In the wake of increased anti-Asian hate crimes, supporting the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community is more important than ever. While many are taking to the streets protesting anti-Asian hate, others are donating to worthy organizations, like the Asian Pacific Fund COVID-19 Recovery Fund, Stop AAPI Hate, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, as well as supporting AAPI-owned businesses.

According to nonprofit coalition Stop AAPI Hate, 3,795 incidents were reported across the country between March 2020 and February of this year — up nearly 150 percent over 2019. Further, more than 68 percent of the reported incidents involved verbal harassment, with physical assaults making up more than 11 percent of incidents reported. And while these hate crimes took place over the course of nearly one year, they disappointingly didn’t make national news until the tragic Atlanta-area spa shootings earlier this month, when eight people lost their lives.

While many have attended vigils and protests, other ways to support the AAPI community at this time include spending your money on AAPI-owned brands.

Ahead, we’ve curated a list of AAPI-owned food brands to shop.

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale. 

Omsom

Image: Omsom.

Omsom’s founders are sisters, Vanessa and Kim Pham. They’re daughters of Vietnamese refugees, and they’re on a mission to bring “proud, loud Asian flavors to your fingertips any day of the week.”

Our favorite product of theirs? The Omsom Bundle, which is loaded with a variety of starters that combine all the sauces, aromatics and seasonings you need to cook certain Asian dishes.

Nguyen Coffee Supply

Image: Nguyen Coffee Supply.

Nguyen Coffee Supply is the first ever Vietnamese-American-owned importer and roaster of green coffee beans from Vietnam in New York. And one of their popular products is the Original Vietnamese Coffee Trio, which treats customers to their Moxy, Truegrit, and Loyalty blends.

Us Two

Image: Us Two.

Founded by 29-year-old Ranmu Xue, Us Two Tea is an e-commerce tea brand which aims to make Taiwanese tea more accessible for consumers in U.S.

The product we recommend purchasing is the Blossom Tea Set: Us Two is currently donating $20 of each of these tea sets sold to AAPI family.

immi

Image: immi.

Described as “surprisingly healthy instant ramen,” immi was founded by Kevin Lee and Kevin Chanthasiriphan, both of whom worked alongside their families in the markets of Taiwan and Thailand.

“We started immi to help our families better manage their health conditions arising from poor nutrition and unhealthy diets,” they write on their website.

Fly By Jing

Image: Fly By Jing.

Founded by Jing Gao in 2018 and inspired by the flavors of her hometown, Chengdu, Fly By Jing boasts a line of Sichuan-inspired sauces: Sichuan Chili Crisp, Zhong Dumpling Sauce, and Mala Spice Mix.

For the rest of the month, 10 percent of all proceeds will be donated to Red Canary Song, a transnational grassroots collective advocating for the rights and self-determination of API sex workers, and the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, an organization supporting re-entry and advocacy for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Asian and Pacific Islander people.

Mason Dixie

Image: Mason Dixie.

Ayeshah Abuelhiga founded the Mason Dixie Biscuit Company in 2014 “to change comfort food for the better.” A first generation American, Abuelhiga’s mom is Korean, and her dad was Palestinan Israeli.

“People said I am not the poster child for Southern cooking, but I grew up in Maryland and my mom cooked these foods for me as a child. Southern cuisine is one of the only true American, farm to table cuisines,” she told Forbes.

Before you go, check out our gallery below:

Source: Read Full Article