Inspiring Conversations with Mary Lewellin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Lewellin.

Hi Mary, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2015 we just had a baby and my husband had to switch his job schedule, which meant I would have to quit my job to make our life work. We decided that we had a good opportunity to start a business that would allow me to work from home in my spare moments. Right away my husband decided on loose-leaf tea as a business. Over the years we had been growing herbs in our backyard and making herbal tea blends for us while learning about the health benefits.

He had also done some traveling before we met and experienced the unique tea cultures of some interesting places – the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Argentina. The place that had the biggest impact on him was his time in Iraq as a US Marine patrolling the streets of a rough little town. He has fond memories of sharing chai with the locals, sometimes over difficult conversations.

We both knew that loose-leaf tea was the right choice for us. It’s at the confluence of so many of our personal passions. Neither one of us had any experience as an entrepreneur. We spent a lot of time looking up the answers to the hundreds of questions we had on the internet. We always believed in taking action and having faith that all the right pieces will eventually fall in place.

We got our humble start on a chilly spring morning at the local farmer’s market. We’ve learned a lot about business since then and learned a lot about ourselves. Today our business looks a little different from what we initially imagined years ago, but that’s only because sometimes when you start out on a journey you might find some better twists and turns along the way.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We’re in the middle of taking some big steps toward scaling up our business. Right now we’re at an awkward size where some of the things that made sense when we were a small, part-time business are no longer practical but we’re not quite big enough to the point where taking these steps doesn’t come without making us nervous.

We’re in the middle of getting into some large retail chains and opening our own facility with retail space. We also went through a big rebranding this year. It’s a little scary to jump to the next level, but I suppose nothing worthwhile isn’t a little scary. With the growth we’ve experienced, we need to make some big moves to keep our momentum rolling.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
We’ve been getting a ton of requests locally for us to come to speak about herbs and tea.

We’re glad that there’s a real interest in the plants we use and have come to love, so we’re very happy to do this. We’ve given presentations and workshops at many local libraries and civic groups. The educational/experience side of our business is something we’re planning on exploring further.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.reddragonherbs.net
• Instagram: http:///www.instagram.com/reddragonherbsandteas
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/reddragonherbsandteas
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/reddragonherbs