Nourishing Community with Good Juju Ghee
The story of how Kristen Fix and Efan Chen came to start Good Juju Ghee goes from a small mountain town in California to Taiwan and finally to the tiny seaport town of Port Townsend on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. It is the combination of two different journeys, a love of Asian culture and a reconnection with Asian heritage. It is the fusion of two different motivations for making and eating this food that ultimately combine into one single vision: nourishing community.
When Efan and Kristen met two and a half years ago, they both already loved ghee, but for completely different reasons. Kristen had fallen in love with its flavor the first time she tried it, and immediately set about learning to make it. Efan came to ghee as part of a healing journey, discovering it as part of Ayurvedic medicine. Efan introduced Kristen to its health benefits. Kristen introduced Efan to making it at home.
Perhaps the strangest part of the story is where these two Californians met – in Taiwan. Efan is of Taiwanese heritage, and she had moved there to get her citizenship, improve her Mandarin, and explore the idea of living there permanently. “One of the impetuses was part of this healing path,” Efan shared. “I wanted to know more about my ancestry.”
“I love Taiwan and had thought of living there for some time,” Kristen explained. “I was transitioning from my work and home in Nevada City and got a scholarship from their government to study Mandarin for six months.”
From Pipe Dream to Reality
Kristen had dreamed about starting a ghee company, even coming up with a playful jingle that turned into their name. (Just ask, they’ll sing it for you.) But it wasn’t until shortly after moving to Port Townsend and seeing a flier for CIE’s Groundswell accelerator for women entrepreneurs that it started to become reality.
Efan and Kirsten applied for the program, part of a three-accelerator series funded by a generous grant from the First Fed Foundation. CIE partnered with United Way of Clallam County’s Women United group to create a program exclusively for women entrepreneurs, with small momentum grants for those who successfully completed the program.
“We would not be here making ghee right now for this farmers market if we hadn’t taken that course. It was really the spark for it. CIE is definitely a huge part of why this is happening.”
“I’ve been talking about doing this for years, but it was nothing I ever thought would be serious,” Kristen noted. “It was just like, ‘I should start a ghee company so I can put better ghee, less expensive ghee out there.’ But it wasn’t actually something that I was going to do.”
Kristen noted that both the course content and the container were instrumental in launching the business. “When I was first looking at the course and the spreadsheets, I didn’t really know how or why I would use them, but now I see that. The content continues to be helpful in ways that I wouldn’t have even seen then.”
But Kristen added that, even had the content not been useful, that group of women committed to starting a business was catalyzing. “It really got it going. Without that container it wouldn’t have gotten started.”
Kirsten: “The grant, too, was nice. There was some accountability. I would have felt bad if we took that grant and then didn’t do anything.”
Working with the Moon
What sets Good Juju Ghee apart is not just the product itself, but the intention and care infused into every jar. Kristen and Efan craft their ghee in small batches, aligning with the lunar cycle as per Ayurvedic tradition.
“The wisdom that came through about ghee a long time ago,” Efan explained, “was if you make it during the waxing moon and the full moon, then all of that good energy will be infused into your ghee.”
This mindful approach isn’t just about tradition—it’s about honoring the interconnectedness of all things, from the ingredients they use to the hands that prepare it.
“It’s like this blossoming of vitality, expansiveness – all of that is in the ghee as well,” Efan adds. “You just feel it when you eat it.”
Sustaining Community
But Good Juju Ghee isn’t just about nourishing bodies; it’s about caring for the Earth and fostering sustainability. By prioritizing staying local and implementing initiatives like jar deposits, Kristen and Efan demonstrate a commitment to both community and environmental stewardship.
This dedication is exemplified through their collaboration with Nourishing Beloved Communities (NBC), a local group providing weekly food deliveries to members of the local community of people from the global majority. Before they had made their first sale, the organization approached them about including their ghee in the deliveries. It was a perfect match, and since the group had a grant to purchase food, it was also their first customer.
Their focus is on food sovereignty, and that fits right into what we want to do which is nourish this community in ways that maybe normally people wouldn’t be able to get access to, because ghee is kind of a luxury item, even though it’s a traditional item.
Nourishing Health
Their mission extends beyond merely selling a product; it’s about sharing the benefits of ghee and promoting overall well-being. Through their presence at local markets, they’ve had the joy of introducing people to the wonders of ghee.
“A lot of people don’t feel good,” Efan notes. “And when you don’t feel good, you can’t do all the things you love. So how can I help people feel good? Ghee is one piece of it, and there are other pieces as well. But really just focusing on how to help people feel good in life so they can do all the fun things they want to do.”
At the core of Good Juju Ghee’s ethos is a dedication to nurturing the community. Kristen and Efan believe in starting at the local level, caring for the people around them before anything else. Ghee, with its rich history dating back thousands of years in Ayurvedic tradition, symbolizes nourishment—a concept that extends beyond mere physical sustenance. As Efan eloquently puts it, “We’re not just digesting food right now. We’re digesting everything that’s happening around us.”
Ancient Traditions
“Ghee is very symbolic of nourishment from ancient sciences of Ayurveda from 5000 years ago,” continued Efan. “We’re not making anything new really. We’re taking this very traditional thing and providing a means for people to learn about it and to incorporate it into their daily lives. Then can we share with people the benefits of ghee and why it’s good for their digestion. And that piece seems actually very timely right now, because we’re not just digesting food right now. We’re digesting all these things that are happening around us in our lives.”
For Kristen and Efan, Good Juju Ghee isn’t just a business venture—it’s a labor of love, born out of personal experiences and a deep-seated desire to make a positive impact. Kristen’s introduction to ghee sparked a passion that she couldn’t ignore, while Efan’s journey towards holistic health and healing from cancer led her to embrace Ayurveda and its principles.
“We’ve been at the farmers market and starting to talk with people about ghee,” said Efan. “Okay, how is it good for you? How can you use it and bring it into your life? And people seem to be receiving that. And it’s just fun. It’s fun for us.”
Their story is one of resilience, collaboration, and above all, gratitude. As they continue to grow and expand their reach, they remain grounded in the belief that there is abundance all around us, waiting to be shared. Good Juju Ghee isn’t just a product; it’s a catalyst for community, health, and the boundless potential of the human spirit.
“Essentially it’s nourishment for people,” says Efan. “We can just talk with each other and learn and share and share the bounty. There’s abundance – just continue to remember there’s abundance.”
Find Good Juju Ghee at the Port Townsend Farmers Market, the Port Townsend Food Co-op, and at https://www.goodjujughee.com/s/shop.
