This week’s Micronesian Monday Feature is about Palauan entrepreneur Julie Funderburk, who created Olokoi sauce, a citrusy. umami all-purpose condiment that comes in two versions and is now sold in multiple stores across the United States and, also, in Palau.

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Before Olokoi Sauce became what the world would come to know as Olokoi Sauce, its appearances were generally confined to Julie Funderburk’s plate and the plates of her family members. 

Julie’s mom had been cooking with this signature sauce all of Julie’s life. 

“When I think of this sauce, I think of her,” Julie said. 

olokoi_sauce

A post shared by Olokoi (@olokoi_sauce)

Julie is a Palauan now based in Costa Mesa, California. She was born on Guam while her mother and brothers were born on Anguar and her father and her sister were born in the states. 

olokoi_sauce

A post shared by Olokoi (@olokoi_sauce)

She created Olokoi Sauce just two years ago. While it’s one of the newer kids on the condiment block, Olokoi has been a wild success so far— a testament to the product and Julie’s instincts as a business owner.

Before she got into the sauce game, Julie spent many years as a software trainer. 

“After I got tired of traveling for that job, I moved into technical writing. I basically write manuals and instructional guides so that people know how to do their job,” she said. 

Then in 2019, she cooked up Olokoi. She decided to share the citrusy, spicy family recipe with the world and it has been well-received by Islanders and non-Islanders alike. 

olokoi_sauce

A post shared by Olokoi (@olokoi_sauce)

“‘Olokoi’ is actually ‘olekoi,’ but I wanted the word to be phonetically easy for non-Palauan speakers to say, so that’s why I changed the spelling,” Julie said of the brand name. “I heard this word a lot growing up and the gentle English translation is ‘OMG.’ And really, I want people to say ‘OMG’ when they try Olokoi for the first time.”

The sauces are vegan-friendly, low in sodium, keto-friendly, and don’t contain sugar or MSG. It does have wheat and soybean, an important note for those with allergies. So far, Olokoi sauces come in two versions: the original and a spicier version, aptly marketed online as “Hot Olokoi: like the original, but hotter!”

The bottle features the Olokoi logo which is a beautiful rendition of a woman in the traditional Palauan wear for a ngasech or omengat ceremony. The back of the label features a history of the sauce and the silhouette of Palau. 

Julie said customers have found a number of different ways to use Olokoi Sauce.

“I have learned so many ways to use Olokoi from other people. I grew up using Olokoi just as a dipping sauce, but now people are using Olokoi as an ingredient in salad dressings, marinades, and cocktails,” she said. “Pretty amazing!” 

Even after all this time and experimentation, however, Julie’s favorite way to consume Olokoi is as a dipping sauce. 

Julie has recipes and reviews on the product website, olokoi.com should customers need some inspiration. 

People can also buy the sauces from the website. Or, customers can find Olokoi stocked in several stores including Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Gelson’s, Irvine Ranch Market, Food for Thought in Florida, Mana Foods in Hawai’i, and more (find out if there’s one near you here).

Melias store in Airai in Palau also sells the sauce, according to the website.

“It was mind-blowing seeing Olokoi on the shelves for the first time,” Julie said. “I still can’t believe that we are in so many stores.”

If she gets her way, Olokoi sauces will be just the beginning of a whole culinary adventure. 

Julie continues to work on new recipes and new food products, keeping her focus on building the Olokoi brand. 

olokoi_sauce

A post shared by Olokoi (@olokoi_sauce)

In line with building the Olokoi brand, Julie also offers t-shirts, a hat, and stickers available for sale with the logo on them for Olokoi sauce fans. 

“Olokoi is a total work in progress. We are still such a new company, having just launched in 2019 so it’s exciting to see where we will go from here,” Julie said. “Olokoi has only gotten this far with the support of my family. Their love and encouragement is the driving force that keeps me wanting to hit all of those new business milestones.” 

To aspiring Micronesian entrepreneurs, she has this to say: Don’t be afraid to fail. 

“Failure is the only way to grow,” she said. “I have heard ‘No’ so many times when it comes to Olokoi, and every time I heard ‘No’ that just meant it didn’t work out that time. So onto the next contact until I get a ‘Yes.’ If I stopped at my first ‘no,’ then we wouldn’t be where we are at today.”◉

Buy Olokoi sauces online at olokoi.com. Look for it on the grocery shelves if you’re in Palau or the states. Follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook and share their posts to spread the word. You know there are some kitchens in desperate need of spice and flavor from the islands.

Thank you, Julie, for taking the time to talk about your delectable creation. We look forward to seeing what other new ideas you cook up. 

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