Heather Latter
Looking to start up a company to fill their spare time, friends Nicke Baird, Heather Bridgeman, and Chelsey Simpson recently created a business selling loose leaf tea, called “Smashing Tea,” that officially will launch this weekend.
“We wanted to do a company that brings wellness to people,” said Baird, noting there are plenty of health benefits to drinking tea, such as reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke while creating a calmer but more alert state of mind.
“Our love of tea, and lack of loose leaf tea available in the area, provided the opportunity to build this company,” she remarked.
They began meeting about the idea back in January, working together to develop the logo and packaging, finding a supplier, determining the products, and deciding upon a name for the business.
“Agreeing on a name was quite a process,” Baird chuckled.
“We went through all the really cute, obvious ones like ‘La-Tea-Da!’ which were already taken.
“That was the hardest part—deciding on a name,” agreed Simpson. “Because we all had different ideas of what we want it to be.”
“We wanted something fun and sophisticated . . . keeping it urban cool,” Baird reasoned.
“Then we found ‘smashing’ and it had the description of adjective: excellent, extraordinarily impressive, or fine,” Simpson said.
Once that was determined, trio was able to start their online business.
“We don’t have a storefront because the three of us all still work full-time,” Baird explained.
And despite not having done any formal advertising yet, they have seen a positive response from friends and family.
“It was slower in the summer but it’s already starting to pick up again,” she said.
“Smashing Tea” offers a wide variety of loose leaf tea, with a selection of flavours of black tea, green tea, white tea, rooibos tea, herbal, fruit blends, and oolong, in addition to disposable tea bags.
“We’d like to expand in the future to sell teapots, travel tea mugs, and diffusers,” Baird said.
“The reason we decided to go with tea bags instead of tea balls is because if you’re a loose leaf tea drinker, it is really the most convenient way to drink tea.
“You put it in the biodegradable bag, it infuses, you take it out after the steep time, and you throw it in the garbage,” she explained.
“You don’t have to clean out anything or rinse anything.”
Baird added that she’d like people to have an open mind about their tea, since she often has people say they don’t like green tea.
“The reason is because they’ve probably been drinking bagged green tea,” she reasoned. “Loose leaf green tea is so much different.
“Once you switch to drinking loose leaf tea, you will never go back to tea bags.
“Loose tea offers superior flavour, better value, and opens up a world of possibilities for the tea drinker,” Baird stressed.
While many people consider tea a cozy comfort, “Smashing Tea” did offer some “boozy tea” this summer, such as Long Island teas and sangria.
“You’re taking tea and making it the base of the drinks,” Baird noted, citing they are healthier due to the lower calories and no sugar.
And there are flavours that can be made into iced tea that even children would enjoy, such as “Strawberry Shortcake” and “Candied Pomegranate.”
However, Baird said they will be featuring three flavours for the holiday season.
While they have done some home parties, the trio really is trying to stay away from being thought of as that type of business.
“We are independently owned and operated,” Baird stressed. “And we are certainly not about high-pressure sales.
“We want people to order online at their convenience.”
She added they are keeping their business small right now, mostly with locals who can pick up their order or they will deliver it.
“We try to have the order ready within two business days,” Baird said, adding people really seem happy with their products.
“Most of our customers are repeat buyers,” Simpson concurred.
They offer wholesale products at “From the Grind Up” on Scott Street, and have supplied the tea for the Fort Frances Museum’s tea and scone events during “Market Thursdays” this past summer.
But they wanted to wait until they got all the kinks out to officially launch the business.
“And I think we have all the kinks out now,” Baird said.
They will be launching “Smashing Tea” this Sunday (Nov. 10) from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the Shaw Room at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre.
“People will be able to sample our three feature teas,” Baird noted, adding they also will be offering information about loose leaf tea, as well as providing snacks.
“We’ve had lots of inquiries, so we really hope people will come out and check it out,” she remarked.
“We hope for it to grow.”
“We started out slow, which we wanted at first,” echoed Simpson.
“But wherever it goes, it goes and we’ll work with it,” she reasoned.
For more information, visit www.smashingtea.com
