“My entrepreneurial journey was an accidental one and began from a deep desire to introduce people to my Tibetan heritage and our Tibetan story through my love language of food so this is as much about representation & empowerment as it is about entrepreneurship for me.” Kyikyi shares with the AHN community.
Himalayan Dumplings by Kyikyi are handcrafted ready-to-cook Tibetan hand pies, and meat and vegan-friendly momo fillings. “Momo” means dumplings in Tibet. Kyikyi’s dumplings are bursting with Himalayan spices and herbs and are free from preservatives.
“My entrepreneurial journey was an accidental one and began from a deep desire to introduce people to my Tibetan heritage and our Tibetan story through my love language of food so this is as much about representation & empowerment as it is about entrepreneurship for me.”
-kyikyi
Kyikyi was a Tibetan refugee and is now an immigrant based in Oregon. She is on a mission of preserving her at-risk heritage through food. Her recipes have gone a long way from Tibet through the Himalayan countries of Nepal and India and into the US making the refugee journey that began with her late grandparents.
“During the pandemic, I mustered up the courage to launch the first of its kind woman-owned Tibetan CPG food brand in the US specializing in (frozen) Ready-to-Cook Momo (aka Himalayan Dumplings) & Tibetan hand pies; in spite of being told by many, with well intentions, that the CPG frozen food industry for someone of my stature is just too high” expressed by Kyikyi.
Kyikyi started selling in local pop-ups years before the Covid pandemic while being a working mom. The community’s support, according to Kyikyi, empowered “an immigrant like her” to dream bigger. This allowed her to build brand equity before establishing her artisanal Tibetan food brand, and she is currently the first woman in the United States to own a Tibetan food brand of its kind.
“During the pandemic, I mustered up the courage to launch the first of its kind woman-owned Tibetan CPG food brand in the US specializing in (frozen) Ready-to-Cook Momo (aka Himalayan Dumplings) & Tibetan hand pies; in spite of being told by many, with well intentions, that the CPG frozen food industry for someone of my stature is just too high”
-Kyikyi
Kyikyi’s signature dishes are the classic beef momo, curried potato Tibetan hand pies, chicken and cilantro hand pie, and her best-selling vegan-friendly dumplings veggie and shitake momo. She recently introduced a new flavor, chicken and cilantro dumplings. These dumplings can be cooked by steam or pan-fry.
Kyikyi also makes in-house classic Tibetan sepen (hot sauce), a garlicky, spicy yet flavorful sauce that can be paired momo as well as with rice, noodles, and other dumplings.
Pick up location is at 8045 SW Nimbus Avenue, Bldg. 12A Beaverton, OR.
Kyikyi is currently working on shipping nationwide to establish Himalayan Dumplings as a national brand.
Instagram: @himalayandumplings
Website: himalayandumplings.com
