Today we’d like to introduce you to Alivia Lloyd.
Hi Alivia, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Who wants Sum’mo Tea? That’s the southern slang for “Would you like some more tea”. My Grandmother use to say, “Get you sum’mo tea and sum’mo food”.
My husband and I had a business idea, back in 2015, of a café with loose leaf tea, vegan food options, and a gift shop carrying natural local products. We were raised, like many others, using what we had to heal ourselves with home remedies and Grandma’s backyard food in the garden. Being so, this vision came rushing back into our minds and hearts as the solution to our problems during the pandemic of 2020.
Being that I spent 9 years helping others build a reliable business through marketing, I thought, why couldn’t we do this for ourselves. We searched for commercial buildings, none of which believed it was a good time to open a new establishment. We heard lots of “I’m sorry, not at this time”, “Not sure if it’s the right type of business for this town” to “You’re ahead of the curve”, which were all motivation quotes for us. We kept moving forward.
After one month, of what seemed to be a hopeless adventure, everything came together like it was already done. Having faith and turning it into action opened so many doors so fast for us. We opened in a small 250 square feet “Grab and Go” location in November 2020, we expanded within 3 weeks to our current 1,500+ square feet establishment! In our first year, we won Best Of Georgia Tea Shop and have had so many opportunities to serve our community and local college.
It’s been a great journey so far and we look forward to growing more with our communi’Tea!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
During the pandemic in 2020 times were getting rough for our household. My husband, Jermaille, hours were being cut at work and I was a Graphic Designer at the time. My clients were mainly Business owners and they weren’t interested in services. Life was happening, maybe not outside, but the bills were still well alive and coming every month.
Something had to be done and fast! My husband quit his job to help full time with the business and I put my marketing agency on hold to focus more on marketing for our business. Having more time to invest in our business brought a great outcome and income. We are so happy we stepped out on faith. It’s just me and him and we look forward to hiring in the future.
On a brighter note, if we struggled with anything, it was keeping up with all the support and being so different in our city. Being a Black-owned Tea Shop with vegan food was not the most southern thing to do. But we have so much support from our community and they love the authenticity we bring. Running a small business will always have its ups and downs, but keeping faith and fresh ideas will always work out for your good.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Loose leaf tea is our thing. We make flavorful tisane blends, medicinal/holistic herbal tea blends and partner with fair trade programs to get the most natural and organic herbs from all over the world, even in our backyard. You can purchase our tea brewed in-store only or bagged in-store or online.
We are known for our Tea Lattes that we make with freshly brewed teas and vegan milk, also our homemade lemonades with our Grandfather’s recipe. People LOVE our vegan burgers featured on our small lunch menu which is also available DoorDash.
- Painting With Soul Night: can be booked on our website; private sessions, groups, or our monthly freestyle painting events.
- Communi’Tea Market Day: is a day we have local vendors, tea, and food specials monthly.
- Local Gift Shop: Visit Our website to feature your goods or products in our gift shop
- We also let our Communi’Tea host workshops at our location.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
We have learned from the Covid pandemic that we should be more prepared, financially, spiritually, and mentally.
We believe our business is doing so well because this crisis brought awareness of health and better decision-making when it comes to self-care for the mind and body. We as a community are now paying more attention to what we eat and drink.
Our “Communi’Tea” is what we call our loyal customers that subscribe to our website for specials, updates, and events. Our business has created that space and lifestyle for individuals that need what we provide.
Pricing:
- Loose Leaf Tea: 4tbsp. $4.00
- Loose Leaf Tea: 8tbsp. $8.00
- Loose Leaf Tea: 16tbsp. $13.00
- Tea Bags (10) Pack $8.00
- Paint Night Sessions: $25|Person
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.summotea.com
- Instagram: @summotea
- Facebook: Sum’mo Tea & Things
- Twitter: @summoteathings1
- Youtube: Sum’mo Tea & Things
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/summo-tea-and-things-statesboro
- Other: www.summotea.com/communitea
Image Credits
King’s Land Marketing, L.A.N.E. Magazine, and Graphics Alivia Lloyd
