We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Missy Carter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Missy, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

What started as a way to use our creativity and bond as a family has quickly grown into a mission to enhance our community and create opportunities for youth.

Sweets ‘N’ Teas donates 100% of our tips to providing free fresh drink and boba options to the youth in our community through local school districts and Boys & Girls Clubs to ensure equitable access to our community.

Additionally, we now partner with local schools and youth serving non-profits to provide 20% of profit at independent events back to the agency or organization to support opportunities for our youth.

In a community where there are 1.19 liquor stores for every square mile and every school qualifies for the USDA’s program for free breakfast and lunch based on a formula calculating the poverty level of households, we want to make sure the customers and community we are catering to know how much they mean to us and how dedicated we are to enriching their environment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Our family was sort of known for our fresh squeezed lemonade sold by our now owner, Ceddie, on the front lawn, so as a way to build and bond as a family, we decided to make it to sell at our local Urban Farmers Market and it just kinda took off from there.

We have now expanded into a full service “build your own” bubble beverage bar, offering homemade, hand squeezed and fresh brewed teas and juices. From blue, green and our very own signature “CedTea”, to the sweet drink of Mexico, Horchata and the staple for Sweets ‘N’ Teas, our lemonade. You can mix and match with syrups and flavors, add a shot of matcha or even boba for something really unique and fun.

Thanks to social media and influencers—all the kids in our target demographic are already familiar with boba—but saw it as something you could only try if you went to a big city.

What makes Sweets & Teas such an enhancement to the community is having all the health benefits of decaffeinated teas or fresh squeezed juice as an alternative to the high fructose sugary juices and caffeinated sodas that are saturating the market in our area.

There’s a demand for a diversified market and we plan to get mobile to meet the need—and eventually—fill additional needs of the youth in our community.

The youth have a hand in every part of the business—from marketing and sales to production and finances. We aren’t just filling a gap, we’re setting an example.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Initially, funding was out of pocket from “Momager’s” full time career as a clinician. As the business began to grow and the need to take the product into the community and provide accessibility in areas that wouldn’t otherwise have availability, we decided to purchase a vintage camper to convert into our “tea truck”—a “bobamobile”, if you will. This is when we learned about KIVA crowdfunding loans where we were able to apply for, fundraise and secure a no-interest loan to begin the remodel of our new “storefront”. The KIVA organization provides so much guidance and support and continues to do so as we are in the repayment period. It was a phenomenal experience for us as we are new to entrepreneurship and owning a business. The whole process helped us tap into the support of our community and the knowledge of other small business owners.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Initially— Because of the lack of accessibility, customers were just excited to see the option available. Since then, however, I think we have gained support based on who we are, how we operate and what our mission is.

While we have to make a profit to keep things going—enhancing our community is at the core of our mission

People see us offering gourmet sweets and fresh squeezed fruit juices and home brewed teas for an incredibly affordable price.

We do not cut corners on quality and try to keep our prices affordable enough that a young kid can crack into the piggy bank or save a few dollars from allowance for a hand crafted bubble beverage and homemade treat.

And for those who don’t have access? We donate 100% of our tips to providing free beverages to youth at local events and collaborate with school districts and non-profits serving the local youth in giving 20% of profit from independent events back the the agency or school.

People see that we are just a “dysfunctionally fun family” trying to improve our community through our creativity and craft—and that’s something they can get behind and support.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sweets.n.teas
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweets.n.teas319?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Tess Irene Photography