Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Raechel Kelley Valles. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Raechel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Success is an interesting and nuanced topic. I think what’s most important is defining what success looks like to you. Many identify success with monetary value, and while that may be a byproduct of success, it’s not the core. In my opinion, a more authentic approach to success involves digging deep and really understanding your own values and motivation. We sometimes overlook important aspects to success like happiness and wellbeing.

Once you identify what you’re really after, set up bench markers for small wins along that way and celebrate them regularly. Stretch goals are crucial too. Set them reasonably and with intention, using data to monitor your progress.

Ultimately, my personal recipe for success involves grit, knowing what you want, realistic goals and recognizing that entrepreneurship is all about the journey. If we get too focused on the end game, we miss the juicy lessons and joys along the way.

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

The story of Siply began when I was in my corporate career. Like most in corporate America, I spent hours upon hours in cubical, the blue light of my computer reflecting off my face while I chugged whatever sludge that came from the latest Keurig cup in the staff kitchen. The first symptoms I noticed were rapid weight loss, digestive issues and thinning hair. I started to become depressed with terrible brain fog and anxiety. After months of trying to figure out was going on, I was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune condition.

I studied Science Journalism in college, so when I research something, I go all the way down the rabbit hole and I realized I needed to change my lifestyle fast. So, I found a job that allowed to work from home, kicked coffee to the curb and started drinking tea as an alternative.

My taste for tea was originally inspired by my maternal Grandmother, Julie. She would have tea multiple times a day– English breakfast with milk and sugar, no matter the hour. As a kid, I loved cheap bagged black tea, but when I discovered more about the toxins in low quality and tea bags, I started searching for a cleaner option.

Once I opened that door, I fell in love with tea and everything it had to offer, from flavor, to health benefits to the art of preparation. I became a certified tea sommelier and traveled to countries like Ireland, Portugal, Canada and India (and more) to get a feel for how other cultures embrace tea. I was not only drinking the best tea, but I was making fun creations like chilled herbal infusions, original tea blends with pu’er (a fermented black tea) and modernized versions of butter tea (a traditional Tibetan beverage).

Tea was a vehicle that led me to major life changes. Not only was I making healthier decisions, I became much more conscious and mindful. I thought about things like clean living, sourcing, sustainability, and self care. Tea is not just something you drink, it is a practice, a pause and a moment just for you.

In 2017, I showed up to the farmers’ market with nothing but a couple drums of butter tea and a smile. That was day one. Since then, the company has evolved to embody all of those qualities that help me be the best version of myself. We have an online store that offers our clean, responsible and delicious loose leaf tea and matcha to US and Canada. We also recently launched our wholesale business here in Austin and can be found at small retailers, coffee shops and restaurants around the city.

Have you ever had to pivot?

We did a huge pivot in 2022 when we redesigned our packaging. Our packaging was originally pretty distinguishable, with all our loose leaf teas and matchas coming in the cute little green plastic jars. They were made in the US out of recycled material, so I felt like I was making responsible decisions at the time. Once the news came out about microplastics and plastic waste, I knew I needed to make a different move. It took us a while to find the right vendor, but we eventually landed on stainless steel refillable tins, made in the US, and 100% compostable refill bags. The whole package, label and all, is made out of sugarcane.. We’re pretty excited about it.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

My business partner, Andrea Hammond, is pretty much the best thing that could have happened to Siply. We met when I was in college in Western Mass. After many years of friendship, she moved to Austin and eventually joined the company in 2022. She is the yin to my yang and has the unique ability to help me see different perspectives I may have never considered. We are total opposites and complimentary in every way. We’ve laughed many times about our ability to withstand chaos by one of us always staying grounded. As a result, if one falls, the other is there to catch them. The best example of this was during our trip to India, when I got terrible food poisoning on our last day. Andrea literally carried me for 24 hours, through prop plane flights and multiple airports with our bags overflowing with tea and shiva lingam stones. If I could share any advice on the business partner topic, it would be this: choose someone who thinks differently than you, someone who pushes you out of your comfort zone and someone who you have an absolute blast with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sipsiply.com/
• Instagram: @sipsiply
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sipsiply/
• Other: tiktok: @sipsiply

Image Credits
Kelly Sanchez Chisum Pierce