Sister Suy's: Cambodian Hot Sauce Blended with Liberian Heat and Lebanese Zest.
- KLS
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
For the 216th feature of our "Together Talks" campaign, we collaborated with Sister Suy's and Co-Founder, Sa Chim. Sister Suy’s Hot Sauce — The Flavor That Connects Us.
Sister Suy’s is a family-founded hot sauce brand blending Cambodian heritage, Liberian heat, and Lebanese zest into one unforgettable flavor experience.
Founded by Saaum and Bobby Dean and inspired by Sister Suy, who raised Saaum after their mother passed away, our sauces honor family, resilience, and the belief that food connects us all.
Each bottle delivers bold, balanced heat with heart — a taste of culture, memory, and love in every drop. From heritage-rich ingredients like tamarind, palm sugar, and chili to the global influences that shaped our family, Sister Suy’s is where flavor meets story.
Join us as we celebrate overlooked cuisines, preserve tradition, and create new connections — one bottle at a time.
🌶 Sister Suy’s Hot Sauce — The Flavor That Connects Us.
"Together Talks" feature # 216: Sister Suy's presented by KLS - Your Trusted Shipping Solutions In The USA
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur? What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most? Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
Story of how it was created?
My older sister, Suy, is about 15 years older than me. When our mom passed away in Cambodia and I was four years old, she became both my big sister and a mother figure. We grew up in a small rural village, and we didn’t have cameras or pictures, so the only memories I have of my mom are through stories and through the food my sister learned to make from her.
When we immigrated to America, friends would ask me where I was from and what Cambodian food tasted like. People weren’t familiar with Cambodia — and as a kid, I didn’t yet have the language to explain our cuisine. Since Thai food was more well-known in the U.S. and shares similar ingredients, I would say, “It’s like Thai food,” as a shortcut. As I grew older, I realized that Cambodian food deserves to be understood and appreciated for exactly what it is — not compared to others just to be recognized.
Years later, I met my husband Bobby, who is Liberian and Lebanese. His mom introduced me to Liberian pepper sauce, and it felt so familiar — bold, bright heat with real depth. We both loved hot sauce, but when we went out to eat, nothing tasted like what we grew up with at home.
Our family is always cooking for friends, and people would constantly ask about our sauces and flavors. They would call or text afterwards saying, “What was that? I’ve never tasted anything like it.” Those moments made us wonder whether we should bottle something one day.
The trigger came when I visited my close friend Monica in New York — she is the co-founder of Uncle Waithley’s Ginger Beer. She said, “You and your sister are always cooking and talking about bottling your food — why don’t you bottle something already?”
I came home and said to Bobby, “Let’s finally do it — and let’s make a hot sauce.”
Cambodians love dook muhdih — our hot sauce — and Liberians have their own pepper sauce that is essential in their cooking, too.
Since hot sauce is universal, it felt like the perfect, flavorful bridge to introduce people to our cultures and to share the flavors we grew up with.
And the market has been asking for this — more consumers today want global flavors with real ingredients and cultural authenticity, not just heat for heat’s sake. There’s a gap for hot sauce that brings heritage and flavor together — and that’s exactly where Sister Suy’s lives.
Our flavors reflect our blended family:
Cambodian heritage (tamarind, palm sugar, fish sauce, chili)
Liberian heat (pepper sauce influence)
Lebanese zest (olives and vinegar inspired by Bobby’s dad’s olive farm in Lebanon)
Three cultures. One bottle.
A heritage-rich and flavor-forward sauce.
That’s why our label reads:
Cambodian Heritage. Liberian Heat. Lebanese Zest.
And that’s why our campaign theme is:
“The Flavor That Connects Us.”
Because even if the flavor is new to someone — the joy of tasting something made with love is universal.
What have been the biggest challenges?
The biggest challenge is that we are completely bootstrapped — no outside investors — and we are learning and building at the same time.
As a marketer with 15 years of experience, I’ve always loved my career and continue to actively pursue full-time roles in growth and brand. Building Sister Suy’s as a side venture actually strengthens my professional skill set — I’m applying everything I’ve learned in marketing to a real CPG business.
When we were finalizing our recipe, we partnered with a lab for nutritional testing. Later, we learned our co-packer could integrate that into their process — which streamlined everything. That experience taught us how important the right partners are in CPG and helped us build a more efficient path forward.
And there’s also a legacy piece to this. Bobby and I are building something our kids can one day lead. Our daughter supports the digital side, and our 10-year-old son proudly jumps into tastings and content creation. Seeing them take ownership in their own ways shows that this isn’t just a business — it’s a future we’re creating for them.
Goals for upcoming year + Next phase of the company?
We launched in April 2025 and are currently in two specialty retailers in the Charlotte/Fort Mill area, plus Amazon and our own website.
Our goal is connection and smart, scalable growth.
• Expand local retail partnerships — driving strong velocity and brand love close to home• Grow e-commerce nationwide so more families can experience our flavors wherever they live• Build community through content — including our YouTube show with our son, Pair It With Waj, helping kids discover vegetables through flavor
We absolutely plan to expand into regional and national retailers — and we’re laying the foundation the right way. Growth in CPG isn’t just about landing on the shelf, it’s about moving off the shelf. We want to scale with a strong operational base and the marketing support needed to win in every store we enter.
What have you learned since becoming an entrepreneur?
That building something meaningful takes patience, courage, and a supportive community.
I’ve learned to start before I feel ready, learn publicly, iterate quickly, and celebrate small wins.
And I’ve learned that my identity as a marketer and my identity as a founder fuel each other — leading a startup has made me sharper, scrappier, and more revenue-focused.
What aspect of entrepreneurship do you appreciate the most?
I appreciate the structure and scale that comes with corporate environments.
Entrepreneurship has added a valuable balance — allowing me to move quickly, test ideas, and bring that agility back into my marketing leadership. Here, if we believe in a campaign like “The Flavor That Connects Us,” we simply do it.
And the deeper joy is that every step is rooted in family — from cooking to storytelling to our son learning where his flavor comes from. This business keeps our heritage alive — and brings us even closer together.
Do you have a moment that brings you the most joy?
Seeing my sister — who sacrificed so much and never had the luxury of a traditional career — walk into the co-packer and see her name on a bottle.
For an immigrant family that arrived with nothing but survival on our shoulders, that moment felt like a breakthrough — like proof that our story doesn’t end in struggle.
The realization that her journey, and our mother’s memory, are being honored in a way she never imagined… that meant everything.
Piece of Advice
Start before you feel ready.
It doesn’t have to be perfect — just courageous.
Let your community shape your product. Taste tests, feedback, small pivots — they made us better.
And most importantly:
Don’t shrink your story to make it easier for others to understand.
The world needs flavors — and ideas — it hasn’t met yet.
Community Callout
I also want to acknowledge my husband and co-founder, Bobby. I identify our priority retail partners and create the sales materials and strategy — and he brings that to life by meeting with buyers and building those relationships on nights and weekends, despite a demanding full-time role.
We make a great team — he opens doors, and together we ensure we can deliver. I’m deeply grateful to have him in my corner as we build this dream side by side.
In Closing
KLS wants to thank Sister Suy's and Co-Founder, Sa Chim, for today's "Together Talks" feature. Follow along for their journey with their social handles below!