We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Bae and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

The initial thought process was to not give into cabin fever during the pandemic lockdown! My whole family, all Korean immigrants, live just over in Queens where I grew up, yet I couldn’t see them even though I’m only a borough away in Manhattan. So during those dreaded days, I’d cook something that gave me a whiff of my upbringing or see a family photo that reminded me of little things from my past. One of those things was brewing SuJeongGwa, the sweetened spiced punch Koreans like my grandma have been making for generations for health purposes. I also really missed sharing seltzers and ginger ales with my dad, who turned me onto them as a kid. One day it clicked – that I could combine traditional brews from my heritage and re-introduce it as contemporary sparkling beverages.

I never considered going into food and beverage in my work life at all. I was just really excited to experiment with and share these beverages I made while stuck at home. I’d drop samples off to my family, friends and friends of friends, who seemed to really dig it. There wasn’t anything like it in the market and it filled this vacuum I had for wanting something that’s not going to give me a sugar crash, while also not being bland and artificial. Since then, it’s been late nights learning as much as I can about the logistics of the business. What kept me going was that I felt more and more connected to my family and culture, who I was quarantined from, as I developed the whole vision – as if I could feel their presence in my apartment. The logo and can design came from a doodle I made years ago and set aside, and then refined with two long-time talented friends – illustrator Tessa Lloyd (https://www.instagram.com/tessalloyd) and designer Katherine Yaksich (https://www.katherineyaksich.com/). A year later, it’s pretty wild to see myself buried in pallets of Halmi, going to my warehouse, and shipping them off all over the country.

What should our readers know about your business?
I have a lot of moral support from family and friends, but as far as day-to-day operations and financing goes, it’s been a solo act. Sometimes that can be lonely but there’s also this underdog mentality us immigrants have that I can’t shake off, that if there’s something that doesn’t exist yet, a dream, you want to offer it to the world no matter how many hats you have to wear. That said, I’m not looking for a short-term cash out or the easy path. Some of the best aspects of creating this business are unrelated to beverages and sales. It’s the hundreds of people I’ve met and connected with in just this year alone who have similar feelings about their upbringing, where they are in their American experience (Asian or otherwise), conversations about what’s been lost in translation and time, and the cuisines that Halmi pairs well with. More than once people have come up and told me Halmi’s taste reminds them of their childhood, and more than once people say the flavor profile and fizziness is something that’s helped them drink less alcohol and sugary sodas. I’m not changing the world but I definitely feel like a bigger part of it. So being able to connect people with each other is a huge thing I want to expand upon, as much as crafting future flavors. And I think a big part of that will be the creative aspect. There are so many artists I want to collaborate with and support, so I see Halmi as a platform for flavors of thought and expression, as much as taste.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Funny enough, first I’d yank them out of New York and take them right across the GW Bridge to Fort Lee, New Jersey. There’s dozens of amazing Korean restaurants there I’ve yet to try, but Sa Rit Gol has such legit seolleongtang and soondae you’d think you teleported into someone’s living room in Korea. Fort Tryon Park, which is right in my neighborhood in Washington Heights, is a great way to walk off the meal. Lately I’ve been birdwatching with my binoculars and totally forget I live in the city, but as soon as I get home I’m passing by all the best Dominican restaurants. I love Dominican stews because they’re similar to Korean stews in many ways.

Next stop is Queens where I grew up! We’re going to Whitestone Lanes, an old school bowling alley where you can smash some pins and have a round of beers late into the night… which means that could happen before OR after a karaoke session, belting out 90s and early 2000s hits. The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria has one of the most beautiful cinemas with amazing sound in the whole city, and there’s nothing like seeing a 70mm classic projected there.

Further out, I’d say Greenpoint to visit Big Night, where they sell a wonderfully curated selection of local goods, and Hana Makgeolli for Korean rice wine and dinner. My husband is Chinese and Korean, so Chinatown is a huge reason why we stay in New York. Yu And Me Books for example, makes finding BIPOC and Asian-authored works such an inspiring experience. And Southeast at Essex Market, another place where our drinks are sold, to see all the companion snack and drink brands that are keeping Halmi company. And North Dumpling for the best dumplings, plus Pho Grand for a big bowl of noodles of course!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

First, the biggest shoutout goes to my grandma (“Halmi” is a loving nickname for grandma in Korean) as our business wouldn’t be here without her love, support, and sass! Second, Halmi continues to thrive because of the community that has rallied behind us since day 1. Friends, family, folks I’ve met in-person and virtually. It has been the greatest joy to meet so many people following their own paths in creativity and life, but with shared interests and values. It has been especially meaningful to connect with other Korean female small business owners, artists, and writers, like Sarah Chung of Studio Chung Floral (https://www.studiochung.com/), Sara Upshaw of Ohsun Banchan (https://www.ohsunbanchan.com/), Eunsan Huh of My Korean Childhood (http://mykoreanchildhood.com/), Esther Yang of Esther Plates Ceramics (https://www.instagram.com/esther.plates/), and writer Justine Lee (https://www.justineslee.com/).

As a young company, it has been important to partner up with retailers that understand and can speak to Halmi’s mission, making sure we create lasting and intentional relationships. I want to give a big shoutout to all of Halmi’s stockists across the U.S. (https://drinkhalmi.com/pages/store-locator) as they took a chance on a new small business and continue to support many up-and-coming brands.

Website: https://drinkhalmi.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkhalmi/

Image Credits
Studio Chung, Alice Pang, Emilio Cantón, Matthew Shrier

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