Where It All Started

It was one of those great Tahoe storms. Snowing hard all night, winds blowing, and I could feel the motorhome swaying all night. Recently separated, I was “trailer trashing” that winter at Coachland RV park in Truckee.  It was a cold and snowy winter; the pipes of the motorhome were constantly freezing up. I was not sleeping much those days anyway; the divorce process was weighing on me heavily. I was worried about my three children, business, and what the future would bring for all of us. I had a very important meeting in the Bay Area with my largest account, my livelihood, and I absolutely had to get across Donner summit. I had been checking road control the whole night and finally I jumped into my car and drove off at 4am. I was worried they would close HW 80. As I was approaching the summit, I was in a complete whiteout. Windshield wipers were clogged by sticky wet snow and I had to drive by leaning out of the car window to see where I was going. My whole body was rigid, my clothes soaking wet and my hair was a mess. Not exactly a great picture for a business meeting in the Bay Area. There were moments I wasn’t sure if I was even still on the road. I remember I finally got behind a big semi truck so I could follow its lights. My mind was racing in all directions.  Soon after I started descending, snow turned into rain and I could start to relax again. I could see. By the time I reached Sacramento, the sun started to shine through the clouds, everything was green around me with the first signs of spring. I knew then, that I would somehow get through everything, that we will be okay in spite the tough road we were on. And then it hit me. The idea literally came out of the blue. Tahoe Teas! I actually pulled over and started writing down the concept for the business. I still have the original notes.

Although it would be years until everything materialized, that truly was the beginning. A simple thought that kept coming back to me, turned into an obsession and the more I learned about the tea, its history, its health benefits, the more passionate I became.  I finally had the courage to talk to other people about the idea of the business. Everyone I shared my concept with, was very excited and supportive and then suddenly, I started to really believe in it and wanted to follow my dream. Every time I would hike a mountain, every time I rode my bike, on my long drives to visit business accounts, my thoughts were coming back to tea. I also saw a great parallel between tea and our own lifestyle and how the sprit of tea captured the spirit of Tahoe. There is a long road between the idea and a dream to actually starting the business. Many challenges were overcome and many will still be met. I arrived to this country by myself when I was twenty years old. I had a backpack and a pair of skis. I believe that everything is possible if you put hard work, love, and passion into it and you keep the dream alive.

Come and join the Tahoe tea family and the magic of tea and watch us grow.