By Leesa King
After coming across a recent Go Fund Me project, we decided to highlight Meghan and Cheyne of The Loose Leaf tea company in San Diego. After hearing from them, I hope you are inspired and enthused to rejuvenate your business, your health, and learn to slow down, relax...and enjoy a cup of tea.
Since 2008 The Loose Leaf has been selling wonderful tea blends with a purpose, specializing in loose leaf varieties made from organic, fair-trade teas, herbs, and spices. Meghan is a Master Herbalist with a certificate in herbal medicine.
She started making a variety of tea blends while working with a health
clinic focused on holistic medicine as their primary
practice. She eventually decided to focus all her efforts into her teas
and birthed The Loose Leaf.
As
of now, you can find the products currently selling at 15 farmers markets every
week throughout San Diego and Orange County, all four Whole Foods in
San Diego, and wholesale accounts scattered across Southern
California.
Their latest endeavor is a brick and mortar, The Loose Leaf Tea Bar,
located in downtown Oceanside, projected to open in October. Here they will
be serving a variety of tea blends (hot and iced) and craft coffee
from different local roasters. They will also be
offering cold brew coffee and iced tea on tap. Needless to say, the local community will be thrilled to get this place open! (Help by donating here)
Let's hear a little bit about their journey through owning and operating a small business...
When
starting The Loose Leaf, did you anticipate what challenges or
competition you might face? What tools were needed to overcome these
challenges?
(Meghan) I think as a business owner you are always anticipating
challenges. The challenge is what puts us here, it's what keeps us
striving to be better, so I don't think that really ever changes. You
tackle one challenge and you move to the next! To be honest, when overcoming each challenge, it's one foot in front of the other, and staying
humble. We deal with daily competition, and we have
encountered unpleasant competitors, however the tool for me is to stay focused.
It's easy to get upset, possibly feel defeated or the undeniable self
doubt, but what's important to remember is that none of those things will grow your business.
"It's easy to get upset, possibly feel defeated... but none of those things will grow your business."
How
do you set yourselves apart from any other tea company, like Teavana?
(Meghan) I
believe what sets us apart from other tea companies
is our medicinal approach. Our main focus is health and we love that we
can present this through herbs and tea. With that said we use only
organic, fair trade and non GMO herbs and teas. The majority of our tea
blends would be considered "tisanes" (herbal teas). We have a huge focus
on tea with a purpose. Some of our main ones being detox, weight loss, insomnia, pain, inflammation, digestion and
energy, to name a few. Being able to blend herbs together, decoct them
and get amazing results from our consumers is what sets us apart from
companies selling more mainstream tea varieties.
Selling directly to consumers (at farmers markets) definitely gives
us an advantage. We are able to provide them with testimonials, answer questions and provide them with ready to drink samples. It gives
the customer a more intimate and personal experience, which then results
in an ongoing relationship. We are able to have actual relationships
with our customers, showing them that we really care. That's not
something you can get at the mall.
How
do you target your marketing approach to attract both locals and far
off fans? Do
you offer online orders or do you purely invest your efforts in local
commerce?
(Cheyne) The
great part about Farmers Markets is they attract both the local
community and visiting tourists. Local customers often become repeat
customers who come to purchase from us weekly to biweekly. Many of our
customers passing through on vacation have potential to become repeat
customers through our online store. We do our best to make sure that all
customers who buy products at markets become aware of our online store. We have found that
Instagram and Facebook can definitely drive our online sales, so we try
to stay on top of things by making consistent posts on our products and
presence at markets.

With
the new Loose Leaf Tea and coffee shop underway, how do you expect business to
change and grow? How have you become a part of the Oceanside community?
(Cheyne) Honestly,
we have no idea what to expect with the new storefront. I grew up in
Oceanside near the downtown area. It's definitely not the same place it
was when I was younger, which is probably for the better. I've been
involved in many different facets in the community from supporting and
running youth programs as a young adult to my involvement in the local
music scene as a musician (drummer) for several bands around town. All
that to say I've always managed to stay plugged in with various people
within the community. I've always supported local business and have
always offered any way I could help to support my friends and local
business owners.
I
think these relationships are really going to add to make our new
storefront a success. People around the city and many local businesses
know me, have grown up with me, or have watched me grow up, and they
have been nothing but supportive of our vision and purpose. Rad times
are ahead for Oceanside! The dynamic is changing and the tone is really
being set for a new era. More than anything, we're just grateful that we
get to take part in the future culture of the town we love so much.
The
storefront is definitely going to be a growing point for us. We've been
strictly a tea company, but with the opening of our store we will be
expanding into the world of craft coffee as well. Our focus will still
be tea, undoubtedly, but we're excited to add some great coffee products
to our menu using organic locally roasted coffee beans.
"Rad times are ahead for Oceanside!"
Do
you incorporate "giving back" into your business model? Is this something you strive for in the
future?
(Cheyne) We donate a lot of our products to charities and fundraising events
throughout the year. With the opening of our store this will be an area
near and dear to our hearts to contribute back to our city as well. I
don't really know what that looks like just yet, but I'm confident we'll
build some great relationships and find ways that make sense.
A few business model takeaways from the people behind The Loose Leaf...
1. People these days are turning their efforts inward. Buying food and products that are made locally, sourced responsibly, and produced ethically is becoming a HUGE shift in consumerism. Building and maintaining relationships with your customers gives them a sense of safety and reliability in what they purchase, and therefore they will be more inclined to purchase your products more regularly and recommend them to others.
2. Always put a face with your products or brand. Even if you can't personally meet each and every person who visits your website or purchases a product, see where you can add a little personality or bio information so that people understand where their products are coming from, and what you do to support a healthy market.
3. Think. Grow. Develop. (a) Think about the market in which your product exists. Can it be expanded beyond what you're currently doing? For example, The Loose Leaf sells tea that people take home to make...and now they're creating a place where the tea is made fresh to order! (b) Take that information, and run with it! Growing your business can be fun and exciting, and although scary at times, the risk will come with a payoff if you've been thoughtful and humble in your expansion. (c) Develop relationships with your community. Whether that's online, in-person, or a seasonal traveling marketplace, build yourself a reputation as a responsible and integrative part of it.
Help them GROW! Oceanside, here is your chance to open your arms to the newest storefront in town. The Loose Leaf Tea bar is accepting donations towards their new endeavor, and are thankful for any and all contributions! Go to their "Go Fund Me" page here.

As always, email me if you would like to be featured on the Small Business Spotlight, or if you have any other questions regarding this post. A huge shout out to Cheyne and Meghan for being a part of our interview series!
Leesa King
KeesaLing@gmail.com
www.LeesaKing.com