Check Tea Trove website

Greetings! First, this blog doesn't get updated very often. Why? We launched an e-commerce site that includes a blog. So, for the latest information go to www.teatrove.com or facebook/teatrove. Second, thanks for checking us out! Our farmers market season begins in May and ends in October. Check the above sites for more information. Thank you! KDM

Rockin' the new lemonade blends!

Okay, so here's the latest:

Lemon Bomb - Pinapple, papaya, cherry, and goji berry, lemon juice and sugar

Hibiscus - Not overly tart from the hibiscus; great balance with the lemon and sugar

I LOVE lemonade as much as I love teas.

Check out the new e-commerce site at teatrove.com

Happy tasting!
KDM

Earth Day Omaha April 17, 2010

Greetings!

If you've missed our blends or are eager to sample new ones (and we know that you are!) come see us at Earth Day Omaha! You'll be able to sample, buy a cup and purchase teas to enjoy later.

See ya there!

Peace.
Kori

Be sure to become a fan on Facebook!

Enter to WIN!

Stop by our booth at the Omaha Farmers Market (1oth & Jackson - 8 a.m. -12:30 p.m.)and enter to win a gallon of your favorite blend (tea, tisane or lemonade) from us.

See you there!

Peace and Tea.
Kori

News flash!

Greetings!

You may notice a few changes/additions to our marketing. This blog is now simply called: The Tea Trove. You can also find us at:

wwww.google.com/profiles/TheTeaTrove
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tea-Trove/84572155336
*Be sure to become a fan so you can get the latest information from our blending guru!

Peace & Tea!
Kori

We are still here after 6 years! Yah!

Greetings!

As I sit sipping Breakfast Serenade, listening to The Today Show and realizing my kids are a little too quiet, I can't help, but wonder where the time has gone. Our business began at The Omaha Farmers Market (11th & Jackson) in 2003. Back then, I was traveling the US for work and returning each weekend (when possible) during the market season to conduct market research. It was a grueling schedule, but we were determined to see where this "tea thing" might go.

The original business plan was written while I was in Colorado where direct competition existed. Omaha was different. We had to really figure out if there was a market for tea. I knew there was, but banks are more encouraged by "proof." Then, a direct potential competitor opened a retail store (about a year before our retail store opened)and we were able to watch and learn.

Our retail location finally opened after much "sweat equity" and frustration. The location was not ideal, but we had to try to make it work. After two years of doing everything short of parading around in costume on a street corner to get attention,(but considered it) we determined we could not make the location work. A bad location is difficult to overcome. And, more importantly, we were learning that our niche really was blending. Our list of custom blends was developing rapidly and demand for them by other stores was also increasing.

We made a business decision to shift gears. The store closed, but not before we purchased property to which the business could relocate. Our blending facility is the original home on our acreage. It was built in 1877. It is a work-in-progress and as of today, coming along quite nicely.

Now, our business operates more freely. Our hours are typically M-F from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., but that does not mean you'll catch me in the building! You are more likely to receive our voicemail. That routes to my cell phone or computer. Cellular reception is a challenge in the country. I do respond within 24-48 hours after receiving a message.

We also made a decision that our children would be more actively involved. Our business is family-owned. Our children do participate. They help pack boxes for market and help with deliveries. Customers will frequently hear our son say "would you like a sample? or "here is your tea." Our daughter is young so she helps pack boxes.

The news consistently covers stories on balancing family and work because people apparently have difficulty doing so. I think it is especially challenging for moms who work "outside the home" or have a home-based business. I am not as readily available to customers as I was when the store was open. And, my family does take the number one position to the business in many instances. What are the ramifications? Well, I know we loose potential business because others do not agree with our approach. I also know that one of our motivators for beginning a business was to have more control over our lives. So, while we would love to be a million dollar business "yesterday", it will be a slow climb since we also want to enjoy our children growing up.

Our business is small. We like it this way...for now. Business plans are living documents and ours has changed several times over the course of six years in business. Occassionally, we feel the push to grow faster or to compete more strongly, but, and this is huge, we do not believe in increasing our debt load in order to grow our business. Many businesses are struggling through this challenging economic environment. Our "growing slow with purpose" plan is helping us to weather the storm. We do not take on more than we can handle. We are realistic.

Six years and we are still here. We've been approached by third parties representing people wishing to buy our business. It is not for sale. Our hand-blended loose leaf teas and tisanes are some of the best in the tea market. Our ability to create signature blends for customers at a reasonable cost cannot be beat. Working with us is laid back and easy. We laugh a lot. We play a lot. And, we enjoy learning about our customers. Heck, you just might catch us playing chess or trivial pursuit with a few at the farmers Market!

Peace.
Kori

Welcome Harvest Health & Coffee!

Greetings!

Just thought I'd take a moment to welcome Harvest Health & Coffee in Fremont and York, NE as our newest customer. If you are interested in shopping locally, visit Greg's stores. He makes an effort to work with Nebraska producers and to promote Nebraska-made products.

Over the course of the summer, several retail customers inquired about where our teas can be purchased. We list the locations on our site: teatrove.com. These customers also made suggestions (very appreciated), but some were very surprised to learn our approach to growth. We take the turtle's view: Slow & steady. We want our custom blends to sell, but we don't want them to be drowned out in an aisle of teas. Those who've sampled our teas know that we are very particular about our blends in terms of taste and quality.

Sometimes, lower quality tea leaves are used to make blends whether they be flavored or straight blends. This is partly due to cost. If I can purchase a lower grade Assam ($5.50/lb wholesale), jazz it up with flavor and sell it for $30/pound, then I will make money hand over fist. But, and this is a huge BUT, I want our teas to have depth. When I add flavoring, I do it to enhance the overall experience, not to simply cover up a poor quality tea leaf. This is our philosophy.

I LOVE really good food. Tea is no exception. I can get just about any tea (expensive or cheap and anything in between.) I carry standards, but if someone is serious about trying something new, and wants to spend the money to get it, then I will find it. What I will not do is carry expensive teas that will not turn over regularly enough to keep them really fresh. Expensive teas must be fresh in my opinion.

My brother paid for me to have personalized license plates many moons ago. My family and I brainstormed various things to put on it. One of their favorites was "picky." This is completely inaccurate. I am not picky. I am, however, selective. Expensive does not always equal better in my mind, but oftentimes in tea, I have found this to be a true statement. There are thousands of teas and plenty of them are moderately priced and are really great for blending or simply enjoying unmodified. I rarely purchase an expensive tea for blending. What is the point in that? The exception is a wonderful, organic silver needle that I found. I use it for Sweet Snowflake during the holiday season. Never say never, right?

Well, this has gotten longer than I intended. Time to get some blending done for an order.

See you at the farmers market tomorrow!

Peace.
Kori

Clearing the clutter

Greetings!
It's been a long, grueling few weeks, but a bit of oolong tea really helped! Each time I've been faced with a traumatic life event, what is reinforced is how important it is to have a sense of normalcy. Being able to make my tea in the morning is just one thing that does that for me.

We began the clean-up process at our property. It is a slow process and I am not the most patient person on the planet. While I try to complete orders as quickly as possible, I must admit it is difficult to focus. I am one of those people who does not like clutter (physical or mental). It feels so great to clean things out. My mental clarity returns. In my former life, I would tell students that I got more accomplished in the wee hours of the morn than most people did all day. When I have no clutter. My focus is keen. In fact, my nickname was Keen Kori in my former career.

It is frustrating to see all of the damage to our property. There, I wrote it down, thought it and said it aloud. Now, I can move on. We are making great progress getting the outside to look like it once did. Trees have been chopped and chipped. Piles of debris are being cleared. And, today, I was inspired! There is a flower garden just to the south of our main house. It was destroyed. I mowed it a week or so ago. Today, I looked at it and for the first time it occurred to me that it does not need to be there. What?

Now I have a vision of what the garden on the south side should be and just how it should be expanded. The blending building is a bit further south and slightly behind the main house. Our original plan was to create a path from the drive to the door of the building. The grass is slowly dying because of the vehicles that have to drive to the building to make repairs. What better time to recreate the space into a larger, informal garden with a winding path to the door? Better still...no more mowing on the south side of the house! We are always exploring ways to reduce how much lawn maintenance we do. So, I discovered one more up side to a bad situation. Yah!

While we won't be able to host our afternoon tea on the lawn this year, we are looking forward to doing it next year. Maybe the new garden will even be established! That would be very cool!

In the meantime, come visit us at the downtown farmers market each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. As always, samples are free.

Peace.
Keen Kori

p.s. Email is the most reliable way to reach me. My phone messages go to my email so do leave a message. If you include an email addy, then you will hear back faster. If you do not hear back from me in 24-48 hours either by phone or email (and it's not the weekend or a holiday) then it is a safe assumption that I did not receive your message.