‘Namjai’ was founded in 1954 in a small wet market alleyway of Bangkok Chinatown.
A middle aged lady starts renting a row house let by the royal property bureau for a low-income household at number 13 in the market. She took up this offer with the idea to make curry paste to support her growing family. The recipes she learns during her time living around Nonthaburi, where she arrived from Mainland China is going to provide the necessity for her family. In a stroke of luck and a knack for making tasty food, the curry paste starts to sell to the neighbourhood market stall then steadily expand to larger circles. The market is quick to takes notice of the newcomer, and people start coming in from the furthest north(Chiang Rai) to all the way south (Narathiwas) offering to be a distributor. Her children, however, does not seem so keen to continue this business, many of which soon marry and start their own business elsewhere.
Back then, curry paste was a household to a household item, everyone makes their inherited recipe but no one ever thought of standardizing it or even sell it. In 1977 while still operating from the Chinatown shopfront (now expanded to number 15), then unbranded ‘Namjai’ was hired to make OEM product for a large order of up to 10,000 kg. The export is for Thai workers in the Middle East which guide the band how to handle a large scale order effectively in a limited space which we continue to do so until the present. Hongkong, Taiwan and Singapore also receive its first lot of shipment in a few following years after local vendor introduces the product via hand-carry luggage.
While being able to manage to it’s increasing order, Namjai had to relocate from its two-room row house to its current location in 1979. where it registered as Curry & Spice Co., Ltd. With larger production capacity and industry-standard facility, Namjai continues to expand its reach.
In 1983 the founder of this growing company passed away and was succeeded by her youngest son and his older sister as a business partner. The siblings who cared for and helped their mother with the business since they were young is to lead this expanding company together with her son helming the company and his sister to advise. The sister has experienced living and working abroad while the brother knows the in and out of the agricultural trade; it seems appropriate to say that the future seems less than uncertain.
In 1984 the brand had refined its production method. It was able to produce 100% preservative-free product that can be stored unopen in Thailand’s hot and humid climate for 2-3 years across the whole range, which ease the stocking capabilities of its distributor.
In 1988, after expanding its production capabilities along with more thorough ingredient inspection, Namjai started to sell in a modern supermarket and is the first curry paste brand to elevate this humble household product to the sparkling new shelf of these new establishments (The Mall, MBK, Foodland and Central). The increasingly tight quality control keeps high, and the product can stay on the shelf as long as they promised to last.
1995 in Namjai first appeared on the shelf of the United Kingdom leading supermarket (Selfridges, Sainburys and Harvey Nichols).
Switzerland (Globus), Newzealand and India soon follow along with expansion to a neighbour Asian country including China and Malaysia. Namjai has always been a provider of authentic Thai recipes, made from the finest locally sourced ingredient ensure that our customer receives the truest experience packed with a genuine taste of Thailand whenever they decide to make themself a Thai curry at home. We, as our namesake ‘Generosity’ or in our mother tongue, ‘Namjai’ (น้ำใจ) means to ensure the most refined product, made with utmost care in the wish to send our generosity and hospitality to you. Namjai, family-owned since 1954.