It's not everyday that your founder asks you to perform a DNA test.... but when he does, it's probably for a pretty Dang good reason!
One of our missions here at Dang Foods is to connect cultures. However, Vincent and Andrew decided that before we could connect the world, we needed to connect with each other! So, they asked us to do a 23andMe test so we could all get to know a little bit more about one another... and of course, ourselves!
Here's what our staff had to say about this untraditional work experience:
“This test gave me a newfound sense of groundedness and empowerment - for most of my life I thought my family was from one part of the world, but finding out they're from a different part then migrated twice gives me a better understanding of our history as cross-cultural connectors. Wherever we went, we brought our previous culture with us, and that's helped us stand out from the crowd. In other words, while I previously looked at my heritage as a merely a differentiator, I now see it as a superpower.”
– Vincent K. Founder
“I loved this exercise of reflecting upon my culture/identity in growing up as Thai/Chinese American. I think of the traditions I would like to pass along to my kids, including Chinese New Year with Red Envelopes with cash in them. I was happy to receive them as a kid, and now even happier to give them as an adult.”
– Andrew K. CFO/COO
“I enjoyed the path that I took with my family after receiving my results - I found out I had a long lost cousin, and it brought me and Dad together to map out our family tree to root up the connection, so I loved learning more about my father's lineage and obscure cousins and aunts and uncles he had never mentioned. I was also surprisingly disappointed to find that I'm mostly Korean; I was sure I was significantly Chinese but I'm pretty definitively Korean. My dad doesn't believe it either - he chalks it up to a small sample size of Asians using 23andMe, but who knows? I also wish I was more Neanderthal, I was sure I would have some Neanderthal blood but turns out I'm just plain 'ole homo sapien.”
– Jina W. VP of Marketing
“After doing the exciting “spit test”, I was anxious to see what my parents had told me about our family was true, well you should trust your parents. My dad has always said his family is entirely from Germany, 23 and Me confirmed that, 51.7% Germany/Eastern Europe. My mom , who loved being Irish and how we were raised was right on, 48.3% Irish. Bottom line, always listen to your parents. My dad was excited to hear and review all the data and my 4 siblings as well.”
– Rich S. VP of Sales
“23 and Me results have given my family and myself quite a chuckle. I discovered I have a little less than 4% of Neanderthal DNA. I have more Neanderthal than 96% of 23 and Me customers. This came in handy for my Spartan race last weekend. My husband kept saying you can do it, you are a Neanderthal. I wouldn’t have finished if I hadn’t had my pre-race Lemon Matcha Dang Bar and the bag of Coconut Crunch Stickies!”
“The process was extremely easy and I received a reply shortly after submitting the test. I was anxious to receive the results because our family had previously has many discussions regarding our ancestry. Unfortunately, there were no surprising finds in the test results. For example, they could not determine percentages of individual Slavic countries but lumped them together as “Slavic ancestry.”
– Curt D. Director of Sales, East
“The 23andMe process was so easy! While my results weren't surprising, it did give me newfound sense of identity and a culture to embrace as truly mine.”
– Denise H. Innovation Manager
“The 23andMe test was such a fun experience! Not only did it connect me to new countries like Italy (hello, pizza) but it connected me to my co-workers. It opened the conversation on heritage, rituals, and common interests. For instance, I learned some of my coworkers were Jewish just like me. Had we not explored this as a team, I might have never known! Additionally, the 23andMe test gave me a hefty list of countries to add to my #snackventure bucket list!”
– Zoe S. Social Media Manager
“The process of taking the test was simple, and the long wait for the results was like waiting for Christmas morning! Except for a surprise, my results were pretty straightforward and what I had expected to see.”
– Megan K. Operations Manager
“Taking the 23andMe test was a cool experience! Although my results were what I expected, sharing the results with the team helped us bond and share laughs together.”
– Anu G. Finance Manager
“It was a little weird knowing a tube I filled with saliva was traveling through the mail system to a place where scientists were going to analyze. Ultimately I'm so happy I did it! I grew up thinking I was at least 75% Italian mixed with a bit of French and English but was shocked to hear I had some Northern Africa and Western Asia in my blood. Finding out that part of my ancestry can be traced back to Neanderthals was pretty cool too.”
– Lindsay N. Ecommerce Manager
“23AndMe was a fun & easy way for me confirm my heritage, it was amazing to see just how many people around the world I share DNA with! I am now better able to honor my ancestors and past with the knowledge!”
– Cameron D. Area Sales Manager NYC
“My family always had suspicions that our grandfather had some Russian blood - he was an unusually tall man with hazel eyes and light brown hair, and came from a town very close to Russia in North Korea. Upon taking the 23andme test, I discovered that I was virtually 100% Korean. My mother inherited his hazel eyes, but all I inherited from my North Korean side was an inability to eat spicy food.”
– Audrey K. Operations Associate
