The following article was just published in the Brantford Expositor, featuring one of our Brantford consultants and her Steeped Tea story. What's your Steeped Tea story???
Business suits mom to a tea
Posted By VINCENT BALL
Posted 3 hours ago
tea party, that is.
She's a consultant for Hamilton- based Steeped Tea and spends two or three nights a month hosting tea parties for people in and around Brantford.
"I'm a single-parent mom and I work full-time," said Giosi, of Brantford. "This is a great way to supplement my income.
"It'll help pay for renovation or help with my daughter's college or university education."
And, she added, there are a few other benefits.
It is a heck of a lot of fun, you get to meet a lot of different and interesting people. And, she added, there's no pressure.
She can take on as much or as little work as she wants.
Right now, she's hosting two or three parties a month, which suits her schedule just fine.
Giosi became a consultant for Steeped Tea after attending a tea party in Brantford last July. A friend had invited her to attend.
"I must say, back then, I was a bit more of coffee drinker than a tea drinker," Giosi confessed. "But I really enjoyed my night out.
"We tasted a couple of different teas, but one really stood out. It was creme carmello and once I tried that, I was sold."
She soon joined the Steeped Tea team and has been hosting tea parties ever since.
For a tea party, Giosi will typically arrive at the home of the host about 30 minutes before it's scheduled to start. She will prepare three different teas for guests to sample in addition to one iced tea.
She will talk about the history of tea as well as its health benefits and guests have an opportunity to ask questions. Guests will also have a chance to purchase a variety of Steeped Tea products.
It's a very relaxed, social atmosphere that for many guests is a wonderful, inexpensive night out. Some people like to have a theme to their party, while others see it as a pleasant night out.
Established in 2007, Steeped Fine Loose Teas and Accessories was started by the husband and wife team of Tonia and Hatem Jahshan following an earlier trip to Nova Scotia.
They were served a creme Earl Grey tea at a bed and breakfast.
The couple were amazed at the richness of the tea and discovered the difference between loose tea and the store-bought tea bags.
"Teabags are like the hot dogs of tea," Tonia said in a telephone interview. "There's a real difference in quality.
"Loose tea goes through a different process and when you steep it you can taste the difference in quality."
When they returned home, they decided to learn more about the benefits of loose tea and share it with others.
"One of the biggest selling points is the health benefits of tea," Tonia said. "Most people are aware of the benefits of green tea, but not everyone knows about the benefits of oolong tea and matcha," she said.
Oolong tea helps burn fat, reduce cholesterol, prevent heart ailments and treat digestive disorders. Matcha tea contains a large amount of antioxidants, chemical compounds that help forestall aging.
After preparing a business plan, Tonia started hosting her own tea parties and the idea caught on. She started hiring consultants, women who could host tea parties and sell products carried by Steeped Tea directly to consumers.
The catalogue of Steeped Tea products can be found at www.steepedtea.com.
Most of the company's teas are derived from a Canadian supplier, its spa line is made in Toronto and the cookies come from London. An artist in Simcoe hand makes the unique limited edition teapots.
The company is continuing to grow at a rapid pace despite the recession and is looking to move into the United States market in the next few years. Steeped Tea has already added consultants from Nova Scotia, Calgary and Winnipeg to its team.
The consultants work on a commission and it can be quite lucrative, Tonia said.
"We had one consultant make $34,000 last year and that was working part-time," she said.
Steeped Tea offers more than 60 different varieties of fine loose teas, as well as accessories and treats including scones, jam, tea baths and mugs.
