Introducing Hal, our Dumpling Machine!
Meet Hal, our new HLT-700XL, a filling and forming machine
Hi, everyone, it’s been a while! As the farmers’ market season winds down, we’re realizing that it’s November (!) and we’re pausing to take stock of the year we’ve had. As promised, we have doubled down on dumplings and are now producing 9,000-12,000 per week! This means that we can now produce a week’s worth of dumplings in a day.
How, you might ask? Thanks to our NuMarket campaign contributors, we are now the proud owners of a HLT-700XL, a small but mighty filling and forming machine. I like to call it “Hal” after the manager who invited us to our very first farmers’ market. Hal forms and fills all the half-moons that our staff then turn into fun shapes like our belly-button dumplings, or as some of us like to call them, “dumpling hugs.”
Even though how we make our dumplings has changed a little, what’s inside of them is still as awesome as ever. We make our unconventional dumpling fillings completely from scratch, using regional produce and pasture-raised meats. The machine also opens up new possibilities for us and we have more time to experiment. Hello, dessert dumplings! You can thank us for that invention later. Next, we’re experimenting with doughs: gluten-friendly doughs, doughs made with fun flavors, doughs in cool colors -- rainbow dumplings anyone?
More importantly, now that there’s a machine involved, we ultimately have a lot more control over the process, which feels like the right way to grow. Hal has made it possible for us to spread the dumpling love to more locations than ever, including 12 new farmers’ markets this summer and a still-growing lineup of winter markets throughout the Greater Boston area.
At Mei Mei Dumplings nothing is the same, but lots of things are better. We’ve increased our starting wages, implemented raises across our team, and added more benefits. Soon, we’ll be growing our team again. We just launched nationwide shipping and get to meet folks all over the country in our noodle and dumpling-making classes. In the midst of an industry coming out of a crisis, our business feels sustainable and stable, and we do not take that for granted. Thank you for your continued support.
While 506 Park Drive remains closed for dine-in service, you can still order cold take out and we have lots more to come, so please stay tuned. We’re so excited to see you this fall at markets or in dumpling classes. If you don’t already, please subscribe to our newsletter below or follow us on social media and tag us in your dumpling photos @meimeiboston. It warms our hearts to see your pictures of our dumplings.
— Irene
Want to keep in touch with Irene as she works on her new project with Visible Hands? Check out her newsletter and personal website!