CLASSIFIED DOSSIER

The Untold
Story

CASE FILE: TA-2025 | STATUS: OPEN | CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET

What you're about to read is the full account of how a small kitchen experiment escalated slightly out of proportion. Proceed with caution.

CHAPTER I

The Crime Scene

It started in a tiny kitchen with a stubborn perfectionist and an unreasonable amount of tang.

What was supposed to be a weekend hobby turned into an obsession and then a movement. The first batch disappeared within hours. The second batch started rumours. By the third, people were showing up uninvited.

The authorities (my friends and family) tried to contain it. But by then, the ferment had already escaped.

EVIDENCE SUGGESTS PREMEDITATION
The Crime Scene
EXHIBIT A
Decorative Edge Divider
CHAPTER II

The Suspect

Kim Chi
NAME Kim Chi
ALIAS The Mild Suspect
STATUS AT LARGE
RUNTIME 270ml

Criminal Profile

Known for creating immediate attachment and repeat behaviour. Appears balanced at first crisp, layered, composed before revealing a deeper complexity that builds over time. Leaves a lasting impression and a tendency to return, often without a clear reason

Known Behaviour

  • Frequently disappears faster than expected
  • Often eaten straight from the jar
  • Has been known to outshine the rest of the meal
  • First-time tasters tend to become repeat offenders

Perfect Target

  • Eggs, toast, rice bowls, noodles
  • Charcuterie boards
  • Situations that require something extra
  • Late-night cravings
APPREHEND THE SUSPECT
EVIDENCE TIMELINE

How It Unfolded

THE BEGINNING

The First Batch

It started with a simple thought: this should taste better than it does. So I made a batch.

THE OBSESSION

The Pursuit of Perfection

One batch became ten. Then fifty. Then too many to count. Some were promising. Others… not fit for human consumption. I kept adjusting, refining, chasing something more balanced, more complex something that felt complete. Sleep became optional. And then, at some point, it stopped needing adjustments. It just worked.

THE ESCAPE

Word Gets Out

Started sampling at delis and markets. Sold out in few hours. Seeing surprised and delighted faces, hitting the spot. Someone described kimchi as devine. Evidence was collecting The affair had begun.

THE MOVEMENT

From Kitchen to Case File

What started as a hobby refused to stay one. This wasn’t just fermentation anymore. It was proof that it doesn’t have to be boring, mass-produced, or apologetic. Tangy Affairs was born. And it’s not playing it safe.

CHAPTER III

The Flashbacks

Crime scene photographs recovered from the investigation files.

kimchi in a jar
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi
kimchi in a jar
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi
kimchi in a jar
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi
What do you eat kimchi with — founder Leonora serving authentic kimchi on a charcuterie board, handmade in London
Small-batch kimchi in a jar made in London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora with authentic unpasteurised kimchi

The Tangy Affairs

THE CHIEF FERMENTOGRAPHER

Behind The Crime Scene

Leonora didn't set out to build a brand. She set out to find a kimchi she'd actually crave.

The problem was simple and deeply annoying: nothing on the market was good enough. Every jar of kimchi she tried told the same disappointing story. Too fizzy. Not crunchy enough. Too aggressively garlicky. The kind that convinces people they don't like kimchi when really, they just haven't had the right jar.

That contrast between what kimchi actually is and what most UK jars were delivering became impossible to ignore. So she built a recipe from scratch, obsessively tested it, and refused to compromise until it was right.

Balanced enough to win over first-timers, complex enough to obsess the already-converted. Mild in heat, but bold in character. The kind of thing that lingers in the best possible way - an umami aftertaste that makes your hand go back to the jar before you've even decided to.

Not just a side dish quietly sitting at the edge of the plate - but the thing your guests ask about. The thing that turns a charcuterie board into a conversation, makes a Caesar salad interesting again, and yes, makes a damn good margarita. Sassy. Crunchy. Unapologetically alive.

Leonora is not here to play it safe. She is here to start an affair people will talk about.

Confidential
Artisan kimchi in a jar London — Tangy Affairs founder Leonora, female-founded small-batch kimchi brand North London
OUR PHILOSOPHY

The Brand Universe

Tangy Affairs is a female-founded, small-batch hand-made fermented foods brand based in North London. The brand blends cinematic storytelling, humour, and playful theatrics to create a brand universe that feels both premium and entertaining. Each jar and ingredient is treated as a dramatic character with personality and flair by mixing noir-inspired visuals with slightly absurd, tongue-in-cheek comedy. 

The flagship product, Mild Suspect kimchi, introduces leading lady Kim Chi - the femme fatale of ferments: mild in heat, bold in personality, and impossible to forget. Designed for both kimchi newcomers and flavour-driven food lovers, she brings Tangy Affairs’ playful, cinematic world to life.

Because fermented food doesn’t have to be serious. Importantly, Tangy Affairs is not a traditional wellness or gut-health brand. Instead of a clinical or health tone, the brand leads with flavour, creativity, humour, and story. It can be bold, tempting, and a little mischievous.

My aim is simple: to make vegetable-rich, gut-friendly food feel irresistible. Not something you feel like you should eat but something you actually crave
The Brand Universe