This holiday season, stuff your stockings with gifts from these AAPI owned and operated businesses. Through the last few years, AAPI businesses were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a rise in Anti-Asian hate. A recent report from the New York Federal Reserve and AARP found that 90% of small Asian American firms lost revenue in 2020.
According to a study on The State of AAPI Small Business Owners by Hello Alice, AAPI businesses acquire the most customers through customer referrals – meaning that you could make a huge difference by purchasing or sharing these gifts to your loved ones! Don’t know what to get? Here are 10 picks from our staff at Rise.
Bokksu
Buy a Bokksu subscription for the snack connoisseur in your life this holiday season! Bokksu makes Japanese snack boxes with yummy goods collected from family-run business in Japan. Boxes include 20+ authentic treats such as cakes, mochi, chips, and a cultural guide detailing snack histories and allergens! Can’t get enough of these family-made goodies? No worries – you’ll get a box every month with a Bokksu subscription!
Tatcha
Show some love to your skin with Tatcha! Tatcha is a Japanese-inspired beauty brand that offers luxury skin and body products. They currently offer special holiday gift sets that are perfect for any seeking a little bit of luxurious self-care this holiday season.
Nguyen Coffee Supply
Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest coffee growing countries in the world – no wonder Vietnamese coffee has attracted fans from across the globe! Give the gift of caffeine this holiday season while you support a Vietnamese-woman owned business, Nguyen Coffee Supply. There is so much more to celebrate with this coffee brewer too with its direct trade and sustainable practices!
Silk and Sonder
Winter can be a difficult time for many of our loved ones. Lend a hand to a loved one this season by giving them a Silk and Sonder guided journaling subscription! Silk and Sonder boasts journaling methods that help reduce stress, improve mood, and boost motivation. Not only this, but their journals are oh-so beautiful!
Laos Supply
Check out Laos Supply’s cool clothes line! Laos Supply is an Asian-Owned business dedicated to giving back to the Laosian community. The business began with apparel, but has also began producing home goods, fish sauce, and skateboards – there is truly something for everyone this holiday season!
Glow Recipe
What’s your skin care routine? Glow Recipe is an Asian-owned business that has what you need! With a variety of toners, serums, cleansers, and more, Glow Recipe will put a smile on the skin care fiend in your life!
The Qi
Know someone who is more of a tea person than a coffee person? No worries – pick up a gift at The Qi, a delicious tea Asian-owned business! The Qi offers a variety of fresh, directly sourced, handpicked, and handmade delicious teas. Try one of their floral teas today!
Chunks
Chunks are high quality hair accessories that are sure to spark joy this season! The business is owned by women of color, responsibly made, and based out of Seattle, Washington. Give a chunk hair clip to those extra stylish people in your life!
Diaspora Co.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/DiasporaSpices-AndriaLo-349035c3b86248229b47db3ded31df71.jpg)
Don’t have a tasteless holiday this season. Spice it up with Diaspora Co. spices! Diaspora Co. sources its spices directly from partner farms, so these spices are as responsibly sourced as they are delicious! Support this Asian-owned business and take your food’s flavor to the next level!
Mode Korvidae
These handmade candles bring light to unseen challenges of mental health. Not only are the scents absolutely divine, but also this company is particularly mission driven. Candle sales are aimed at establishing mutual aid funds to support essential needs. Mode Korvidae Co. emerged from Mode’s personal journey of triumphing over hospitalization, where they faced the loss of language skills and memory. Seeking solace and a platform to share my struggles, they established this candle and home goods company, dedicated to fostering honesty, destigmatizing mental health, and raising awareness.
We hope that this holiday season inspires a desire to give presents with purpose. We recommend purchasing from local and sustainable brands this season if you have the capacity and means to. And on behalf of all of us at Rise, happy gifting!
