The Trailblazers Experience Podcast

EP77 Annabel Kalmar :CEO & Founder Tea Rebellion: Disrupting an Industry One Cup at a Time

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EP77 Annabel our next guest, is the founder and CEO of Tea Rebellion, shares how she's disrupting the tea industry by connecting consumers directly with farmers and challenging existing practices. Her company rejects industry norms of blending and flavoring, instead treating tea like fine wine with clearly labeled origins that honor the farmers who grow it.

• Agricultural roots and early passion for international development that eventually led to founding Tea Rebellion
• How the traditional tea industry obscures farmer stories and keeps prices artificially low
• The significance behind the name "Tea Rebellion" and its connection to representation
• Building a sustainable business model that addresses environmental concerns
• Using technology to connect directly with farmers across continents
• The Regenerative Tea Action Project's mission to transform tea farming practices
• Balancing mission with business growth through crowdfunding and investor relationships
• Tips for consumers to upgrade their tea experience and expand their palates

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Tea Rebellion and Annabel's Journey
00:51 Annabel Journey into the Business of Tea
02:54 The Inspiration Behind Tea Rebellion
05:46 Challenging the Traditional Tea Industry
08:24 Navigating Challenges in the Tea Business
11:27 The Importance of Direct Trade and Sustainability
14:13 Leveraging Technology in Business Operations
16:40 The Role of Community and Networking
19:28 Understanding Consumer Preferences and Marketing
22:24 Personal and Professional Growth as an Entrepreneur
24:55 Crowdfunding and Investor Relations
27:38 Advice for Women Entrepreneurs
29:19 Final Thoughts and Where to Find Tea Rebellion
30:24 Business Advice
33:09 Brand Immersion and Connection with the Consumer 
34:47 Trailblazer Takeaway Tips
36:32 Outro

Find Annabel 

Linkedin  (1) Annabel Kalmar | LinkedIn 

Shop Tea Rebellion  Authentic,Transparent Tea Company | Award Winning Tea - Tea Rebellion 

Instagram :  Tea Rebellion (@tearebellion) • Instagram photos and videos 

Watch Episode Youtube  : https://youtu.be/Mr3GuElC80Y  

Send us Comments & Feedback

Listen : to the audio version Apple Spotify .Amazon Music Google Podcasts
Watch and subscribe to my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Thetrailblazersexperience
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The Trailblazers Experience :

Welcome to another episode of the Trailblazers Experience podcast, the podcast where we have candid conversations with women sharing their career journeys. On this podcast today is Annabel , the founder and CEO of Tea Rebellion. Tea Rebellion is not just a tea brand. It's a movement that challenges the industry by connecting consumers directly with farmers. Today we'll dive into Annabel journey the inception of Tea Rebellion and how she's shaking up the tea industry one cup at a time. So welcome, Annabel , to the podcast. How are you?

Annabel Kalmar :

I'm good. Thank you for having me.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Lovely and we were just talking about how originally you're from Germany, but you've also. You were in Canada and now you're in the UK, and now you're the CEO of your own business. Talk to me about your personal journey and what has led you to the world of tea, Because growing up, I probably didn't think it was in your diary to say I want to start a tea brand.

Annabel Kalmar :

No, it wasn't, Although in many ways you probably could have guessed this if you'd known me. At 16, to be honest, because I was quite early on decided I wanted to work in international development. Having traveled a little bit with my parents, I chose to study agriculture and agricultural development and first started out really working like in as a loan officer for a microfinance bank etc. And I always was very keen on working with yeah, basically in helping countries and regions develop and in agriculture. So it was always the rural space and in many ways, with T-Re Belly, I've come full circle. I mean, I had many years where I did something very different, but I feel like it's coming back to what I was very passionate about at age 18, 19, 20 to 25. Yeah, so I think for me it's not such a disconnect, as it were, to my early youth identity.

The Trailblazers Experience :

And what inspired you to start the brand. Obviously, you mentioned the years before you had a different career. What was that pivotal moment to say? I think this is directionally where I want to go and start the business.

Annabel Kalmar :

So it was connecting back with some of my studies. I had studied banana farms in St Lucia about WTO trade liberalization when I was maybe 22 or something like that as part of my thesis and interviewed a lot of farmers example the banana growers, female-run households, four kids, fair trade certified. Amazing job in terms of just doing that and producing these bananas. But by the time that reached the grocery shelf in the UK at the time, as under West India's trade regime, it was lost. The stories were lost and I always, always wanted to do something with that.

Annabel Kalmar :

The connection with the consumer, with those original stories of the growers I always liked working with that. The connection with the consumer, with those original stories of the growers I always liked working with farmers. So actually it was when I was in sustainability strategy consulting at a large company and we were looking at how companies are sourcing from land, from sourcing ingredients from land, etc. That I felt reconnected to that Like really well, the status quo really isn't like that. The status quo is that people buy ingredients, they mix them together and they sell them. The stories are still lost, like they were when I was 22. So that's when I got a new impetus to start it.

The Trailblazers Experience :

What's the story behind the name Tea Rebellion and how does that really reflect on your mission, the values of your brand?

Annabel Kalmar :

does that really reflect on your mission, the values of your brand? So the um, the name connects with the incident in boston t uh 1773 I think it was when he was thrown into the boston harbor because there was taxation without representation, as it were. And we chose that name because we know we needed a strong name that has historic significance, because much of the tea industry as its current form is very, very traditional and colonial. We wanted a name that kind of comes through and so Tea Rebellion calls for a rebellion in tea these days to bring representation of farmers. So it's really that kind of. That's why that name. Quite often people are asking oh, that's quite a cool name. Is it just a cool name? It's like no, no, no, actually that's historic significance because there is no representation of tea farmers and tea products these days in the marketing.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I mean, I love that, just the whole idea and the concept and, I guess, in a way, challenging the traditional tea industry, isn't it? You've described it as a movement, so what gaps have you identified and what do you think makes your brand unique in that proposition when selling to the consumer?

Annabel Kalmar :

Yeah. So the status quo in the tea industry is that the product is assessed. The tea is assessed according to the liquor, color and how the loose leaf tea looks. That's part of the colonial trading practices, not so much the taste for one, and it's almost always a blended product. In black tea, Teas are always a blend. They usually come from at least three countries across continents, etc. To keep the price low and to keep the flavor profile consistent. Consistency has been very important in tea marketing. More recently, the flavoring of tea, adding all kinds of artificial things, has been a thing, and when we founded Tea Rebellion we said no to two of those. We said no to blending and no to flavoring altogether. So we're more similar to a fine tea like fine wine merchant, if you think about it you know wine coming from certain estates, clearly labeled and origin identified than we are to a normal tea company.

The Trailblazers Experience :

You talked about how your business is in Canada and the UK. So where is the largest subset of your consumers and why has the UK been a focus for you as well?

Annabel Kalmar :

So the UK. It really was a private decision to come back to the UK because, post-covid, I wanted to be closer to my family, I wanted to be back in Europe, I wanted my three kids to grow up European, and so that's why we returned, knowing the UK tea market, having worked you know, I'm a UK citizen as well. Having lived here for so long I knew that the UK tea market was very traditional and really needed shaking up. So it's a great place to launch Tea Rebellion as, like, the second place after Canada. And yeah, so that was the reason we came back. And right now, more of the consumer business is still in Canada because I'm more well known there and I'm still building brand awareness in the UK because there's a lot of incumbents, a lot of companies that tea brands that people are very attached to for the wrong reasons, I might add but more of our B2B business is growing in the UK. So it's a little bit that you know.

The Trailblazers Experience :

It's finding that balance, isn't it? Because I know, for example, having grown up in Germany, or when you travel to even the Netherlands, there's certain tea shops where you can literally go in and buy the blends, and although here tea is sort of part of the culture, but it's more about them drinking the established brands and the builder's brew and all of that, but not really delving into the specifics of the tea blend. So I feel like there's such a massive opportunity, but with that I'm sure you're faced challenge establishing direct trade, an ethical tea brand. How are you overcoming the challenges and what are some of them that you're facing? So, for someone who's listening, who's probably also trying to establish something in a similar niche, yeah, yeah, lots of challenging.

Annabel Kalmar :

So one hit us really severely in COVID and during COVID in Canada, when we had had initial great success with B2B, we got a lot of listing and fine food stores. And then we got into Whole Foods and really excited, and then we had to list with a distributor. And so I think this is a learning area for anyone who is in a food business, who has directly developed their branch of B2B customers and now is facing that decision of which distributor do I list with? What do I have to be aware of in terms of how my business might change? And it was a tricky time period because when we moved to that distributor we lost some of our direct business. They didn't really like working with the distributor, or the price they encountered was different or the service they encountered was different, and suddenly I couldn't book the demos anymore that I'd done.

Annabel Kalmar :

So that transition from a very kind of founder run direct business to a distributor is quite challenging. And then we had COVID on top and that really was so difficult even to just move stock at the right time and the right place when everything that was prioritized was healthier oriented and sanitary, not necessarily tea. So that was a big challenge, and so I think the learning is think carefully about what distributor you choose, make sure there's a cultural fit, make sure that you have a good agreement in place that really works for you and your business and, yeah, and give it a go that way.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I think that's such a valuable lesson. I think a lot of the times when people hear about, oh, we've signed with a distributor or we've signed with a retailer and we're going to be in all these stores, you forget about the key things, isn't? It? Is the authenticity, the storytelling, still going to be there, the margins losses as well. So it's thinking about that, but it's an opportunity in itself.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I was thinking about what you've just talked about in terms of, first of all, you know, kudos to you for starting a brand, identifying a niche, being passionate about something. You know the farmers and the whole supply chain and cycle. When you now think back to growing up and what you studied and what you did, what are the things that have carried you on? So the things that you learned from your past career and studies that are helping you now, Because a lot of the time, we have a lot of young people who are studying and they're thinking how is this really going to help me? You know moving forward, but when you look back 20 years later, you're like, okay, I understand what these key core elements that I learned helped me with.

Annabel Kalmar :

I understand what these key core elements that I learned helped me with. So in my case, I really don't know if I'd chosen a direct farm or business model if I hadn't been comfortable with agriculture. I spend so much time working. I spend a whole year well, no, nine months working on a biodynamic farm, as a 19-year-old, for example. So I really really love being on farms and actually working and that, I think, creates a whole different connection with farmers and interest in being out there, and I don't think I would have chosen that business model. So I think when you choose a business, yes, it's super important that that market is there, that you think you found a niche, but also just something where you feel you can contribute, you are comfortable, you love what you're doing. It's really, really important, I think.

The Trailblazers Experience :

You've talked a lot about working with farmers and having that direct connection. How are you navigating global supply chains? We know a lot of women when they're starting their businesses, whether it's tea or fashion, or there is a supply chain, there's a logistical nightmare that you have to sort of navigate. Talk to me about how you're navigating some of these complexities to ensure timely delivery and the quality that is so important and a big part of your brand.

Annabel Kalmar :

Yeah, so that is. I would say we're getting better at this every year. I wouldn't say we've absolutely optimized all this yet. Part of our complexity comes from having two countries that we like source into. So our tea for Canada doesn't come into the UK, it goes to Canada because we want to make sure we avoid double shipping. We're very carbon conscious because we're B Corp and so we do measure everything and track it, and so we wouldn't want to have big volumes come into the UK that are packed here and then ship on to Canada. So it's shipping into Canada, it's shipping into the UK, it gets co-packed in those countries and then mostly distributed to those customers in those regions.

Annabel Kalmar :

So we're trying to optimize it that way, trying to get packaging printed in each location. That doesn't always work perfectly because of where you print. Actually I think it's watching shipping costs and watching customs and watching speed for me and other tea companies. And then ideally we want to choose a shipping route, basically shipping rather than air freight. Right, it's better from a carbon perspective, you have much lower emissions in your tea, it's also lower costs, etc. And so we try and forecast and plan as much as we possibly can. I think for any product, business, forecasting and planning is really important and you know we're trying to get better at that year by year. But those are some of the key challenges and they were particularly tough and you know the shipping just got really expensive and really complicated and long as some impact of the Ukraine war and other things and so on, etc. So I think, yeah, at the moment it's kind of okay, but shipping has become a lot more expensive.

The Trailblazers Experience :

You mentioned co-packing, so do you want to talk about what that actually is for someone who's maybe listening it to for the first time, because a lot of the time you see it when people are starting brands, whether it's? I remember I was watching Dragon's Den and they had these two young boys who have built their barbecue business and they're packing everything themselves and obviously they want to keep everything in the house and it was mentioned. You're going to have to investigate co-packing because at scale you won't be able to supply the larger distributors or if you end up in the supermarket. So, just for someone who's listening in and doesn't know what co-packing is, do you want to just describe what that is?

Annabel Kalmar :

I think the co-packing term might be more North American. I think in the UK it's probably called manufacturing or a manufacturer. So I just want to make sure people recognize the name. The terminology is slightly different in the UK. So let's say a manufacturer or co-packer to me is someone who gets our bold product, gets our packaging and then, according to our instructions, packs that into our consumer or B2B product.

Annabel Kalmar :

So in the UK we don't even make our teabags, we don't make our perma teabag.

Annabel Kalmar :

In fact most tea companies don't make their teabags themselves because it's a very specialized operation. You have to have expensive machinery, so most of us ship them to a specialist manufacturer who puts them into our branded compostable teabags. And so in the tea industry it's quite common to work with people who do things for you, because it's quite rare that you as a tea company have the scale to do everything yourself in-house and quite often it's also more efficient to use specialist providers in this area. So basically, where we have this well set up, we ship it to them, they pack it and they ship it back to us, to the partner that ships. There's still situations where I do some of these myself If there are short timelines or suddenly all these co-packers have no time and it's Q4 and everyone's totally booked up. So I think you have to have some flexibility in your business, where you have partners but you also have some setup where you can jump in and just make sure things get moving when you have commitments and orders coming in.

The Trailblazers Experience :

It's a balancing act, isn't it? It's giving up the because a lot of the time is whether you're a founder of a lead of a business. Delegating is really important saying, well, these are our strengths, these are not our strengths, let's let the experts do it for us. To allow us to focus on, maybe, brand, on recruiting customers, on thinking of new products. It's just, it's a nice mix, and I love the fact, with technology, you're able to do that anyway in this day and age. It's such a blessing. How long have you been running the business? You've probably seen technology evolve and thought, oh my God, this is great now that we have this. Now, do you want to talk about some of the things that are making your life easier?

Annabel Kalmar :

Well, it's very interesting. You know, I came back from having babies I had three kids and every time into a full on consulting, you know, strategy consulting, business and it was so hard because at the time we weren't using any of the facilities that make home working or remote working efficient. So then in COVID, of course, snap everything changed. So, yeah, it means that I can work effectively with anyone anywhere. I use Slack a lot. I think Slack is fantastic Google Meet, zoom, etc. Whatsapp sometimes when some other things don't work, but I do really am a huge fan of Slack and we're very available. So any kind of B2B customers and direct customers can just contact us on our social platforms as well. So I like that.

Annabel Kalmar :

It makes us very reachable and the proximity is so close and that the same exists with the farmers, right, so the counterparts abroad. Basically, it's shrunk the world into communities that are working very closely together, and one example of what technology makes enables is we just launched something I'm super excited about in November, a project called the Regenerative Tea Action Project, and it's a cross-industry project. It's way beyond Tea Rebellion as a brand. I'm a participant but also on the advisory board, but it is to change and help tea farmers to get onto the journey of regenerative tea farming, because there are some hurdles and measurement, there are some hurdles and costs, there are hurdles and knowledge and we want to support that process. So this is enabled completely by technology because we have global meetings across different time zones where we all come together and contribute and work on a joint board. We've chosen a Lucid board or something like that, putting in information, crowdsourcing, ideas together. There's a range of participants in this and it works.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I say to everyone who I meet that the power of the phone and technology is just amazing and a lot of people actually forget that third world countries were early adopters of mobile. Because of contact with villages, mobile money transfer was already a thing. I remember years ago that you could send money via your mobile phone number in Southern Africa, whereas here it wasn't even a thing. It was like what are you doing? Because of the fact that people have to be in contact and they work in communities, I feel like they've been early adopters of technology in a good way and such a great initiative. I love that you're looking to pay it forward and give back. How important is that to you? Obviously, building a brand is one thing, building a business, but paying it forward and giving back why does that matter to you?

Annabel Kalmar :

To me. That and the business is one thing. I cannot even separate it. I think I got into Tea Rebellion because well, into launching Tea Rebellion, because I wanted to have something that has a reason to exist, has a mission that's beyond a business. Sustainability was part of the vision from day one to change how tea is traded, marketed and consumed. That's what we set out to do on day one, and I've been all my life been very mission driven. You know the fact that I got into agriculture then I wanted to. The way that I got into consulting was also with that focus of helping companies to improve their culture, helping companies to become more sustainable, and so it's really hard for me to even separate it out from me or from the business. It's all one thing.

The Trailblazers Experience :

It's part of your DNA in a way, isn't it? Yeah?

The Trailblazers Experience :

it really is yeah, and also we know, interestingly enough, that global and consumer preferences are changing. People are more health conscious as well. There was a I think it was a McKinsey study where they were talking about 34% more people are investing in their health this year, for example. So, interestingly enough, that is not only just fitness, but also what they eat, what they put in their body, what they consume, what they drink, has been a very big part. How are you using that information to then target new customer groups, your marketing, your social media? How are you leveraging that? Or is it really just driven first by the mission, mission first?

Annabel Kalmar :

for the first two years. I would say that we were very, very um mission first. The more I understand tea consumers and I've really met, you know, thousands of them at tea festivals. There's so many people that I talk to the more I understand tea consumers. It's about understanding how a tea lifestyle can make your everyday routines, your everyday life rich and how it can support what you want to achieve in life those breaks to make a cup of tea, the nourishment you get from something hot in your stomach, the positive feedback you get from holding a hot cup, the taste, everything around a tea culture, the smell of stomach, the positive feedback you get from holding a hot cup, the taste, everything around a tea culture, the smell of it, the breaks you take. It's just.

Annabel Kalmar :

I think that that's something that I learned afterwards. That wasn't part of my initial focus, but I've now learned that it's speaking to consumers through the lifestyle that they have and the aspirations that they have and the difference that tea can make to them. And especially a tea that is um, tastes really good, is a reward, has a sensory experience attached to it and a rewarding story in terms of the origins. So I think that's something I learned afterwards. I really started with a mission first focus, but I learned a lot from our tea drinkers basically, and it's been been fantastic.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Have you identified like different tea personas? So you've talked about you go to the festivals, so what are the different types of tea drinkers? Out of curiosity, you've discovered.

Annabel Kalmar :

I have, but I don't know whether it's a good idea to share.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Were you pleasantly surprised. I think sometimes you have stereotypes, isn't it about what a tea drinker is?

Annabel Kalmar :

We do, but I think no one likes to be put into stereotypes like that. I don't like it. I'm sure you don't like either. Everyone has that feeling that their questions and their quest is personal. So I think in many ways it is, but it's also easier for us to understand what their needs are if we categorize them.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Yeah, exactly, and also the fact that you can lean into consumer moments as well and making sure that you're front of mind at the different festivals, different events and things that are happening. Talk to me about you as an entrepreneur and the different stages of growth that you've gone through. What stage are you at now versus when you started the business, in terms of personal and professional growth?

Annabel Kalmar :

Well, I think I'm still growing every single day. Part of being an entrepreneur is for that and what I a lot more. Now. I'm learning a lot more about really understanding an area before I involve someone else in helping me. Well, basically, I'm trying to understand before I outsource, because I know otherwise I'm doing it wrong. I'm choosing the wrong person to take on a certain capability area in the job. I don't think I knew that when I first started. It was more like what do I really enjoy doing? I keep that, and what I don't enjoy I pass on. But it's not like that. I think you really have to understand what the task is and what the area capability is first before you can involve others in it in terms of your team. So that's one area I'm trying to learn lots of new things before I get someone else involved in running it.

Annabel Kalmar :

Another area, I think, is that I've raised funds in the UK through crowdfunding in 2023. And that was a whole different area of growth. So the Canadian company was all self-funded with some support from family, but it really wasn't like there's no external investor in that sense, and in the UK that's different. We did a crowdfunding race on Crowdcube in 2023. And I put a whole lot of knowledge and growth in terms of what is it that I need to say to an investor? What is it that I need to provide at a routine basis? What is it the responsibility of a company that has someone else's equity in it? Yeah, is it that I need to provide at a routine basis? What is the responsibility of a company that has someone else's equity in it? Yeah, so that's a whole new ballgame that I'm learning.

Annabel Kalmar :

And now the other area that we're in right now is to scale the amount of tea farms that we have and increase the scale of our business in terms of how much we source. It is really important to scale the company because then we can become a bigger and better trading partner for our farmers, because the farmers are. Really. The more they are having to sell into a commodity market, the less money they make and the more risk their business is at, and the more they're selling to private buyers who have a good relationship with them, the more sustainable the operation becomes. So we're really keen on scaling as well.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I love what you said about you know learning about, or being curious enough to learn about an area before outsourcing, so that at least you can understand enough of what they're talking about, but enough to trust them to do what they're doing. And because you can never be a 10 out of 10 in everything, but as long as you can grasp, you know four out of 10 of that subject area and pass it on, then brilliant. I'm the same as well. Where I've come to the realization is I don't need to know everything, but I have to have a good understanding to be able to have the conversation, to be able to ask the right questions, to be able to make decisions as well. And really, your last part about you know this only works if you grow, because the farmers will also profit from that at the end. You know, sustainability is the long-term game, but it needs scale in order for it to be viable. That's great.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Yeah, how did you find crowdfunding and learning about investors and the whole thing? That's been a different area, because you don't learn that in school, it's not taught to you. It's like a secret little club that you then find that, either when you're as a business owner or if you suddenly then end up in a business where there are private equity or shareholders involved, how did you find that?

Annabel Kalmar :

Well, what I found most difficult is working with the crowdfunding platform and their due diligence processes and having to deal with different people of different, I'd say, tenure in the company all the time, because there was so much fluctuation. And so I really coming from a consulting background where I, you know, I was. One thing that was always easy for me is the delegation, because I had worked so much in, you know, level T, you always had to delegate. There was always too much for you to do by yourself, so you had to learn to delegate.

Annabel Kalmar :

But in the Crowdcube situation it was very yeah, it was a very complex due diligence process, I would say, and that took much longer. And I think we had to face a particular challenge in that series is because we had cornerstone investment but by the time it had passed their due diligence, the cornerstone investment was considered dated, even though it was still in the bank account, nothing had been touched, and just because the transaction had occurred a few months before the allowed time frame. So then we were in a situation where we had to find new corners on investment to have a successful crowdfunding round. So that was really tricky, unexpected, and so I think anyone who's going into that process, and everyone's always says that funding cycles take just longer than you think, so that's a key learning. I think you need to start earlier and it's going to take longer than expected.

The Trailblazers Experience :

What about networking and building your network and expanding to A gain knowledge from other entrepreneurs or other businesses, but also to keep growing and keep learning yourself. How important has been that for you? You've talked about building communities within your ecosystem, but there's also about building your ecosystem as an entrepreneur.

Annabel Kalmar :

Right, well, I really like networking, I like being with people. I'm quite, I think, an extroverted person and so basically I seek out events where I can join. I am part of a kitchen in London that is called Mission Kitchen and there's about 70 or so entrepreneurs who, many of them, cook there and some others just have office memberships and just come there. So basically I I seek out opportunities to be in co-working spaces because I like to be around people and there's easy networking. And even better if the people are in consumer startups or food and beverages startups, etc. Or technology, so that it's um, you know, I can, we can relate in terms of the experience and so, yeah, that's, that's a great one, and I also like going to a lot of the events.

Annabel Kalmar :

And then there are food specific events, for example, bread and jam I don't know if you've heard about that one. It's a fantastic um food event and, of course, I'm part of built by women, built um. So I think network's been huge. Even when I first launched in Canada, I joined a, I think, entrepreneurs or something it was called a Facebook group. That was all about women who had launched their own businesses, and there was a couple of real face-to-face events before COVID, where we met everyone and the company that helped me design Tea Rebellion, the logo and the brand identity I found through that network. So, in fact, I think networking and women's networks have been so crucial.

The Trailblazers Experience :

You've talked about all these networking opportunities and how you're building your circle. Do you know it's sometimes I say to someone like I remember the first networking event I went to. You just have to sometimes just get out there. The first step is always the hardest, but afterwards you're so grateful for all that it's brought you and all that you've learned. I don't know if you've found it that way as well. It gets easier the more you engage and find like-minded people, and also the learnings and the energy it gives you as an entrepreneur or as a business owner or someone working for an organization.

Annabel Kalmar :

It's very rewarding owner or someone working for an organization. It's very rewarding, yeah, I think, for me. You know, I think a lot of people are a little bit reluctant to, or worried about, meeting people that they don't know. I don't necessarily have that. I really quite like meeting new people. It's more that I get bored being with the same people all the time. So I really enjoy going to places.

Annabel Kalmar :

But what I think I struggle with related to that is making the time. I think that that is my and I have a real thing with time. I think that's a personal growth area for me. I always feel short in time and it's I think it's maybe being a mom of three and like feeling always a little bit um and the CEO feeling always a little bit overwhelmed when it comes to time. But I have that as a challenge area that I, you know, just accept that there are so many hours in the day and I use the time well and I plan well and that's it. Be content with it and accept that rather than, you know, struggle with the shortness of the day, as it were. But that's for me like a decision I always need to make okay, which event is one that I can give up a day for to go to. You know, like that, a day of working.

The Trailblazers Experience :

I understand what you mean about the time is, you know, having the strength to and confidence to, be okay with saying no to things is also a good, is a good thing. And once you get comfortable with that, you realize I can't be everywhere, I can't be everything to everyone, because they just I know everyone says, oh, you've got 24 hours in the day, yeah, but if you've got a family running a business, it's like there's so many things that are going on and also you want to cater to yourself as well. Finding time for you is important, so I love that. What advice you know? Trailblazer, takeaway tips, we call them. What advice would you love to give if there were three things you wanted to leave with the audience?

Annabel Kalmar :

What would they be? I would advise tea drinkers and tea lovers to think about their tea experience and the quality of the tea they consume. Think about quality not just being the taste, but also being what that farmer has paid for that tea, for the origin of that tea, for commodity tea. The tea prices have remained stable. There hasn't been any improvement in terms of what farmers are paid, and that is a real challenge. It's highly unsustainable as an industry to be functioning like this, and so if you're, if you're thinking about, okay, my tea experience, what can, how can I enrich that?

Annabel Kalmar :

And there are some really easy ways to enrich it. One, for example, is buy loose leaf leaf. You will get a better quality tea with lower carbon in terms of travel and packaging and likely a better kind of tea experience, because you'll actually see it, you brew it yourself, and also cheaper, right. So that's an easy way to upgrade your tea experience. And the other thing is turn your packet around, look who actually made your tea box or your tea product, and maybe research your favorite brand. You'll likely find out that it's made by one of the very big incumbents in the industry. You know, a brand like Pucca is actually owned by a much bigger tea company and it's very concentrated. So just do a little bit of research and you know, treat your tea just like how you would treat a bottle of wine. You should know just as much about it and enjoy it just as much and you can and it'll give you a lot of joy and enrichment in your tea routine and your day, with your way of living.

The Trailblazers Experience :

It's really about fostering that. There is power in the consumer, isn't it? The consumer has the empowering themselves that they can be the ones that make a change in the industry in terms of the choices that they're making.

Annabel Kalmar :

We always think that we are just one cog of the wheel, but actually we do have a lot of power as a consumer, yeah, and also, I think, bringing it to your enjoyment. So I think part of the challenge, especially with the UK audience, is that the palette for tea is so underdeveloped because we've been neglecting it with drinking tea that's made from fannings and dusts by product of tea, not real tea, and so if um and adding milk and sugar, most people who drink peachy tips aren't actually able to taste great quality tea because their tea, you know, their palate has never really experimented or been in that environment. So there is a little bit of a learning curve. But it's kind of the same as in all other beverages. If you think about drinking, if you really like beer or you really like wine and you like the exploration, why drink the same tea 50 years long? You know, it's just a little boring.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Yeah, so it's a lot about expanding our palates and just trying different things. That's why I love the whole concept of you going to festivals, being present where people are around, because they can really have those experiences, have the conversations, try something different. It's a good opportunity, you know. Yes, online is really important direct to consumer, for the consumer to buy their product, but I think being out there in those pop-ups and festivals is really a good way to touch, feel, explore, taste, you know, and just learn something new. I find whenever I go to food festivals or wine tastings, I'm always learning a different side of my palate that I just had not. You know, I'm reactivating something that was already there.

Annabel Kalmar :

Yeah, and I can in fact learn a lot from this. There's so many very knowledgeable people in tea and they'll come to my stand and ask me do you have this particular tea from this particular reason? And I'd be like, hmm, let's see, you know like this really is, because it's so rich. I mean, if you think about, there are hundreds of things that you can drink in hot water, which we call just colloquially tea, but really many of them are infusions. So really the knowledge is amazingly rich. And when you come out of the normal kind of consumer teas and go into the medicinal teas or the functional teas, and it's just, it keeps going and going, and so then the complexity of the tea palette and tea benefits it's huge. So there's so much to learn.

The Trailblazers Experience :

Amazing. And then, lastly, any advice for you know, women. What advice would you give to women? If there were three tips you'd love to leave them with, what would they be? Your top tip, even if it's just?

Annabel Kalmar :

one. My top tip Be unstoppable. I love that. Be unstoppable. Be unstoppable, I love that. Be unstoppable. Be unstoppable. Recognize that that voice in your mind that talks to what you can and can't do isn't always your friend. And tell yourself what you can do. You know, like I tell myself, when something difficult is coming up, that I can do difficult things, which I've learned from a German podcast that I really like. It's such a great sentence. I can do difficult things, and so when something is really difficult, I can do it, and so these kind of we have to our mind isn't always our friend. The story it creates about us isn't always our friend. We are so much more powerful than what we tell ourselves, and so women particularly yeah, tell yourself to be unstoppable and tell yourself you can do difficult things. It will move the world for you. Unstoppable.

The Trailblazers Experience :

And tell yourself you can do difficult things. It will move the world for you, Annabel . This is brilliant and what a great message to end on. I am certain you've inspired the listeners. You certainly inspired me to think about you know and remind myself that I can do difficult things. And do you want to tell the audience of where they can find you, your products? Where can they find you on the socials?

Annabel Kalmar :

Amazing. Yes, so if you're in the UK, you can find us on Insta at Tea Rebellion UK. You can also find me on TikTok on Tea with Annabel , and you can find us on the website just tea rebellioncom If you're interested in checking out our teas, and we're also on Amazon If you'd like. If you're an Amazon shopper and have Prime, that is an easy way to try us out.

The Trailblazers Experience :

We love that, love that Well audience. This has been the Trailblazers Experience podcast. Annabel , it's been such a pleasure and I look forward to trying your teas. Thank you, Ntola.

Annabel Kalmar :

Thank you, have a great day. Bye.