Let's Work Together

Sipping Tea Together

In the mid-1990's, my life was hectic with a merry-go-round of tea, coffee, etiquette, and professional speaking. After many years in the business world, I went to the third annual Coffee Fest trade show in Seattle - "serving the specialty coffee and gourmet tea industries". One of the tea presentations changed my lifestyle. It was somewhat difficult to jump ship from coffee-centric to tea-centric since I'd just received the SCAA's barista training.

From creating tea blends for gourmet wholesalers to teaching tea classes, I've enjoyed every moment of meeting people related to tea - customers, friends, wholesale, retail - it's all been good. For twelve years, I owned a tea and gift shop, returned to blending and wholesale, then sold the entire business in 2012 to concentrate of sharing tea education with others.

I've composed tea journals and cookbooks (Amazon),  founded  the Amazing Scone Baking Race (with King Arthur Flour as its sponsor) and founded the Oregon's Finest Tea Competition proving "tea" can take many directions. More importantly, I've met the nicest people in the world - all with a passion for tea.

Learn about tea from an experienced tea leader - a person who wants you to be successful in the ways that are important to you. The one thing we know is important to all of us in the hospitality arena due to tea's rapid growth - a solid foundation of tea and the credentials that go along with it.

• You know coffee but can't train your servers about tea? Your customers ask for tea and get a mediocre drink unlike your fantastic cup of coffee?
• You have a fine palate when it comes to wine and don't know the exquisite nuances of specialty teas?
• Perhaps your dinner and dessert menus receive rave reviews but diners mask their disappointment with your tea?
• Or you long to offer tea as a health benefit at your spa or wellness clinic?

Explore tea with me. Learn what it is, where it comes from, how it grows, how it should taste, its aroma - the tea lifestyle.

I've often noticed that by our mid-morning break, facial expressions have changed from being polite strangers to becoming tea friends and caught up in the sheer pleasure of tea.

Experienced Tea Educator

See the logos in the sidebar? They are groups with which I identify and network. You become the recipient of our networking. There's the Specialty Tea Institute, Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association, Hawaii Tea Society, SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America), the NRA (National Restaurant Association), and the ACF (American Culinary Foundation). We're like-minded professionals.

The nicest things I've found about experience and leadership are:

• find pleasure in learning from other people
• find pleasure in sharing your wisdom with other people
• develop business acumen in a variety of ways and means
• develop compassion for others' situations
• ability to lead with integrity

As an experienced tea educator and lead instructor, I've taught tea education and tea marketing classes for about 15 years and met a variety of students. Students have included start-up companies, tea growers from other countries, coffee growers, manufacturers, tea plantation owners, tea room owners, chefs, hoteliers and financial investors.  It's been an interesting journey and prompted me to stay abreast of tea history as well as tea trends.  In the end, it's all about tea.

Thoughts about tea, education and marketing:

My favorite quotes are:

"Tea Land is a Happy Place!"
"Winners Never Cheat" - Jon Huntsman
"The silent customer will kill your business." - CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank. I've long since forgotten his name but never forgot his advice about working with complaining customers who help you work the kinks out of your business.

Why I'll Work Hard to Teach You What You Need to Know

I want you to know all you need to make your business prosper. To serve the best cups of tea - to insure customer loyalty. I dream that you will become a fountain of tea knowledge. That you will discover that the more we know about tea, the more humble we become. It's only a leaf - but it's a mighty leaf for sure.

Other Classes In Which You May be Interested

Going beyond formal tea classes, seminars, trade-show classes and private tutorials, we offer private Tea Master Class sessions providing intrinsic value and support to those who have the good foundations of tea and have a vested interest in pursuing tea knowledge.

Webinars, classes and podcasts feature specialists who excel in tea related topics including culinary, marketing, technology and sound business practices. Your confidence is assured through quality, reliable allied speakers and professional trainers.

But best of all? We help you with in-depth tea education, tea and food pairing, and simple add-on sales.

TEA MASTER-MIND™

TEA-M Work

Tea Master-Mind is a members-only business-building coaching group community that offers marketing coaching, consulting, and training, plus tools, templates, tea forms and examples and more for tea professionals and entrepreneurs.

Although we believe that one can never master tea, we believe in providing support systems to navigate toward further enjoyment and enrichment. 

In TEA MASTER-MIND™ sessions, together we achieve more.

More about TEA MASTER-MIND™