Get Real Founder Stories and Practical Frameworks Delivered to Your Inbox Weekly!

How a Teacher’s Snack Dilemma Created a Million-Dollar Business: Millie’s Sipping Broth

By: Greg B
Published: January 17, 2025

Share With Friends

X
Email

Llance Kezner & Lori Peha Kezner

$1 Million +

Annual Revenue

Less than $1k

Startup Costs

Full-time

Owner Involvement

2014

Year Started

Get Exclusive Startup Stories and Trending Business Ideas Delivered to Your Inbox

When Seattle teacher Lori Peha Kezner needed better food options during her short breaks between classes, she turned to her mother Millie’s recipes for inspiration. Together with her husband Llance, they wondered if broth could work like tea – simple, portable, and satisfying. That question led them to their kitchen table, where they started experimenting.

Their solution? A broth in a tea bag made with real vegetables, herbs, and spices – without sugar or caffeine. Using personal savings and credit cards, they started with less than $1,000 and transformed this idea into Millie’s Sipping Broth, now a million-dollar company preparing to stock Walmart shelves nationwide.

In a market filled with companies like Starbucks and Amazon, the Kezners showed that solving one person’s daily challenge can lead to remarkable results.

“We were the first to reinvent broth as a hot beverage from a tea bag,” Llance shares. Starting at their kitchen table with no food industry experience, they focused first on creating a test product. Their early experiments were straightforward but enlightening. “I had created the first version with some loose dehydrated vegetables, seasoning and herbs,” Llance recalls. When Lori tasted it, she noticed everything floating in the cup and suggested putting it in a tea bag. They emptied Lipton tea bags, filled them with their mixture, and stapled them back together. Lori took ten samples to school, placing them in the teachers’ room. She came back after one class, and they were all gone.

The first real test came at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The Kezners set up a tent across from the world’s first Starbucks. “We didn’t know anything about scaling a CPG product, let alone a food-based product. So, everything scared us,” Llance admits. Rather than letting fear stop them, they brought their product directly to consumers. “It was pretty scary because it was the first time people outside of our family and friends were actually giving us direct feedback,” he shares. They learned to refine their pitch to 10 seconds to connect with visitors from around the world.

Manufacturing proved challenging. “Our product is really tough to make. Easy concept, but it gave all our partners lots of challenges,” Llance notes. “We didn’t know if we were going to have enough capacity.” Yet each time they grew, they managed to meet demand while maintaining or improving quality.

Photo Source – Lori Peha Kezner

Their pricing strategy evolved with their growth. “We definitely priced it as a premium product,” Llance explains. “We were selling directly to customers at Pike Place Market, so we could get away with it.” As they expanded into specialty markets and gift shops, they adjusted. “We had to realize that if we were going to go for higher volume, we needed to bring the costs down.” They modified packaging and aligned prices with market comparables.

As a husband-wife team, they found balance through division of responsibilities. Llance handles sales and operations, while Lori oversees quality and innovation. They maintain separate interests – Llance skis, Lori pursues thrift shopping and art – giving each other space beyond the business.

The business grew through customer loyalty and specialty retail expansion. A significant breakthrough arrived during COVID-19 when Weight Watchers featured Millie’s Sipping Broth on their website, reaching 4-5 million members.

Today, Millie’s Sipping Broth:

  • Generates over $1 million in annual revenue
  • Received two golden tickets from Walmart for nationwide distribution
  • Is preparing to launch food service partnerships for cafes, hospitals, airlines, and more

Llance, with his background in international trade and software sales, notes their location in Bellevue, Washington, as a source of motivation. “We are driven to innovate because we are surrounded by internationally recognized companies like Starbucks, Costco, Microsoft, and Amazon.”

When asked about misconceptions, Llance dismisses quick success stories and the idea that “you should give up if you don’t hit your goals right away.”

For those thinking about starting their own business, the Kezners’ experience shows:

  • Start with testing your product with real customers
  • Don’t let fear of the unknown stop you
  • Solve a genuine market need
  • Stay patient as you grow

Behind every million-dollar idea lies a simple truth – it begins with solving a real problem. While the Kezners now stock store shelves nationwide, their success started with Lori needing better food options between classes. Their first step wasn’t raising capital or writing complex business plans – it was setting up a tent at Pike Place Market to test their idea. You don’t need deep industry knowledge or massive funding to start. Your next business might be hiding in your daily routine, just waiting for you to bring it to life.

Got an awesome startup story? We’d love to hear how you turned your big idea into reality! StartUp101 is all about sharing real stories from founders like you to inspire others who are just getting started.

Let Us Know

Suggest a Story: Have you or someone you know started a business with an inspirational story that should be featured on StartUp101? If so, please let us know here.

Some (but not all) of the links on StartUp101.com are affiliate links. This means that a special tracking code is used and that we may make a small commission on the sale of an item if you purchase through one of these links. The price of the item is the same for you whether it is an affiliate link or not, and using affiliate links helps us to maintain this website.

StartUp101.com is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Our mission is to help businesses start and promoting inferior products and services doesn’t serve that mission. We keep the opinions fair and balanced and not let the commissions influence our opinions.

Search

READY TO START YOUR BUSINESS?

Get Real Founder Stories and Practical Frameworks Delivered to Your Inbox Weekly!

Get Real Founder Stories and Practical Frameworks Delivered to Your Inbox Weekly!