The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down, with small businesses being hit especially hard. This is a pivotal time for SMBs, and the way they respond to the pressure will determine how their business runs for years to come. Many companies are taking this difficult situation and turning it into an opportunity. In our Positive Pivots series, we’re diving deeper into what these innovative businesses have done, and what lies beneath the surface to produce this kind of creativity and resilience.

This week we spoke with Kheedim Oh, Owner of Mama O’s Premium Kimchi, to learn how his business is coping with COVID-19.

What is your business?

In 2008, I had a craving for kimchi, but found the premade products on the market to be lacking in flavor. So, I got the family recipe from my mother and grandmother and one thing led to another. Eventually I went from making kimchi for myself to supplying local shops. Today, Mama O’s makes kimchi, paste, and hot sauce which can be found across the country at stores like Whole Foods.

How did COVID-19 affect your operations?

COVID-19 has affected our business in a number of ways. We were set up to do a partnership with a fast-casual chain, but that fell through when everything shut down.

How did your offering pivot during this unusual time? What are you offering now?

We pivoted to working with a meal-delivery company specializing in plant-based ingredients. We’ve gotten so busy that we hired two new employees to keep up with the demand. It's been great, but given that we were in the epicenter of the virus outbreak in New York City, we’ve had to be very careful keeping our staff safe as they come and go to our production location in Brooklyn.

In addition to doing more business with the meal-delivery company, we went live in March with our first hot sauce in Whole Foods.

How do you think the pivot you made in response to COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on your business?

I would guess we’re in a much better spot because kimchi is a highly functional food and full of probiotics. I think that we’re benefiting from that fact and I think it can be what pulls kimchi into the broad American consciousness. Our meal kit sales have gone through the roof, and I expect that trend to continue. This uptick that we have seen reinforces my belief in the product and that kimchi is more than something that tastes good—it’s good for you.