In the United States, over 3 million enterprises are operated by individuals from the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. However, business owners of Asian heritage, especially women, encounter additional challenges compared to their non-minority counterparts. These obstacles encompass insufficient funding, a lack of support, and a surge in xenophobia that has escalated since the pandemic began. Numerous Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women have navigated numerous hurdles to launch thriving businesses, all while honoring their cultural roots. Here are three innovators who are transforming the food, beverage, and beauty sectors.
Mika Shino, Founder/CEO, Issei
When Mika Shino realized her children’s favorite gummy candies contained numerous undesirable ingredients, she took action to create her own version in her kitchen. The music producer, cookbook author, and former UNESCO program specialist was determined to make non-GMO treats free from animal-based gelatin as well as artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. This endeavor led to the creation of Issei Mochi Gummies, which launched in Whole Foods Market in 2022. These soft, mildly sweet snacks, infused with genuine fruit, represent more than mere taste.
“I made this as a tribute to all immigrants and what we contribute to this nation, especially since our cultural heritage often doesn’t receive the same recognition as European traditions,” explains Shino, who hails from Kyoto, Japan, and was raised in the United States. “In the food industry, our presence is especially underrepresented, especially in supermarket aisles.”
Shino drew her inspiration for the gummies from mochi, a delightful treat she cherished during her childhood. Traditionally made with pounded rice and water, these Japanese confections are admired for their simplicity. The name of her company, Issei, signifies first-generation Japanese immigrants to America. “Our brand’s mission is to celebrate and elevate all immigrant cultures and heritages. We began with mochi gummies, but they serve as a versatile base for flavors from around the globe.”
Alongside familiar candy aisle flavors such as vanilla, strawberry, mango, sour watermelon, and peach, Shino aims to expose American palates to flavors from Asia, the Middle East, and beyond as her brand advances. Since its inception in 2022, Issei Mochi Gummies has grown to availability in over 2,000 locations across both the West and East coasts and Hawaii. Shino, who had no prior food industry experience until two years ago, now sees her products featured in Albertsons, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Walmart. Although the grocery agreements bring her satisfaction, the real triumph for Shino lies in her potential impact on future generations.
“By simply existing, we are demonstrating that diversity can thrive in the candy aisle and showing other Asian children that there are options that are just as valid that aren’t solely European,” she remarks.
Ginger King, Founder/President, Grace Kingdom Beauty
Ginger King considers herself a “beauty shark,” and her extensive career portfolio attests to the genuine passion she has for cosmetics. As the founder of Grace Kingdom Beauty, King utilizes her master’s degrees in natural product chemistry and marketing to assist entrepreneurs in developing and branding their makeup, skincare, and other beauty products. For over thirty years, she has created or consulted on more than thirty brands and two thousand formulas, encompassing projects for renowned companies like Avon, Joico, and Origins.
King’s fascination with the transformative power of cosmetics began in her early years. “I often share that I was born into beauty, as my mother was the first to introduce the Shiseido boutique from Japan to Taiwan in the 1960s, so I grew up surrounded by this influence without realizing it would become my destiny,” she explains. While she was immersed in the world of cosmetics, she was not allowed to wear makeup during her school years in Taiwan, so she began experimenting with it when she moved to the United States at the age of sixteen. Around this time, reading Estée Lauder’s biography inspired her ambition for a career in the beauty industry. Nonetheless, like many AANHPI individuals, King felt familial pressure to pursue a more conventional path in science. “I aspired to be a makeup artist,” she reflects. “However, being of Asian descent means you’re often expected to achieve a Ph.D. or at minimum, a master’s degree.”
Her roles within the beauty sphere have varied. They have included working as a chemist for Dole, where she linked the pink disease in pineapples to an active ingredient found in many self-tanners; engaging in retail for brands such as Chanel, Clarins, and Bobbi Brown; specializing in men’s fragrances; and even establishing her own product development enterprise, Grace Kingdom Beauty, over eleven years ago. Additionally, she currently participates in Shark Tank as a #PowerOfBroke ambassador for Daymond John, a show she has long respected.
Adapting to follow her passion—something King accomplished to align with the cultural and familial expectations she faced at the start of her journey—is a lesson she hopes others in entrepreneurship can take to heart. “I transitioned from creating beauty products to applying them,” she states. “Retain your vision, but be ready to adapt. You may be amazed at what else you can achieve even better.”
Sahra Nguyen, Founder/CEO, Nguyen Coffee Supply
If your favorite local coffee shop features a version of Vietnamese coffee, it might be the result of the hard work of a first-generation Vietnamese American. Sahra Nguyen, who established Nguyen Coffee Supply in Brooklyn, New York, in 2018, is frequently recognized as a pioneer of the Vietnamese coffee movement across North America.
The classic rendition of the beverage, typically brewed with a phin (a small metal filter) and served alongside condensed milk, is prepared using highly caffeinated and flavorful robusta beans primarily sourced from Vietnam. Yet, until recently, the robusta bean has been inaccurately regarded as inferior to the more commonly known arabica. Despite Vietnam being the second-largest coffee producer globally, its contribution is often overlooked in the craft coffee discussions led by other coffee-producing regions like Colombia and Brazil.
“There was a significant separation regarding how we valued the coffee industry,” observes Nguyen. “If you genuinely care about the coffee’s value, by recognizing the origins of the beans and the stories behind them, why hasn’t that recognition been extended to people from Asia?”
These inquiries and discrepancies inspired Nguyen, who was initially a freelancer in writing and filmmaking, to create Nguyen Coffee Supply. In 2016, she connected with her first coffee supplier in Vietnam, utilizing her experience in social justice and media to shed light on the misrepresented robusta bean. “For years, several companies in the U.S. and Europe have utilized robusta in their products but marketed it under different terms,” Nguyen reveals, pointing to labels such as “the strongest coffee” or “Italian espresso.”
Nguyen Coffee Supply offers products featuring both robusta and arabica beans that are cultivated and harvested in Vietnam and roasted in Brooklyn. Since its launch in 2018, the company’s robusta sales have surpassed arabica sales by over 50%, with robusta prices rising approximately 275%. These developments have enabled Nguyen Coffee Supply and its suppliers to expand—an example being the grower Nguyen collaborates with in Vietnam acquiring a second farm.
Nguyen has also unveiled a canned coffee line now available at Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Market. She credits this progress to consumers’ readiness to pay the same price for robusta as for arabica and to their growing interest in her family’s native coffee culture. Some enthusiasts even prepare their daily coffee using a phin. “We were passionate about promoting the phin because we aim to share the culture; when people think about culture, the discussion naturally broadens to include the people behind it,” she remarks.
