# Founder Feature: Single Origin Soy Sauce and Award Winning Branding with Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei of HEYDOH

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2026-06-05
- Length: 30m
- Episode: 317
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-05-founder-feature-single-origin-soy-sauce-and-award-winning-branding-with-christin
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/73cc8722

## Summary

Christine Liu and Clarissa Wei, co-founders of HEYDOH, explain how they identified a gap in the $40–59 billion global soy sauce market for single-origin options in US grocery stores. They detail their product development process, including consumer surveys that led to a 'Classic' and 'Silky' SKU split, and a branding pivot from a failed 'Robinhood-app' design to an award-winning identity with agency here4. The founders also discuss operational challenges, specifically a 25% glass bottle breakage rate solved by Spirited Shippers inserts, and a shipping cost reduction strategy using Handled Commerce.

## Outline

1. Introduction: HEYDOH and the Single Origin Gap
2. Founders' Backgrounds and the Taiwan Factory Visit
3. Product Development: Classic vs. Silky SKUs and Low Sodium
4. Branding Pivot: From Robinhood App Disaster to Dieline Awards
5. Running a 24-Hour Company Across Time Zones
6. 3PL Breakage Crisis and Spirited Shippers Solution
7. Shipping Cost Hack: Handled Commerce and Rate Shopping
8. Partner Chemistry and Community Advice

## Topics

- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Packaging design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/packaging-design)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- HEYDOH (product)
- Spirited Shippers (company)
- Handled Commerce (company)
- here4 (company)
- Kikkoman (product)
- Lee Kum Kee (product)
- Uline (company)
- Dieline (other)

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- [327 - The best soda you haven't heard about (probably)!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2025-10-21-327-the-best-soda-you-havent-heard-about-probably) (People of Packaging)
- [Advice Line with Sarah Kauss of S'well](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-06-20-advice-line-with-sarah-kauss-of-swell) (How I Built This)
- [MadeGood: Salma and Nima Fotovat Lost Their First Business. They Grew Their Next One Into a Snack Giant.](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-08-10-madegood-salma-and-nima-fotovat-lost-their-first-business-they-grew-their-next-o) (How I Built This)
- [S'well: Sarah Kauss (2020)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-09-05-swell-sarah-kauss-2020) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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