Share the Love
I am in Queensland this week visiting family and friends. I love it up here and try to make four trips a year. It’s warm, humid, salty, sandy and very, very relaxing. I try to balance family time with walks on the beach, sushi, lots of work, dinner with friends, playdates, endless cups of tea,… and more work.
I spend the most time on my business (SHE-TEA) while my parents spend time with my son, but it really doesn’t feel like work. Part of the reason is that I love what I do, and part of the reason is that I am doing it while sitting under a palm tree, drinking mineral water with lemon, and listening to my little boy laughing with his nanny and poppy. I can hear the ocean clearly and inhale the salt air. It’s perfect!
This alone is usually enough to make me become very productive during my time here, but this visit I was treated to a little extra lift; my first visit to one of the “The Tea Centre” outlets. Now you are probably aware that I am a tea-lover, so of course I am going to love visiting a place called The Tea Centre, but it was more than this fact that won my affections.
After gazing over the beautiful tea pots, cups, infusers and books, I made my way to their extensive tea menu. I must say, the idea of ordering fresh tea from a menu is very appealing to me so after a fair bit of perusing I decided on 100g or the daintree black tea (as I have been wanting to try this for our own product range), along with the rooibos chai, (as I am planning another ivf round and am starting to cut down on caffeine – rooibos is caffeine-free).
While the attendant was packing the teas, I noticed a little sign that told me if I purchased two or more lots of tea, I could purchase a book (TEA. Health and Happiness: The Guide to Tea and Herbal Tisanes by Mim Beim) for just $2.00 instead of the RRP $16.00. So, of course I popped it in my bag as well, along with a couple of other things – can’t help myself!
I chatted to the girl behind the counter and asked if The Tea Centre was a franchise business as they have a number of outlets across Australia, and it turns out that it is not. The same owners are responsible for all of the shops and they are planning to open even more outlets this year. They love tea and love the idea of growing the tea culture in Australia, so much so that they have assisted a number of other tea businesses to also achieve their dreams. This is where I found my lift!
I love the idea of abundance, that there’s plenty for everyone. I believe it too. To see this philosophy in action, with a successful business, helping other similar businesses, is more than I needed for inspiration. It’s also very encouraging as Vanessa, my business partner, and I have never felt like we were “competing” with other tea businesses, we have never wanted to “take” business from another company, we have just done what we wanted to do, with the aim of bringing something new to the existing tea culture. The encouragement comes from the fact that other, much larger and more established businesses, are operating with these same intentions.
What’s more, the little book that I picked up was also a gem! I was able to read it over 2 hours and I would absolutely recommend it to those who have a love of tea and would like a brief but comprehensive overview of it’s history, it’s properties, and some interesting facts, along with similar details on herbal tisanes. There are even a few handy herbal recipes and a great little home-made chai recipe that I have included below (thanks Mim!).
So I guess the reason I am writing about this is to firstly say a big thank you to the owners of The Tea Centre for being such great role models in an established Australian market, secondly to thank Mim Beim for creating a wonderful and refreshing read, and finally, to point out a perfect example of how a friendly, enthusiastic and informed member of staff can create an inspiring story around a business, and in turn increase the business’s profile and sales. It is true, that people don’t just buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Chai Recipe (makes 3-4 cups)
- 6 green cardamon pods (crushed)
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ inch of fresh ginger root (chopped)
- 4 black peppercorns
- 3 cups of cold water
- 2 tbsp sugar or honey (to taste)
- Cups of milk
- 1 tbs strong black tea leaves (such as Assam)
Place the spices in a saucepan, add water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add milk, honey or sugar, bring to the boil, throw in the tea leaves.
Turn off heat, infuse for 2 minutes, strain and enjoy.
(Taken from: TEA Health and Happiness. The Guide to Tea and Herbal Tisanes. Mim Beim. 2008)
