When talking to Matthias Payton, the mind behind Mia’s Jasper and Gold (or Jasper’s for short), the word which may come to mind first is passion, quickly followed by accessibility.

As we spoke over the phone, through his detailed exploration of his business, and the ideals that sustain it, Payton’s passion for health, education and communication became clear.

For Payton, his passion is found simply in the process by which he goes about creating his infusions, be it through the meticulous, thorough researching of ingredients and brewing techniques, or by his genuine thoughtfulness when addressing the stereotypes and preconceptions about how tea is processed and consumed.

It is, for him, a total process of cultivating the best admixture of health, quality and taste by being both intentional and communicative about his process. As Payton explained, nothing about what he does is secretive or inaccessible.

The other component of his passion is his joy for talking about his world with others.

Originally from Rocky Mount, Payton has called Durham home for the last 16 years. As he puts it, he credits his Christian background and faith in God as his main source of inspiration for Jasper’s.

“My business allows me to put to action my morals for individuality and varietying and combining [those] with constant love,” he said.

While Jaspers has only been operating as an official business since December, Payton has been researching, practicing and sharing his craft for the past two years before this point.

Payton said one of his major learning experiences was understanding that being an entrepreneur and running a business was a lifestyle, not just another job. Helius’ helped him add structure to his business, and give it stronger legs to run with. But it was his constant dedication to his craft as a part of his life that has fueled him into success.

For now Payton splits his time between his business and other sources of income, and he still spends more than 20 to 30 hours a week focused on his craft. For him, it is the response to his work that lets him know his time is being well spent.

“I am constantly humbled by the number of people that love my product,” he said. “The feedback I received shows me that the work I put in is being noticed.”

It is that dedication to his craft and his desire to be communicative with his customers that has allowed Payton to stay diligent in his response to COVID as he transitions now into not only selling his tea online, but also attempting to maintain the same level of informativeness he would with his in-person sales.

He’s doing this by, as always, being accessible through his social media, while also setting up his own website and other resources to make his product more readily available to the community at this time.

Though it’s a new challenge for him, as it has been for all us, the realities of COVID-19 — and the stresses of being a small business owner in general — have not seemed to stop Payton’s passion.

The Helius Foundation provides small businesses and necessity-driven entrepreneurs with free business training and coaching, and access to low-interest microloans.