New Tea Start up - tell us what you think
Hey Steepsters,
My name is Anthony, and along with my partner Veronika, we’ve launched our first venture, Finn’s teas. We have been selling our teas at different farmer’s markets here in Michigan for around 3 months, and now we just opened our shop on Etsy.
We thought to turn to Steepster’s great community to give us feedback about the online store, we want you to tell us what you like and don’t like about it and what we can do to make it better.
sidenote: Me and Veronika can’t seem to agree about what the motto should be
Veronika believes the motto should be, “For the love of work, and the love of tea” and I believe the motto should be, “Tea for peasants, emperors, goddesses and all around decent citizens”Our mission: Provide high quality teas to the populace, sourced fairly, priced competitively, and marketed without gimmicks. We think tea add-ons should compliment & hint and never overwhelm the tea and take over its serene subtlety.
∞ We are on a mission, and we would love to hear your input ∞here is our shop’s url,
XOXO from Detroit
Anthony & Veronika
complement
Welcome Anthony! I’m not sure I understand either motto really, or at least the nuance of what you are both trying to say. For the love of work – is that your work or work in general? And for the second one, what if you just simplified it to “Tea for all people”?
Hey Marzipan,
by the love of work, we mean work in general and how tea helps one be productive. As for the second it’s kind of like a message for unity and it does translate into tea for all people, but you’re right it might be better to keep it simple :)
Both our teas in stock right now are sourced from Zheijiang and Yunnan province via our supplier, G.S Hally, a very reputable company that’s been trading for 100+ years
Sample sizes, sampler pack or smaller sizes.
3oz is a lot of tea, especially for this tea crowd. I personally don’t buy more than 2oz (not counting pu’er cakes) and prefer 1oz or smaller to try a tea out before committing to a larger size. 3oz for $15 is a good price, but many of us may not purchase as we know we can’t drink all that and it’ll go to waste.
noted, we will make a sampler with all 5 of our varieties, and maybe even sell tea in one ounce increments as well, thx guys
Is your logo a Russian Orthodox cross?
The foundation was actually the flag of Finland, and after much illustrator work it became this. But you’re definitely right it very much resemble a sideways orthodox cross !!
I like the idea at least, interesting. Also I give 1+ for blue cross flag use in your avatar.
I have to agree with the suggestion for samples/sampler/1 oz. amounts.
Also, why not combine the two mottoes? “Tea for the working Goddess”? ;)
yes, we’ve introduced a sampler package with all our varieties. And I have to second what marzipan has said, i don’t want to alienate them boys :)
Definitely samplers and smaller quantities. Your blends sound tasty and I would try out 0.5oz samples in a heartbeat, but 3oz is more than I’ll buy of any tea, unless I’m extremely in love with it. 1oz is also a happy amount for me. Small enough that I feel okay trying something new, and enough that if I like it, I can get a few good cups before buying more.
I’m a little confused about your shipping. If I use the shipping calculator, it says $3.47 to my US address and $5.78 to Canada, which is great, but then in the note below it says $7 flat to mainland US.
I’d also suggest offering packaging that isn’t tins. Tins are expensive, and not everyone wants/needs them. I have limited space, so I’m much happier to just get tea in a resealable foil bag, which is fairly flat and can be filed in my boxes with all my other teas that are packaged that way.
I’m not really grabbed by either of your slogans. Have you done some research on marketing? Your slogan should reflect your mission, and should differentiate yourself from other companies that sell tea. The ones you posted are also pretty long – aim for 6-8 words. Your mission statement underpins your brand so always go back to that when you’re developing your brand. Maybe also think about your target audience – from the two slogans it sounds like maybe you’re not sure who you’re aiming for, and knowing your market will help you be clear about who you are.
Login or sign up to leave a comment.