you need something comforting and healthy. Many people tell me it’s a lifesaver—especially on lazy Sunday nights or after returning from a trip with an empty fridge. They love the convenience of having it ready to go!
– Our OMA cube is incredibly versatile—you can enjoy it as a delicious soup on its own or use it as a base to add your favorite ingredients: veggies, eggs, protein, rice, or noodles. Each addition brings a new layer of flavor, allowing to create a unique soup.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Despite being an e-commerce business that primarily sells online through our website, we acquire many customers through in-person events and pop-ups at wellness centers, yoga and Pilates classes, food markets, and even restaurants. We’ve found great success when people try our product—they love it and purchase it on the spot!

While this isn’t a major revenue stream, it is essential for building a sense of community and connecting with our customers. We’ve seen customers who first tried our product at an event return six months later to purchase a three-month supply (yes, 12 boxes at once!) because they love it and want to share it with their friends. Our boxes also make fantastic gifts, so allowing people to see, touch, and experience the product in person has been incredibly valuable.

Our product is still new, but once we explain it, people quickly understand its benefits and become passionate advocates.

This work requires significant time and energy from our OMA team. It also impacts my personal life since it takes up all my weekends—but I absolutely love it. Meeting new customers, talking with them, understanding their concerns and questions, and most importantly, witnessing their surprised reaction when they try the product—seeing that “Oh my god, this is actually so delicious!” expression—is the most rewarding experience.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

At one point, we were reaching out to potential partners such as acupuncturists, doulas, and midwives, as they are strong advocates of bone broth for their clients.

Everyone on the OMA team took part in outreach—cold calling and emailing—and if you’ve never done it, I can tell you it’s one of the hardest things. People would say no, ignore us, or even hang up. We were doing this even before launching the product, and it inevitably led to moments of doubt and a shaken sense of confidence for everyone on the team.

But I always reassured them by sharing my own experience as a salesperson in the tech industry. No matter the product, outreach is always the hardest part—grabbing people’s attention and getting a positive response is never easy. The key is to stay motivated and never give up! Eventually, some incredibly kind people would respond, and not only would they become our best advocates, but sometimes even our friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://omanaturalfood.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oma.naturalfood/