Momofuku sends Mila cease-and-desist over chili crunch

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BRUNSWICK, ME - OCTOBER 9: Lao Gan MA Spicy Chili Crisp, Chi Chi Crisp, Trader Joes Chili Onion Crunch,Christines homemade chili crisp Friday, October , 2020. (Staff Photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

BELLEVUE, Wash. - Chili crisp or chili crunch, a popular spicy red condiment, may be in your kitchen pantry and can be a topping for eggs, pizza, noodles, dumplings and even ice cream. You can find the bottled fried chili pepper, garlic, infused in oil in many brands across the country in grocery store aisles.

But now one of those brands is attempting to claim control over the pantry staple in a heated battle.

The Guardian first reported food empire Momofuku, founded by chef, author, restaurateur David Chang, sent cease-and-desist letters to multiple businesses using the term "chili crunch" and "chile crunch" on their labels and is trying to trademark "chili crunch" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It was filed in March.

David Chang at the Variety Sundance Studio, Presented by Audible on January 21, 2024 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by John Salangsang/Variety via Getty Images)

Momofuku, under the name MomoIP LLC, does own the trademark "chile crunch," spelled with an "e," which was registered with USPTO in 2023.

One of the many cease-and-desist letters was sent to Bellevue-based company MìLà, co-founded by Jen Liao and Calb Wang.

Actor Simu Liu is MìLà's chief content officer, and responded with a post on X.

"Hey @momofuku, I hear you're bullying businesses over use of the term 'chili crunch'. As Chief Content Officer of MìLà., I propose a blind taste test of both our 'chili crunch' sauces. Winner keeps the name, loser (it'll be you) backs off," Liu said.

A spokesperson for Momofuku told the Los Angeles Times, that the trademark was never intended to "stifle innovation in a category that we care deeply about."

Momofuku Chili Crunch

"When we created our product, we wanted a name we could own and intentionally picked ‘Chili Crunch’ to further differentiate it from the broader chili crisp category," the spokesperson wrote in an email to the Times. "We worked with a family-owned company called Chile Colonial to purchase the trademark from them. They have defended the trademark previously against companies like Trader Joe’s."

Momofuku was founded by Chang in 2004 and the company first launched its chili crunch in 2018 before selling jars in 2020.

FOX 13 has reached out to both Momofuku and MìLà.