I was introduced to Tealet at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin Texas recently. Their goal? to create a bridge between tea growers and tea drinkers. Founder, Elyse Petersen and Cofounder, Jane Gonsowski learned about the infinite opportunity for a Hawaii Grown Tea Industry while co-authoring a collaborative research study between the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Tea Project and the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship: Hawaii Grown Tea: A Market Feasibility Study.
After completing this report they looked at a variety of business models that would help develop a healthy industry in Hawaii. Tealet was born when Founder Elyse Petersen pitched the idea at Startup Weekend Honolulu on April 28, 2012. This event was a great launching point to put their passion of empowering tea farmers towards a viable business model. Petersen and Startup Weekend team members Travis Ryan and Viil Lid impressed the judges so much that they took home 2nd place. Since this event Jane and Elyse built a marketplace, launched a subscription service, and were invited to the 500 Startups accelerator program.
And have I tried it? You bet and I love it. The packaging is sturdy so you can pack them easily, a godsend for travelers and those constantly on the go.
From Japanese Black tea to Yellow Bud Yellow to LongWu Dragon Well to Genmeicha, the options are numerous. Give it a try over at tealet.com.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
