What made you start your company?

When we first relocated, all the craziness in the world had left many of us disconnected from friends and family, and so, during the Chinese New Year, we decided it would be fun to give some warmth to those around us, figuratively, and literally. Combining our Grandma’s love for cooking with duck fat, and her Cantonese Chili oil recipe, we decided to combine the two and create a Chili oil for family and friends. The responses we got were overwhelmingly positive. Everyone who tried our Chili oil loved it and told us to start selling it. Then we knew we were onto something special.

Tell me about your product and brand?

Holy Duck is our pride and joy. In fact, the name ‘Holy Duck’ is a play on words- in Cantonese, the slang 好得 [Hou2 Dak1] means ‘great, and far better’. To us, Holy Duck doesn’t only have to be a pantry staple that tastes great, it is also a far better gourmet shortcut without the use of MSG, additives and preservatives, which are commonly found in sauces and condiments in the market. 

Keeping it local and natural 

To keep our products natural, local and personal, our trademark duck Chili oil is made from 100% all natural ingredients and artisanal craft-made in a commercial kitchen in Vancouver, BC. Holy Duck Chili was inspired by our family”s household recipe that has passed down three generations from our grandma to us. We use finely rendered duck fat, proudly from Canada, to elevate the flavor and texture of the beloved Cantonese recipe, and to share with our fellow spicy food lovers in Vancouver! 

Doing it for the culture 

Hong Kong being a city known for social mobility, we are seeing more Hong Kongers resettling in all parts of the world. But the relocation doesn’t mean that the Hong Kong spirit is fading away. We just need more representation of the Hong Kong diaspora to keep the culture alive. Another vision we have for Holy Duck is to tell the stories of the disappearing historical footprints in the city of Hong Kong. Our graphic designer Dorothy Tsang is a through-and-through Hong Kong local, witnessing the transformation of Hong Kong before and after the Handover. One of the stories we hope to tell through the paintbrush of Tsang is the late King of Kowloon, Tsang Tsou-choi, whose over 50,000 graffiti art were seen in every corner of the streets in Hong Kong. Although his art pieces are mostly washed away, painted over or torn down by the authorities and real estate developers, we hope to bring his disappeared art to life again through Holy Duck’s original typography.