Producer: wildwonder
Location: San Francisco, CA
Found at the Littleton Co-op: probiotic beverages
Website: drinkwildwonder.com
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month is celebrated worldwide to bring awareness to and honor the cross-sector contributions made by people of such cultural background. And that includes impacts in our food system! While foodies of all backgrounds collectively contribute to what we eat, how we eat, and how we produce food, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders have faced widespread systemic barriers and erasure from history, making AANHPI an important time to acknowledge and celebrate those contributions and the people behind them. Furthermore, we celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month in May specifically to commemorate both the anniversary of the first arrival of a Japanese immigrant on American soil, and the completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad, whose Western-half was primarily completed by Chinese laborers. While the contribution of Asian Americans to such events was not recognized until much later, both demonstrate the obstacles, and perseverance, that deem AANHPI Heritage Month worthy of annual recognition. Read more about Littleton Co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work here.
Wildwonder founder Rosa Li grew up with gut health on her mind – she just didn’t realize it at the time. All she knew during childhood in China was that her grandmother’s wild herb and botanical tonics soothed her stomach and lifted her spirits. The idea of “food as medicine” was always around, but it didn’t spark a business plan until many years later. In adulthood, Rosa became burnt out from a career in finance, and decided the first step to a revitalized life was a revitalized gut. She describes herself as a “foodie,” and says she has always shopped at farmers’ markets, feeling inspired by the especially bright and vibrant fruit found in California while she attended Stanford’s business school. She wanted to bring a product to market to honor her grandmother’s cultural health tonics, and saw fresh fruity flavors as a vehicle to make the beverages more palatable in the States – not to mention adding a new dimension of flavor. But the path to wildwonder wasn’t easy, and sales don’t always mean complete success. In Li’s words: “Female founders, minority founders, and solo founders just don’t get as much money. Being all three, I kind of get the short end of the stick. I also don’t come from the beverage industry, which historically has seen a lack of diversity. So, we’ve had to learn ways in which to be very strategic and very resourceful.”
Rosa continues to use her own story to remind founders that success is not a straight line going upwards. Furthermore, she supports those in the path behind her, donating 5% of profits from wildwonder to organizations focusing on empowering women and marginalized communities.
Status of product availability at the Littleton Co-op, and labeling of producers (such as local, Black-Owned Business, NH-made, etc) and product status or ingredients (gluten-free, vegan, etc) is based on available information at time of publication. The food world is an ever-changing landscape and information presented here may not reflect the most up-to-date information available.
