This week, we’ve been catching up with Amazing Artisan Neeraj, co-founder and CEO of Tea People. They’re passionate about all things tea, and believe that it can be a powerful tool for social change. We love their idea- it’s great to meet people with a project that aims to a make a really positive change to the world around them. We caught up with Neeraj to get the low down on all things tea, start ups and social enterprise...
Tell us the story of your business. How did you come up with the idea?
I have been living in the UK with my wife Vishaka and two daughters since 2005. In 2009 during a catch up call with an old friend in our hometown of Darjeeling in India, Vishaka and I came to know about a school that was very poorly funded and was in urgent need of some repairs and assistance. The school served the children of tea garden workers and other impoverished villagers in the area. When we heard the stories of some of the children and their struggles and that of the teachers and community members trying to help despite their limited means, we felt immensely motivated and inspired. We teamed up with our friend Gillian who at that time was running a charity of her own and had already done some work in supporting children in India. The three of us raised the required funds and provided the much needed assistance.
We could have just stopped there, but there was something that kept niggling us. We had discovered that the scale of the problem was far more widespread than that one school. Having found the entire experience to be hugely satisfying we wanted to do more to help, but realised that fundraising alone was not a very sustainable way of addressing the issue. Over a pot of tea, the three of us came up with the idea of forming a social enterprise. Since Darjeeling is known for its tea and UK is a tea drinking nation, we decided to bring the two together. The idea was to bring the richness of natural, high quality whole-leaf tea to the tea lovers of the world and give them a chance to change the lives of the children and communities living in and around the tea growing areas. This is how the idea of Tea People was born.
What was your motivation for starting your own business?
I grew up in a community that is known for its entrepreneurial talents, and I was very much influenced by the people around me there. It is said that business runs in the blood of Marwaris and almost everyone who belongs to this community has a rags to riches story. Over a hundred years ago, my own grandfather travelled thousands of kilometres through tough terrain from a small village in North India to Darjeeling which was then an upcoming remote hill station that not many had heard of. He started his new life as a bookkeeper at a local business, but very soon saved enough to rent a small shop and start his own garment retail business. The rest as they say is history. All five of his sons followed on in his footsteps and diversified the business further. I started my first business almost immediately after my first degree. Later, on completing my MBA at Cambridge, I was keen to return to the world of entrepreneurship, but spent a few years working in the corporate world before setting up Tea People, to gain some experience in a different environment.
What's the most exciting thing about being an entrepreneur?
Most entrepreneurs are extremely passionate about their venture. They have a very strong belief in their idea and leave no stone unturned to pursue it. It’s almost like raising a child. Seeing that ‘baby’ of yours take its first steps and gradually grow into a successful business is one of the most exciting things about being an entrepreneur. For me personally I am excited about the fact that the business I am building is also going to have a far-reaching impact to improving lives. The fact that I love tea is a also bonus! I always get excited whenever there is a new sample to try or when we have created a new blend.
What challenges have you come across?
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint hearted, and every entrepreneurial journey is rife with challenges. Most new businesses are low on resources and go through a period of financial hardship before they become successful. On my own journey, I came across challenges such as resource limitation, where I had a million different ideas about growing the business, but limited resources at hand meant deciding which ones were important to immediately act upon. At first I felt a bit lost on the ground; running the business on a day-to-day basis meant at times getting lost and slightly disoriented about the direction of the business. There have been instances where I have found myself losing sight of the big picture and overall business goals. I also found that with a mountain load of work and things to do, there never are enough hours in a day! It is also difficult to juggle between the various roles within the business, which could range from being a customer services executive at one moment, to marketing manager or accountant the next.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting their own business?
Do your homework and write that dreaded business plan (even if it’s something very basic), but don’t get caught up with the idea of perfection. Just take the plunge and go ahead with whatever you have at hand. There will always be the opportunities to further improve and refine your offering, ideas, product and strategy. You should also be persistent and tenacious – It’s very easy at times to get frustrated and give up.
What kind of business support do you want to receive or wish you had received?
In the UK there is a lot of support available for small businesses, but the problem is that there is a bit too much, which sometimes makes it difficult to get connected with the right kind of help or advice for your particular business. If there could be one organisation that would be the first point of contact for all entrepreneurs, pointing them in the right direction depending on their specific needs, I think that would be absolutely fantastic.
What would you like to see in a food hub that showcases new producers?
One thing I would like to see is a diversity of producers showcasing not just different types of food, but also cuisine from various different parts of the world. Being a vegetarian, I would also like to see more vegetarian options, which is something you don’t see much in this country.
What do you think about our big ideas and what we are trying to achieve?
At the moment, there are only a limited number of outlets for small artisan food producers. Most of those outlets are of temporary or of specialist nature, such as a food show or an event. Giving them a space on the high street is an excellent idea. It would not only give an outlet to the producers, but would also give a chance to the normal people to taste some of the amazing products which they would have otherwise not had a chance to try.If you're interested to find out more about Neeraj's story and his fantastic products, you can find Tea People here on Twitter, or on their website www.teapeople.co.uk
Are you an Amazing Artisan who wants to be featured on our blog? We'd love to hear from you- drop us a Tweet @KitchTablePro with the hashtag #AmazingArtisan or send us a message to hello@kitchentableprojects.com
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