Why Start a Tea Business?

Why do people drink tea? It tastes good, and that is an obvious prerequisite. The benefits must be stellar for people to keep consuming something they dislike. Taste is, of course, a critical component, but many things “taste good”. We choose between all the tasty options for other reasons. There may be four reasons that Americans (and probably all people) choose tea over other beverages: escape, alertness, health, and identity.

Escape

For many, tea is a ritual. Regardless of whether it's a beautifully precise ceremony or a stumbling, fumbling teabag in a cup at 5 am, it's part of our day. We break for tea for the same reasons that others take a walk or smoke a cigarette. We push back from the task at hand, clear our minds, regain our perspective, and find a moment of peace in a crowded and stressful day.

Alertness

Like it or not, caffeine has a tremendous impact on our nervous system and is highly addictive. Studies have shown that a significant part of our appreciation for caffeinated beverages is the alertness and feeling of vitality that we get from drinking them. If you drink any caffeinated beverage, your brain is now hard-wired to prefer it over other options. Tea is special in that it also has L-Theanine, a naturally occurring component that helps you focus, so instead of the jitters, you get calm, focused energy!

Health

For years, the media have been flooded with stories on the health benefits of tea. Ties have been made to weight loss, cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, and seemingly everything else that ails humanity. Regardless of whether or not you buy into any particular claim, it’s clear that tea is good for you and a significant part of a healthy diet. Drinking tea in place of most other beverages is excellent for your health. Many Americans give tea a second look for this reason alone.

Identity

This one covers a broad swath of reasons, from ethnic tradition to chosen hobby. Some drink tea because they were raised that way, and that’s what they’ve always done. Others choose tea because it fits into the image of their idealized self: connected to nature, healthy, and socially and environmentally conscious, etc. Some drink tea as a hobby, learning about and collecting teas and teaware from around the world. Many take tremendous personal pride in their identity as an enlightened drinker of premium teas.

Understanding what drives your customer is critical to crafting appropriate marketing messages and sales approaches. You can help people choose which product to buy based on flavor, origin, or competing features, but you can't begin there. Too many of the people walking past our door equate tea with warmth, illness, bitterness, boredom, and stuffy traditions. Merely showing them your products won't work. You must begin by inspiring desire and giving them a reason to care! You must start by showing them why tea is so much more than just a commodity tea bag. After all, they’re entering the store or coming to your website because they are curious and wondering what this tea shop is all about.

Through marketing and imagery, through a customer engagement process, and the stories we tell, your job is to show the casual consumer how the real experience of quality tea can improve their lives. Yes, tea can do that.