20/08/2026
Yes!!! The crispy chilli oil is my absolute favourite!🥰🥰
You've probably seen this woman's face in your fridge... This jar of chilli oil turned its creator into one of China's biggest food icons and conquered the world.
Tao Huabi, 79, is the founder of Lao Gan Ma ('Old Godmother'), the spicy sauce many people put on everything. She started with nothing and is now a billionaire. Here's her recipe for success:
🌶️ Famine fuels the fire. Born in 1947 in Guizhou, one of China's poorest provinces, Tao experienced the Great Famine as a child. According to her biographer, Tao was so hungry she dreamt of putting mud in her mouth just to feel full. Later, she started experimenting with flavours to make simple meals go further.
🌶️ Don’t be held back. Tao never received a formal education and couldn’t read or write, yet built one of China's best-known food brands. Even after becoming a successful businesswoman, she still had important documents read aloud to her.
🌶️ Stick to your principles. After her husband died in 1984, Tao took a second job carrying rocks to pay off debts from his medical bills. She vowed never to borrow money again, telling her sons, "Use whatever you have, whether much or little, always use your own money."
🌶️ Spot what sells. Tao started a roadside noodle stall, serving a crunchy, spicy sauce made from local chillies. It was here she earned the nickname 'Old Godmother'. One day when she hadn't made the sauce, she noticed customers didn't want the noodles. They wanted the sauce to take home.
🌶️ Spread the word. Tao started producing jars of the sauce, and when a highway was built nearby, she gave them out for free to truckers. Soon, people were travelling from across the region just to buy her chilli oil. It's a strategy she's used again and again, in modern times relying on social media for exposure.
🌶️ Think bigger. In 1996, Tao bought two houses and turned them into a factory. She kept expanding from there. For years, though, she still personally checked the sauce, blistering her tongue from tasting so many chillies.
🌶️ Keep control – no matter what. Despite the company's success, Tao refused to list it on the stock market, choosing instead to stay private and let word of mouth do the marketing. Today, with her two sons in charge, around three million bottles of Lao Gan Ma are produced every day, using 45,000 tonnes of chillies a year. Hot stuff!
Listen 🎧 https://bbc.in/4hz6PHl