Launching a small business amidst the COVID-19 closures

South Glengarry, ON – South Glengarry residents, Angie Parker and Tara Comerford have teamed together to launch a new business. A Cup of Kindness Tea Company, the tea that gives back, stemmed from the innovation of these two women’s love for tea. At the start of this year Angie and Tara started planning their business with initial plans to open this spring at markets and events, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed their plans.

“With businesses forced to close, and social gatherings banned, we knew that we had to find another way to introduce communities to our products,” explained Angie, the company’s founder and Chief Tea Alchemist.

A Cup of Kindness Tea Co. sells organic loose-leaf tea blends, mostly unique creations by the two women; a product that could easily be promoted and sold online. They put together a website and an online store and started marketing through social media.

“Going online wasn’t an issue; it’s what most businesses had to due because of closures,” explained Tara, the company’s Chief Tea Consultant.

The company currently has four unique tea blends that Tara and Angie created: Ninja Panther earl grey, Cher’s Chai, and Divine Dante blueberry white tea – all three named after their rescue companion animals – and Pink Zinger, a grapefruit green tea, as well as other loose leaf teas and blends from various Canadian suppliers.

Not only are Angie and Tara devoted to selling only organic teas, they also are committed to keeping a low carbon footprint. Their teas are packaged and shipped in 100% compostable materials, with their tea packages manufactured in Ontario. Furthermore, the women want to support local and use as much local products as possible. Currently, their Ninja Panther blend contains certified organic lavender from Quebec. They are communicating with other organic farms throughout Eastern Ontario to include more local products in tea blends to be released this summer. Fittingly, the women launched a virtual grand opening on April 22, Earth Day.

How does A Cup of Kindness Tea Co. give back? “For every bag of loose-leaf tea that we sell, a portion gets donated to Roy and Cher’s Rescue Farm,” Angie explained. “Particularly during this uncertain time, animal rescue charities are struggling to raise funds due to the inability to have social gathering fundraisers, so we hope that we can contribute a bit.”

If supporting animal rescue and dedication to sustainability does not motivate you to purchase their organic loose-leaf teas, here are some other qualities that make their teas desirable:

–          They use local organic herbs, spices, fruits and floral accents when possible

–          Their taste testers are local tea lovers

–          They do not just settle for one supplier; they taste test tea leaves from multiple sources until they find just the right ones for their blends

–          Angie and Tara know teas! They attend tea festivals, conferences, and courses to keep up to date with the tea industry

–          Combined, the women have more than 30 years of experience in the food and beverage and hospitality industries

–          They are teaholics!

Find out more about Glengarry’s newest small business at www.cupofkindnesstea.com, or on social media: www.facebook.com/cupofkindnesstea and www.instagram.com/CupofKindnessTea. You can order their teas online or call 613-330-1667 or 613-662-7162. For their grand (virtual) opening, they are offering free delivery, until May 11, within 30km of the Village of Bainsville.