Morning Glory Chai was founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1995 by Jessica Vidican-Neisius. This woman-owned, family-run, small business has been in continuous operation for over 20 years and has a loyal following both along the West Coast and nationwide. Jessica's path of entrepreneurship began on the playground in second grade, and by middle school, it became a dream of becoming either an international hotelier or a physician. While her life goals changed by the time she entered college, Jessica still had a very strong desire to start a business with a health focus. After graduating with a BA in Community Studies, and a brief career as an educator, she discovered a way to combine her love for health, business, and community by leveraging her experience in both the foodservice industry and with homemade herbal remedies.

When Jessica Vidican-Neisius founded Morning Glory Chai, she promised that she would never use an artificial ingredient, and this still rings true. 22 years later, Morning Glory Chai is available in 265 coffee shops, co-ops, and apothecaries across the West Coast. The seed for this idea was planted a long time ago, and it’s rooted in Jessica’s long-time interest in herbs.

In her travels, Jessica found Seattle had no proper chai back in the mid-1990s, and so she set out to create a spicy, healthy, delicious brew for the Emerald City. With a day job at Tenzing Momo, an herbal apothecary in the Pike Place Market, and all the fire of youth, Jessica invented the recipe they still use today at Morning Glory Chai.

As an entrepreneur, Jessica found it helpful to maintain a cash flow from working at Tenzing Momo while building relationships with customers and coffee shops.

“While it’s very difficult to hold down a job while you’re trying to start a business, those extra hours that you put into the business after you leave work are going to pay off,” Jessica said. “In the meantime, having a steady source of income will give you a longer runway to get established.”

After five years of working on and off at Tenzing Momo and developing Morning Glory Chai, she decided to open Mr. Spot’s Chai House on Market St. in Ballard.

Jessica’s advice to entrepreneurs, especially female entrepreneurs, is to seek out mentorship and community. She did this through the Goldman Sachs 10,0000 Small Business program, an investment to help entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity.

“Entrepreneurship can be a lonely time, so there was a sense of solidarity that came with being in a room of 150 other bosses,” Jessica said.

Jessica is excited to partner with Gender Vender for the Womxn of Color in STEM event at the Pacific Science Center. The event’s mission aligns with her own goals to support women in STEM and in business.

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How She Built This: Morning Glory Chai - Aleenah Ansari