Wok This Way

Melanie Ang was enjoying the spectacular views of Tofino, B.C., with her friend, Gordon Tsui, when they were struck by the irony of their food options.

“We ate a lot of dehydrated food over the course of a week and the flavour was just not that great,” recalls Ang, adding that she and Tsui spend a lot of time hiking, climbing and canoeing. “For us, it was also the waste; it’s usually packaged in layers of aluminum and plastic and we thought it didn’t make sense… you’re up there in nature and you’re creating all this plastic waste.

“We thought, ‘There has to be a better way.’”

The two decided to start dehydrating their own food, experimenting with tasty combinations that couldn’t be found in stores. When they shared their food with friends, the response was so positive that Ang and Tsui decided to co-found Backcountry Wok, offering dehydrated Asian meals to fuel on-the-go people such as themselves.

“We both eat a lot of Asian food at home and I always find there’s such a disconnect when we go into the backcountry, where we just eat food that we don’t normally eat,” Ang says. “I think there’s so much diversity among people who are enjoying the outdoors; I wanted the food to reflect that.”

Working with a chef and a dietician in Vancouver, Ang and Tsui developed two vegan dishes. The first, Bibimbap, is a Korean fried rice dish that’s loaded with vegetables and a red pepper sauce. The second is a take on the classic Thai-inspired green curry, which offers up a balance between sweet and spicy.

“So this is what I would normally eat and what I cook regularly,” Ang says. “We want to make our food nutritious and able to sustain you for whatever activity you’re busy doing.”

She says the product testing has been a lot of fun, and notes that she and Tsui make a great team. “I do a lot of eating, he does more of the cooking,” she laughs. “We realized that he enjoys product development and coming up with different recipes and I enjoy eating and talking about food.

“There was one month where I was just eating one of our dishes, the bibimbap, every day and I was just playing around with different ingredients and different combinations of things,” Ang says.

Ang emphasizes that a key element of Backcountry Wok’s business model is environmental sustainability. Each single serving of dehydrated food is packaged in a heat resistant, compostable bag. To prepare, simply add hot water directly to the pouch, seal and shake gently and wait 20 minutes before eating.

At the end of 2017, Ang and Tsui promoted Backcountry Wok through Facebook and their own social networks. They made approximately 300 pre-sales over the course of a month, with profits reinvested right back into operations. Meals are available online for $11.99/bag or four for $40.

Then in fall 2018, Ang moved from Vancouver to Ottawa for a job working with energy policy at Natural Resources Canada. Now Tsui is running operations out of Vancouver, while Ang is bringing Backcountry Wok to the retail market in Ontario. The Wild Oat Bakery and Café on Bank Street has already put Backcountry Wok products on store shelves, a milestone Ang was thrilled about. She says she has also learned a lot in the process of approaching Ottawa retailers.

“In reaching out to local grocery stores, there was lots of interest in dried prepared meals, but the packaging of Backcountry Wok gave the impression that it’s mainly for camping,” Ang says. “Using that feedback, we’ve started a new line in addition to Backcountry Wok, called Wok Fresh.”

Ang adds the reception has been great so far, with Market Organics, Rainbow Foods, Sandy Hill Pet and People Food Coop and Manotick Natural Market soon to be carrying Wok Fresh.

“It’s the same great recipe and compostable packaging as Backcountry Wok, but with a different label,” she explains. “Interesting how much of a difference the packaging makes.”

Since coming to Ottawa, Ang has joined Invest Ottawa through a program called Starter Company Plus.

“There have been a bunch of workshops and then they pair you up with businesses and entrepreneurs in the community, so we have all these mentorships that have been happening,” Ang says. “Those I’ve met have been amazing; being new to Ottawa, being able to connect to all these people has been really helpful.”

As part of the program, she made a successful pitch for Backcountry Wok to the tune of $5,000 in January 2019.

“We’re so excited that we won the Starter Company Plus pitch grant money,” she says. “The funds will help us attend some great events in Ottawa in the upcoming months, such as the Race Weekend, Ottawa Farmers’ Markets, and the Ottawa Outdoor and Adventure Show.”

Looking ahead, Ang says she hopes to change the public perception of dehydrated food.

“When people think of dehydrated food, they often think of astronaut food or things that they wouldn’t normally eat on a day-to-day basis,” she says.

Beyond camping and hiking, she believes her products are a great option for anyone on the go.

“Dehydrated food is so good because it has such a long shelf life; there’s really low food waste with it,” says Ang, adding that their products have a one-year shelf life. “Dehydration also preserves all the nutrients.”

Ang says her hope is that the business will continue to grow exponentially. “The ultimate goal would be to do the business full time,” she says. “I want to expand into the natural food market, the workplace, even schools.

“I want everyone to know Backcountry Wok and Wok Fresh as the names for dehydrated food in Ottawa and all of Ontario.”

Backcountry Wok
backcountrywok.com | @backcountry_wok wokfresh.ca | @wokfreshcanada