National Small Business Week 2023

Morning Glory Coffee & Tea is approaching it's eighteenth birthday this coming month and it seems like forever since we wrote our business plan, with the help of SCORE (Mentors to America's Small Businesses) and an initial loan from the SBA (Small Business Association). Since we opened our doors in June of 2005 we been confronted with many hurdles including various serious family health issues, fluctuating local support due to our town being small with a seasonal economy, government shutdowns and natural disasters affecting Yellowstone National Park, a fire in early 2019, the events involving COVID and, the current inflationary and supply issues that affect our cash flow and ability to maintain raw ingredients and packaging. Through everything we have been able to adapt and at times change our business model to continue growing our Brand and moving forward.

As I write we are currently reopening our retail store front as a packaged coffee and gift shop offering fairtrade, candies, classic books and more, we will not be serving coffee or food.  After eighteen years, we remain the only manufacturing business of size in West Yellowstone, Montana, producing branded coffees and teas  on-site for online sales and wholesale customers. In a place where the majority of product sold comes in from elsewhere we are proud to be producing and shipping our products with West Yellowstone, Montana on the label all over the country both celebrating our town and Yellowstone National Park. 

According to SCORE, 98.6% of all manufacturing companies in the United States are small businesses consistently contributing to local economies and beyond. The more that local dollars circulate the better. According to SCORE every dollar you spend at a small business, 67 cents stays in the local community, and a majority of that (44 cents) goes to the small business owner and the wages and benefits of their employees. This becomes even more important when small businesses purchase from local and regional small manufacturers. Locally manufactured products are extremely important to local economies on all levels. At Morning Glory Coffee & Tea it is our hope that our town will move towards a 'making' economy, and plan future development that will attract small manufacturing businesses. 

Lastly we would like to thank the local businesses in West Yellowstone and Southwest Montana that have purchased and sold our products over the last eighteen years. It is only through their support the we have been able to grow our  Brand and contribute to our local economy while creating something special for customers from around the world to enjoy. 
Laura, Chris, Jo, and Patrick