I am not a salesperson, which is why it seems so odd that I was a retail manager in my previous life. I sort of “fell into” a management position at TeaSource, a local loose tea importer and retailer, and ended up falling in love with the product and the people there (TeaSource is where I met Sarah, my current business partner and one of my closest friends). I learned the mechanics of the job as a part-timer in college, but really developed a passion for the camillia sinensis (the tea plant) when I started managing the St. Anthony Village store in 2005. I began “cupping” and ordering teas, teaching various tea classes, writing pamphlets on all things tea, and working with tea vendors and experts from around the world. My mom once said that I need a job that I can throw myself into and that is exactly what I found at TeaSource.

For me, hot summer weather brings memories of filling iced tea bottles for parades, fixing the ice machine, and making tea smoothies for classes full of self-proclaimed “tea geeks” such as myself. Some days, I really miss the “tea talk”, the spicy-sweet smells of tea being blended, and the people that make up TeaSource. I am lucky enough to be their product photographer now, so I still get to stop in and visit my old life now and then.

For those of you who love tea and those of you who don’t yet know that you love tea (high quality loose leaf tea made fresh…and correctly…can make anyone a tea convert), TeaSource is for you. If you need suggestions on the best iced teas, Sarah and I can talk about tea for hours! On second thought, you might not want to ask us anything… you may not be able to get away!

Keep cool this week!
-Gretchen