We were lucky to catch up with Jayne Lewis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jayne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
My story of tea and herbs begin in a backroom of a business I started in Indiana. This was an artist consignment store that had a small room in the back. I envisioned loose leaf tea in jars, much like I have now. Back then people only knew teabags and that was not my vision. Why would anyone want to sell an inferior product. I went to a trade show and met with sales reps from The Republic of Tea out of California. I told them I wanted to sell whole leaf loose tea and was interested in their top sellers. They assured me that nobody would buy it, and that teabags were what sold the most. After arguing with several reps and their superiors, we compromised. I would purchase 10 of their top sellers in whole leaf loose tea and I would also purchase the same ones in teabag form. Guess what sold! The loose leaf tea! That was 17 years ago. When I left Indiana, I opened a small store in downtown Tipp City and called it The Golden Leaf, Uniques, Antiques Fine Teas and Coffees. That was nearly 13 years ago. Although, at that time most people didn’t know or understand the healing power of herbs or why tea wasn’t in a bag. But over time, and a tearoom later, people began to understand that whole leaf tea was so much better than bagged tea. So, the more I served and sold, the bigger my inventory became. During that time I started researching more and more herbs and learning their healing properties. I began blending my own herbal blends for healing and went to school to be a Certified Master Herbalist, as well as a few other certifications. I now have over 350 products and growing, that are sold in-store and online. I have found along the way my true passion is to help people and teach them how to help themselves. Now, The Golden Leaf Tea and Herb Company, carries mainly all organic herbs, teas, coffees and essential oils. I grow and harvest herbs on my own homestead as well. We just recently moved to a larger facility outside of the downtown, which at first was a little scary, but has proven to be a good thing for my business. We are now licensed by the State of Ohio as a manufacturing & retail facility. We have a certified kitchen where we small batch the tea blends and herbal blends that we sell. At this point, our future looks bright as we are making plans to expand into other avenues in the spring/summer of 2024. The few things I would say to someone wishing to start a business is, make sure it’s your passion, do your homework, follow your gut instincts and always be the face of your own business. Nobody loves your business like you do, so build relationships with YOUR customers and they will build relationships with you that last.
Jayne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My tea journey started 17 years ago in a small back room of a business in Indiana. At that time, I owned a retail store that had only handmade/artisan products. I wanted to open a small tea room with 2 tables and really great tea. My goal has always been to offer superior products to my customers, something better than they could get anywhere else. At that time whole leaf loose tea was virtually unknown to most in the U.S., so I started with a good brand and only offered 10 of their top selling teas, both loose leaf and in tea bag form. Along the way, I educated my customers as to why they should be drinking loose leaf tea instead of using teabags. As people started to purchase what I offered, they found that it was so much better than store bought tea. Throughout the years, I started a new business in Ohio and continued to grow my inventory of loose leaf tea. I also opened a 50 person tearoom and started my journey into herbs and the importance of organic products. I continue to educate myself and I believe in educating every person who walks in the door as to the importance of organic natural products that taste better, and are healthier for them.
We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.
I began manufacturing my own tea and herbal blends about 8 years ago. I noticed customers were asking for different blends than what I carried or could purchase from other tea vendors, so I started by putting different flavors together and taste testing them. I also allowed people to do their own blends in store and give them a name. Only through my own research and time, did I figure out how to truly create my own tea blends and tisanes. I also went to school to become a Certified Master Herbalist and Flower Essence Specialist. I also began growing my own herbs and studying the healing benefits to plants. We are now licensed by the State of Ohio as a manufacturer and retailer. I purchase my raw materials from organic sustainable sources and produce nearly 100% of all loose leaf tea blends and herbal healing blends found in-store and online from my website. It was trial and error at the beginning, but the more I do it, the easier it becomes. We still have taste testers that help me to zero in on the flavors I’m looking for when beginning a new blend. I also take older blends and revamp them if needed. I am always educating myself about this business, plus I listen to my customers and what they are looking for.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients would have to be “word of mouth”. After being in business for nearly 13 years, I am always amazed at how many new customers are referred from other customers/friends/relatives. I have people drive 3 hours just to come to my store. However, I do sell online through my own website and can ship anywhere in the United States. I also advertise on social media and google. But the main source of my new business and repeat business always comes from referrals. Offering the best products you can and always keeping up with educating yourself on new items and trends helps. This is a very saturated business if you look online, but my product doesn’t sit in a warehouse, you could say it’s basically from blending station to shelf. Our loyal customers will tell you that they love our products and shopping our small business, because they are treated like family.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheGoldenLeaf.com
- Instagram: #thegoldenleafteaco
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GLTeaandherbco
- Linkedin: Jayne Lewis
- Twitter: @goldenleafteaco
- Yelp: The Golden Leaf Tea & Herb Company
- Other: tiktok.com/@thegoldenleafteaco
Image Credits
Jayne Lewis