Each month as part of StartHub Startups to Watch Program we connect with the winning company to learn more about them. Our August Startup to Watch is Evy Tea, a cold brew tea company. Recently we had the pleasure of interviewing Evy Chen, Founder of Evy Tea. Here’s what we learned:
Tell us about your company. What is Evy Tea?
Thanks for asking! Evy Tea is an innovative tea company whose mission is to change the face of tea as you know it. Best known for our award-winning cold brew teas, those teas are both low in sugar and big in flavor.
What is your background?
I was raised in Fujian, China where is known as the Sonoma of tea. Born into a family of revolutionaries, my grandfather wrote a book criticizing the Cultural Revolution, as was imprisoned for nearly a decade. My father tried to privatize China’s TV industry—an effort that the government didn’t view favorably.
My family’s revolutionary spirit didn’t help me much in grade school. I faced severe isolation and rejection in China’s educational system, and my parents were faced with little choice but to send me abroad to finish school. They saved every penny they had, and sent me to Switzerland. I then applied to colleges around the world, and ultimately decided to come to the US because I felt there would be more opportunity here than anywhere else. I went to Emerson College, and won an entrepreneurship competition there for a concept that evolved into Evy Tea.
How did you come up with the idea for Evy Tea? Who is your target customer?
I launched Evy Tea in 2014 when I saw something missing from the US tea market. People of all ages wanted cold, delicious and healthy drinks. But it was nearly impossible to find a tea that met all three criteria. Unsweetened ice teas were too bitter for many, and sweetened ice teas were loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. By cold brewing tea, I was able to remove bitterness and create a smoother, more naturally sweet cold beverage that didn’t need all the sugar that was being poured into typical “iced tea” drinks.
Many of our customers say that our cold brews are the most refreshing drinks that they can have during the hot summer months. Since our cold brews are made with USDA organic ingredients, contain no sugars or artificial sweeteners, and have a very low caffeine content, I’ve found that they appeal to people of all ages who simply enjoy delicious and refreshing beverages. Our brand seems to be particularly appealing to millennials and young professionals.
How do you think Evy Tea is going to disrupt the market? What are the main differentiators between you and your competitors?
Unlike competitive cold tea offerings – which are either filled with sugars or too bitter to drink – I discovered a cold brewing process would allow me to make delicious teas that didn’t require any sweeteners. Cold brew tea is a smooth, naturally sweet beverage. It also contains half the caffeine or less than hot brewed iced tea, and twice the antioxidants.
In addition to cold brew tea, Evy Tea is known for its ingenuity and experimentation. Our team is constantly playing with the flavors of tea, fruit, herbs, and spices to create new flavor combinations that are refreshing and truly unique.
Who are your main investors?
Brad Asness and Peter Gladstone of Notudis Ventures, and Campitor Investments.
Why did you decide to start your business in Boston? How long has your company been around?
What better place to start a tea company than the city that was host to the world’s most famous tea party?
In all seriousness, I started this company in Boston back in 2014 because both the city’s government and residents were so supportive of immigrant entrepreneurs like myself. As you’ll see below, the Boston community has been an incredible help in starting and growing the business.
What resources in the startup community have contributed to the success of Evy Tea?
I could write a novel about all of the ways that the Boston startup community has helped us over the last few years. For the sake of brevity, I’ll keep it to five “thank yous” here.
- • Thank you Emerson College for believing in me as an entrepreneur, and awarding me $10k in funding to start my first business. While the business wasn’t Evy Tea just yet, the concept did evolve into what I’m doing today.
- • Thank you to Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) for working with us to make the Charlestown Tea Bar – which just opened this month – a reality. The City of Boston is incredibly supportive of startups, and I can’t thank them enough for their support.
- • Thank you to Brad Asness and Peter Gladstone of Notudis Ventures for investing in us. Boston has an incredible network of seed investors, and it meant a lot of us to raise our initial funding from people in the community.
- • Thank you to the many Boston-area food and beverage entrepreneurs – particularly the incredible people at FoMu, Bon Me, 88 Acres – for all of the advice and support over the last few years. You’re all amazing.
- • Thank you to the entire Boston community for visiting our tea bars. It’s been humbling that people have traveled from all over the Boston-area to visit our first tea bar, which opened in Jamaica Plain in 2016. Now that we have a second location in Charlestown, we hope to make the commute a bit more convenient for you!
How do you use StartHub professionally?
StartHub is a great resource for the Boston-area entrepreneur community. We use it for events, and are regular readers of the StartHub newsletter, which keeps us informed on what’s going on in the community.
What are the next steps for Evy Tea?
People in the Boston-area are going to be seeing a lot more of us in the coming year. We recently opened our Mobile Tea Bar, and plan on taking it to as many events and farmers markets as possible. Be on the lookout for the bright orange vintage airstream with solar panels! You can’t miss it – it’s really a one-of-a-kind vehicle.
We also plan on opening more tea bars in the Boston-area, adding to our two existing locations in Charlestown and Jamaica Plain.
Beyond our increased Boston-area presence, we will increase the distribution of our bottles in supermarkets throughout New England. We are also ramping up our Evy Tea on Tap program to bring cold brew tea to offices, restaurants, and cafes across the Northeast.
What is the most important thing our readers should know about Evy Tea?
Our doors are open to everyone in the Boston community. As an immigrant entrepreneur, I feel strongly that our tea bars should be places where all people can feel comfortable gathering.
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