Thursday, June 28, 2012

Last Post?

Well... my tea business wasn't such a brilliant idea. I really love blending and selling my teas. Unfortunatley, there are some problems I've been trying to deal with...
Expense and storage of inventory: I only have enough money and room to blend and make small batches (which was the intent). The proplem with that is I can only vend at small venues, where I don't make enough money to really make it worth while.
Expense of venues:
The larger venues are expensive. I can't afford some and those that I can afford (local farmers markets) are difficult to get into, as they already have tea vendors. Plus... there's the small batch problem in that I would sell out too fast (which would be good right?) and not be able to restock timely enough to be back out there the next week. In order the have a client following I need to be at a venue on regular basis.
Packaging timing:
Here it is almost July and I still have teas that were packaged in March. Even that you buy at grocery stores can be months old and tea has a long shelf life... it appears that my teas aren't fresh.
Solutions to these problems are out of my reach:
I can't sell online (which would allow for more steady sales and customer base), because I'm working under the Florida Cottage Foods Act. In order to be able to sell online, I need to be able to contract with a commercial kitchen, which I haven't been able to find one that is willing. I'd also need insurance, which isn't that expensive, but I'm not going to buy it unless I can contract with a kitchen. Plus, I would need a permit for the kitchen (which I don't understand because if it is a commercial kitchen, it should already be permitted), and the permit is cost prohibitive.

Also, it really doesn't provide enough of a creative outlet for me. I'm going to try to sell the rest of my stock and gracefully bow out. I will however restock my Etsy shop Pieces of D with my artful wares and artful wear. I'm also going to rebuild my Pieces of D blog, which has apparently been deleted.

I'll keep this email address for a while, until I feel it is no longer of use. After that I can be reached at

Thanks so much for your support!


  1. Times are tough and I have heard that 90% of all new businesses fail in this economy. So don't get down on yourself, it maybe was just the wrong time. You did something so brave and inspiring, you followed your heart and took that scary first step! I look forward to seeing what you do next! Good luck with whatever you do and never stop following your heart!

  2. That realy is a shame, I'd expect you'd get a stronger following for your teas in a colder climate no? Florida is hot, so naturally tea would be outcompetited by cold drinks and big brands. I know that in Canada, there are loads of new cafes that make their own blends and when the colder months hit, 95% of the street is trudging along with hot cups of something. :) Can you not contract with someone outside of Florida? Anyways, good try. It was brave of you, I know alot of people who want to try something like this but wont because they're scared. :) We're still here for you! :)


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