Kevin Lee, co-founder of immi, discusses creating low carb, high protein ramen, health concerns in Asian communities, and personal productivity. They explore the impact of healthy ramen on blood sugar and the growth of healthier ramen in the US market. They also talk about delegation, documentation, and fostering healthy debate in company culture. Additionally, they share personal anecdotes about foot massages, overpriced supermarkets, coffee addiction, and childhood dreams.
Emmi ramen offers a healthier alternative to traditional instant ramen, focusing on low-carb, high-protein, and plant-based options.
Asian cuisine, while generally balanced, can be unhealthy due to high-sodium sauces and seed oils, leading to health concerns within Asian populations.
Kevin Lee emphasizes the importance of productivity in Emmy, implementing a chief productivity officer role and personal reflection processes for team members.
Deep dives
Creating a Healthy Ramen Brand
The podcast episode discusses the founding of Emmy ramen, a brand focused on creating a healthier instant ramen option. The founders, Kevin Lee and K-chan, both grew up in Asian food families and noticed the higher rates of chronic health conditions like diabetes within their communities. They saw an opportunity to transform the beloved but often unhealthy instant ramen into a nutritious and guilt-free option. By replacing traditional wheat flour with plant-based proteins and incorporating fiber-forward ingredients, Emmy ramen became the world's first low-carb, high-protein, and plant-based instant ramen. The founders aim to offer a healthier alternative that still honors Asian food culture without sacrificing taste or texture.
The Impact of Asian Food on Health
In the podcast, Kevin Lee explores the perception of Asian food as being unhealthy in America. While traditional Asian cuisine is generally balanced, incorporating proteins, vegetables, and soups, there are some negative health effects due to the use of high-sodium sauces and seed oils in certain dishes. Asians, especially East Asians, have higher rates of visceral fat, which contributes to an increased risk of diabetes. The discussion highlights the need to address these health issues within the Asian population while simultaneously celebrating the cultural significance and flavors of Asian cuisine. Emmy ramen aims to combat these health concerns by offering a healthier and more balanced instant ramen option.
Productivity and Reflections
Apart from the topic of ramen, the podcast delves into the concept of productivity and personal reflections. Kevin Lee discusses the importance of productivity within Emmy and the initiatives they have implemented to enhance efficiency, such as having a chief productivity officer and providing team members with productivity tools and resources. In terms of personal reflections, Kevin Lee shares his weekly and annual reflection processes. These reflections involve questions that assess achievements, identifying the 20% of actions that drove 80% of results, areas where he feels stuck or is procrastinating, and gratitude for the week. Additionally, Kevin discusses the importance of documenting memories and experiences, such as maintaining a list of favorite dishes in a Michelin star format, to create a bank of meaningful moments and build a stronger relationship with his partner.
Importance of Standardized Processes
Having a shared database or dashboard where team members can add and access information is beneficial in strengthening and improving processes over time. By documenting actions with videos, team members can easily identify process breakdowns and find solutions. Implementing this practice sets a new standard for the entire team to follow.
Decision Making with Memos
For major strategic decisions, team members write long-form memos which are then stored in a table for easy access and review. These memos encourage better decision-making and foster healthy debates within the team. However, there is room for improvement in the referencing and analysis of past memos to track decisions, their impact, and their influence on future decisions.
I chat with Kevin Lee, Founder of immi, discussing everything from healthy ramen to productivity in both business and personal life. We delve deep in Kevin's journey of creating a low carb, high protein ramen, addressing health concerns within Asian communities, and personal productivity processes.
GUEST
Kevin Lee is a co-founder of immi, which invented the world's first low carb, high protein, and 100% plant based instant ramen. He previously led better-for-you food & beverage investing at Pear VC and is an angel investor in 40+ companies. He grew up working alongside his grandparents on their produce farms in Taiwan.
Follow Kevin on Twitter
Check out immi
HOST
Watch on Youtube
Subscribe to Michael’s newsletter
Learn more about Michael
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
05:25 - Asian Culture and Nutrition
17:55 - Company OS
33:57 - Personal OS
44:44 - Life Dinner Concept
50:14 - Coffee Sobriety
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode