Market Research

Every year, my friend Lois has her "Cool and Groovy Garden Party" and invites her artistic friends to set up tents and tables to sell their creations in her whimsical garden. She sends out invitations and posts flyers to bring in the customers. I have participated for the past 2 years. Yesterday, I not only set up my craft and vintage tea ware table, but I set up a tea station for some market research.

I blended and brewed some teas from what I had in my kitchen and offered them for tasting. I had prepared questionaires for each taster to fill out. I got some very good results. My Lemon Creme Spice was hands down the favorite. The Rose Petal Black took a close second, suggestions were to add more Spearmint. While, the Berry Good Oolong came in last. Some liked it, but most didn't, stating it was weak and too tart.

I also emailed the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services some questions about the Cottage Foods Act recently signed into law. I can start this venture under the act, blending and packaging my teas in my own kitchen. However, I can only sell directly to the consumer, meaning no internet or mail order sales and I cannot go over $15000 in gross annual sales. So the plan is to start out as a cottage business and sell at farmers markets and other events, until I start actually making money... Then I'll contract with a professional kitchen and expand into internet sales and local grocers.

The Beginning of My Journey

I've recently become unemployed after more than 10 years at a regional environmental government agency, more than 5 at a state environmental agency and many years in the private sector prior to that. In this economy, jobs are hard to find, especially for those over 50. My husband has been ill and has been out of work for more than 2 years, making me our sole provider.

So... what to do? I thought about being the full time artist that I've longed to be, but my production of pieces has been sporadic... not enough to support myself, much less myself and my family.  I want to do something I'm passionate about, but don't have much capital for a business start up. I also wanted there to be an environmental element and a social justice element. There also had to be a spiritual connection. So I asked the questions: What am I passionate about? What can satisfy the environmental and human elements? What about the spiritual connection?  The answer... Tea!

For the past few weeks, I've been working on planning the opening of The Bohemian Tea House. I plan to blend, package and sell fair trade, organic teas and herbal tisanes under my own label. Primary sales will be online and at local farmers markers. My goal (besides blending and selling wonderful organically grown teas that help to support workers on the plantations) is to eventually have a mobile tea lounge selling and serving my own artisan blended teas (and perhaps some baked goods) at venues and events throughout the US, or at least the southeastern US.

Wish me luck and stay tuned!