Woman quits full-time corporate job to launch chili oil brand in Toronto

Less than a year ago, a woman who moved from Australia to Canada for love quit her full-time job to pursue her other passion: launching a chili oil brand.

Rippah is a new chili oil company founded by Nicola Scott, who originally met her Canadian partner in Sydney. Just three months into dating, the pandemic hit, stranding the lovers continents apart. When borders reopened, Scott decided to start life over in Canada so the two could be together.

Now, she’s recently restarted her life in a whole new way, leaving her full-time corporate job as a human resources manager to focus on Rippah.

The chili oil blends influences and ingredients such as lime leaf, lemongrass and tamarind to create a condiment with a slow-building heat that can be added to pretty much anything. Scott credits the blending of cultural influences to her parents being third culture kids, a term for children raised outside their parents’ culture and/or their own country of nationality.

“My mum is a third-culture kid, born and raised in Hong Kong, with a deep love for traveling across Asia. Our trips were filled with food, buffets, mall food courts, hawker markets, cooking classes. Those experiences shaped the way I think about flavour,” Scott tells YourCityWithIN.com.

“She tells me that as a toddler at the beach, I’d dip prawns into chili sauce, lick it off, and dip them back in again, so my obsession with spice started early. Growing up, Sunday dim sum was a family ritual, and chili oil was always on the table.”

Rippah is Australian slang for “awesome,” but as every entrepreneur knows that not every day is all awesome when it comes to building a business. Still, Scott wouldn’t trade the challenges that come with growing sales, building brand awareness and scaling production for her old life.

“One day, I’m at a farmers’ market chatting with customers. The next, I’m knee-deep in chili oil production, pitching to retailers, packing orders, or scrambling to organize my next trade show,” says Scott.

“I joke with friends and family that I quit a 9-to-5 for 24/7 stress, but the truth is, I’ve never felt more fulfilled. Running a small business means you’re never really off. The to-do list only gets longer, and the stakes feel higher. The highs are incredible, but the lows can be brutal. Still, there’s an energy to this that I never had in corporate life. Every win, no matter how small, feels massive because it’s something I built with my own hands.”

Scott has had to work especially hard to launch Rippah as she actually has no background in the food industry, and founded the brand all by herself.

“Coming from HR, I dove headfirst into food manufacturing, CPG, and small business ownership with zero background in any of it,” says Scott.

“The learning curve has been steep, and at times, incredibly isolating. But I’ve realized that success takes a village. Networking, leaning on industry peers, and learning from others have been absolute game changers.”

Isolating is an understatement considering Scott is currently still producing every single jar of Rippah chili oil on her own.

“Finding an affordable, larger facility has been a constant challenge,” says Scott. “My previous kitchen shut down, and while a co-packer would be ideal, it’s not an option just yet. Every batch is a labour of love, but scaling up without the right space or support is an uphill battle.”

Building brand awareness has been another new skill for Scott. Not only has she had to learn how to create a social media presence that invites people in, but also how to handle the mental load of managing that presence as a solo founder.

“Putting yourself out there invites all kinds of opinions, and with that comes haters, trolls, and plenty of unsolicited advice,” says Scott. “I’m still figuring out how to show up authentically while setting boundaries.”

Despite any trolls, Scott’s persistence and risk-taking has paid off. Just six months after launching Rippah, Scott signed up for the One of a Kind Show and sold over 2,000 jars in just 11 days.

“The best part has been seeing how much people love it,” says Scott. “A customer recently told me her young son saves up his monthly allowance just to buy Rippah chili oil, and that completely melted my heart.”

Scott hopes to continue to expand Rippah to become available in stores across the country and possibly even gain status as a household pantry staple. Beyond that, she wants to give back by remembering where it all started for her.

“As an immigrant, I struggled with job rejections due to lack of Canadian experience,” says Scott. “I want to build a team of women who’ve recently immigrated to Canada, believe in their worth, and give them their first job here.”