It’s Small Business Saturday! We thought it would be apt to share a little bit about who we are, what our company stands for, and how all of us came together to form The Novel Tea.
Once upon a time…
Ellen and Cid, owners of The Novel Tea, have been friends, family and professional colleagues for many years. Long ago best friends, the two discovered that they loved tea—both the drink in its infinite variations and the experience of connecting with others while having good conversations over a cup of tea.
This is a passion Ellen and Cid passed on to their daughters, Emmy and Jess. Ellen’s daughter Emmy joined the ranks when they opened The Novel Tea and functions as the operations manager. Cid’s daughter Jess is the marketing and catering consultant. They’ve even recruited Ellen’s daughter-in-law Ashley, who handles our social media.
Ellen and Cid have over sixty years of teaching experience, and now instead of teaching communications or educational theory to college students, they plan to teach everyone in Sacramento how much better life can be with a book in one hand, a cup of tea in the other, and a friend by your side.
Who Are We?
Ellen is the resident tea expert, and one of only a handful certified tea sommeliers in California. Ellen is passionate and knowledgeable about everything related to the Camellia sinensis plant (from which all tea comes), has picked tea in China, and taken tea on almost every continent. As soon as Antarctica opens a tea shop, she’ll be one of the first customers.
Cid is the culinary extraordinaire of the company. She loves whipping up delicacies, both savory and sweet, in her kitchen. She’s our favorite hippie who can talk your ear off about tea, books, politics – you name it!
Emmy has taken on the business-side of the company’s endeavors. From accounting, event management, and running meetings, she’s the one making sure we’re all operating at our best and ensuring everything runs smoothly. We’d all be chickens running around without heads if we were without Emmy!
Jess is a Bay Area transplant with a Masters in Marketing. She has extensive experience in catering, and she regularly guides our events with a gentle voice and quiet wisdom amidst the cup-and-saucer-clattering chaos and gallons of hot water.
Ashley is your average millennial who is always on her phone, but now she has a legitimate excuse! She manages our social media, newsletter, and website blog. Armed with a Silhouette, she uses her crafting hobby to make some pretty cute merchandise for The Novel Tea shop (which you should totally check out).
Of course, there are more folks involved in this family-business (think: husbands) who operate behind-the-scenes. In 2019, we will be doing an ongoing series where we go more in depth into all of our involved members, so keep an eye out!
Tea and Crumpets,
Ashley
