Wise Mouth Teas of Boston Recovers and Grows
5.02.2022
—
LISC StoriesEconomic Opportunity
This Asian American Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, we celebrate Lei Nichols, owner of Wise Mouth Teas.
As a young girl, Lei Nichols spent her days in the hills around the Chinese mountain village of Shanzui, picking flowers and herbs and drying them in the sun. The leaves were part of a healing tea recipe her grandmother made for her.
Lei eventually moved to the United States to a community outside of Boston where she became a high school Chinese teacher. After watching her students drink lots of sugary sodas and energy drinks, she decided to make and share the tea her grandmother made for her with her students. From there, the idea for her business Wise Mouth Teas was born. Established in 2016, sales reached $35,000 within two short years.
Lei Nichols, owner and founder of Wise Mouth Teas, and her daughters pose with some of the business' signature tea drinks.
The natural tea beverages are inspired by Eastern herbal remedies and include drinks like Cranberry Jasmine Green Tea and Chrysanthemum Dragon Rose Tea.
In 2020, faced with lost sales and legal issues due to the pandemic, Lei turned first to Small Business Strong (SBS) for help. LISC is the program manager for Small Business Strong, a non-profit organization that provides expedited, pro-bono support for women and entrepreneurs of color navigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses.
In late 2021, when Lei applied to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) but was denied, she reached out to SBS for assistance. Working with SBS advisors who have full knowledge of the program and connections to the SBA’s Massachusetts District Office, Lei was able to submit a reconsideration request.
Now, Wise Mouth Teas is ready to resume its growth. Lei is working with Small Business Strong to plan and access more capital to expand their capacity to serve larger food-service customers like universities and hospitals. The teas can be found in many Stop and Shop supermarkets, at Harvard University, and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, in Boston.
Learn more about wise mouth teas on their website: WiseMouthTea.com.