If you haven't already heard of The Sugared Tea Cup, and Deb's beautiful Tea Boxes, you've got to check it out! Deb has done a masterful job of curating a beautiful assortment of teas each and every month and packaging them in the most thoughtful & delightful way! Just looking at each box you can see that no detail is overlooked. She has made gifting so much fun! And we were delighted that she choose Turmeric Teas to be a part of her October - Sugar & SPICE box.
Deb likes to meet all of her vendors & enjoys learning the story behind each brand - something we have in common! Below is a snippet of our chat with Deb, learning all about her business & what has motivated her along the way. Happy Reading!
1. How did you start The Sugared Tea Cup, and what was your inspiration?
The Sugared Teacup, as a tea gift box business, started as an offshoot of my tea blog (also called The Sugared Teacup) in 2016. I had been a tea and food blogger since 2010 and starting The Sugared Teacup was a fresh start for me. I had gone through some difficult times in the previous years and it was my way of starting over and sharing a love of all things tea and tea in Toronto!
I started the new blog in May and in September I began toying with the idea of a tea gift box and monthly subscription business that would be solely devoted to local Toronto tea shops and companies. As a tea lover, I thought of how much I would love to try a bunch of different teas from a bunch of different businesses from one particular city in one convenient package. Like from Vancouver. Or Seattle. Or anywhere! So I thought, "well, why don't I do that for Toronto?" And that was when the light bulb went on! Tea boxes created by me that would allow people to try a wide variety of teas in smaller amounts, allow for customization, and have people get to know the local economy and homegrown businesses in a pretty package. A love for tea, Toronto, and beautiful, local, lovingly handmade things is the essence of The Sugared Teacup and the concept behind my tea boxes and products.
2. What is your favourite part about being an Entrepreneur?
My favourite part of being an entrepreneur is, hands down, the creative and artistic freedom. I love coming up with ideas, working with themes, doing collaborations, picking out colour schemes, working with my hands, and seeing my vision come to life. Regardless of whether or not certain ideas pan out, it is so rewarding to be able to have that control every step of the way in the creation and design process.
3. If you could only choose one type of tea... what would you choose?
Green! I drink everything and there are many teas I love, but green tea will always be my favourite, both flavoured and straight varieties.
4. What's in store for 2018?
There are so many things I'm looking forward to in 2018 for The Sugared Teacup! I have more collaborations in the works, new themed boxes, and I've been contemplating introducing my own artwork and photography as new products. I have plans to travel as well, both in Canada and in the US! There are a number of tea festivals I would love to attend (as an attendee, not as a vendor!) and while my business is rooted in Toronto, I feel like making the effort to experience tea elsewhere will be so inspiring and a lot of fun.
Images of The Sugar & Spice October box, featuring Turmeric Teas!
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To learn more about The Sugared Tea Cup check out her personal story here. And don't forget to checkout the Sugar & Spice Box, featuring our very own Turmeric Teas here!
By: Nicole Harvey