Where entrepreneurs like Jesse Diaz lead, healthier communities are sure to follow.
Born into a family passionate about nutrition and health, Jesse’s parents owned a health food store located on the East Side of Chicago. After graduating college, Jesse helped build out his parents’ business by putting on wellness events and collaborating with community members. Through this experience, Jesse began molding the vision for his own store with hopes of bringing his knowledge and expertise to a new community. Having struggled at times with his own health journey, Jesse sought to make wellness more accessible, understanding how intimidating other health focused businesses can be for the average person.
“I grew up seeing health and wellness in a really different way,” said Jesse. “I saw that ease for me, was a big struggle for [other] people.”
In 2021, Jesse opened Hegewisch Nutrition in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago. Hegewisch Nutrition is a health food store offering nutrient dense smoothies, energy drinks, and more with the goal of helping everyday people make healthier choices.
However, after a slow start, Jesse wondered if Hegewisch Nutrition had a place in the community. As he did with his parents’ store, Jesse decided to host an event to market the business. To his surprise: the community rallied, posting about it on social media and even attracting the attention of the local newspaper.
“I never experienced community like that,” shared Jesse. “They were really proud that change was happening, and I am happy that my business has been the vehicle for that change.”
On top of healthy food options, Hegewisch Nutrition acts as a community space, hosting everything from Pilates classes to events with the Alderman’s office where high school seniors learn how to fill out their FAFSA.
In 2024, Jesse received the Good Food Fund grant, administered by A4CB. This funding allowed Jesse to invest in equipment and expand the selection of healthy products and services Hegewisch Nutrition offers. It also gave Jesse the ability to continue hosting wellness events for the community.
Though making his mark on the community, Jesse needed extra funding when infrastructure issues arose. Previously an old theater, Hegewisch Nutrition has encountered everything from plumbing issues to problems with the roof.
In 2025, Jesse returned to A4CB and received a loan which allowed him to invest in these infrastructure issues, as well as his inventory.
In 2026, Jesse participated in A4CB’s Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab (NEL), a 3-month cohort-based accelerator program that pairs community business owners with strategists and advisors who provide intensive support for a business growth initiative. Each entrepreneur also receives a $20,000 grant to help execute their growth plan. The program taught Jesse how to fine tune his operating procedures which led him to create a training program for new employees.
“[NEL] gave me a lot of clarity on the bigger picture,” said Jesse. “And then it gave me clarity on how the small steps of my everyday can lead me to that bigger picture.”
Today, Jesse leads a team of 6, a few of which are high school students who he mentors. As Hegewisch Nutrition grows, Jesse plans on offering more personalized nutrition and wellness coaching, fitness programming, and community partnerships. He also plans to expand into catering and healthy event services while creating more opportunities for residents to live healthier lives.
“I hope Hegewisch Nutrition continues to be known as a place where people don’t just come for healthy food and drinks,” said Jesse. “They come for encouragement, connection, and a community that truly cares.”
