We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful LaTia Maxwell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with LaTia below.
LaTia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Tea has always been something I enjoyed. It was something I used to kick off my day and it was a moment of intentionality. There was no long thought out plan or process. I noticed there were very little black owned tea brands, no black owned brands in the grocery store and there were few people in my circle who enjoyed tea as much as I did.
I went on this mission to create flavors to try and win people over to show that tea is not just when you are sick and tea isn’t boring. I didn’t know if it was going to work, I didn’t know if it was going to catch on. I just knew that there were a lot of people who didn’t like tea and I wanted to show them that tea is good. I believe that I am changing that narrative, one cup of tea at a time.
LaTia, 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?
I am an Ethics and Compliance Manager by day and manage the program globally for my company. Tea gave me the moment to quiet after getting my daughter off to school and prepare for my day ahead. I would find myself mixing various flavors from the stores and adding in my own flavors and herbs. I began to notice that so many of my friends did not have as much excitement about tea as I did and that coffee and expresso was the big rave. Randomly, one day a light bulb went off to start my own brand. Flavors that wasn’t on the shelf and that were fun to begin winning people over to enjoying tea.
It was definitely fun in the beginning, but I noticed that it was not necessarily the flavor of tea but the lack of education around tea is what was missing. Having a company with uniquely flavored blends turned into Tea Education and Afternoon Tea Meetups. I began to focus more on educating people on tea, the flavors, preparation, benefits and the etiquette. Everything is so casual and virtual now, I believe we have lost the art of etiquette a tad.
Spoonful of Sugar was birthed July 2020 and began to host classes in January 2021. I have held Tea Education classes for more than 1500 people thus far. Afternoon tea in America isn’t a big thing but I do see people loving the idea of getting dressed up and doing something different. So In 2022 I began hosting Tea Meet-ups called “Tea is the New Brunch.” I select a location, create a theme on what to wear and have people meet me for Tea.
In this short time, I have gotten a much bigger response than I honestly anticipated. So many people love what they learned in the class and feel much more confident about making a cup of tea and I’ve won quite a few people over to enjoying a cup of tea!
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
New Clients honestly come from word of mouth. I honestly can’t say that many people have reached out because of social media. Word of mouth still works, how far of a reach it may go I am unsure but I love to hear that I was recommended in that way. Word of mouth to me is much more human and personable.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Ive pivoted both in business and in career. I am naturally a creative and change is good for me. I worked 17yrs in IT before deciding to pivot into Ethics & Compliance. The pivot was more personal satisfaction than rather a need. I wanted change and I had been exposed to Compliance in my IT positions and decided to make the switch. I can honestly say that I really do enjoy what I do.
For Spoonful of Sugar I went from focusing on getting people to drink tea to educating people on tea. That’s when my audience expanded and I learned what people really needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shopthespoonful.com
- Instagram: atea_spoonful
- Facebook: spoonfulofsugarllc
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/latiamaxwell
Image Credits
Carl Ankrum Latia Maxwell