Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Rogers.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In December of 2019, I moved from Pittsburgh to Texas for a new job. In April of 2020, I sat down at my island and started to brainstorm on what I was good at after being furloughed that March. I recalled my friends telling me I should sell my tea blends. At the time, I thought this was silly. Who would want to buy my teas? I started researching and started looking for companies I could get my base tea from. I had a bulk herb company I was already working with. I found a small tea company in Arizona that started at farmer’s markets.
After I had that all established, I needed to figure my company name and the packaging of my product. I came up with the idea of glass test tube from a tea product I saw one at market. Then the name came easy after I decided on test tubes. I wanted people to feel magical or like a mad scientist and decided on Apothecary Blends. I chose blends so I can expand the company in different directions like herbs, candles, bath tea or what not.
The biggest thing about my teas was I wanted a powerful slogan cause I feel that we forgot we are all magical and powerful. I made it ‘Teas that Empower You’. Along with that, I have ‘Teas that awaken all five senses’. I want tea drinking too become a full immersion experience for the drinker.
Then I asked myself how could I add to that magical experience but of course edible beverage glitter.
I then got to work on creating everything the logo, the tea labels and researching laws in the state of Texas. Also got my food handler safety license while I was waiting on my products to arrive.
Once I made everything, I tried out a few markets and commission bouquets. The trend I started noticing when I was at a market sampling my teas was if I was sampling the blend, it would sell out. I knew if I could just get people to try it they would fall in love with it and buy it.
Fast forward to today. I’m a regular now at Thorn and Moon Magickal market in Houston and a Yarrow and Sage market in Austin. I just finished creating a wholesale line sheet for shops to buy my products at wholesale prices. I just made my website an e-commerce site. I currently have eight blends and working on my 9th, an interactive S’more tea. I’m also currently looking at more markets so I can make my home business full-time to live the dream of a small business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say mostly smooth. The hard part is getting your product out there to the public. Everywhere I go, I carry a business card and talk about my products. The hard part is wearing all the hats for your company. I do all my own photography, graphic editing, social media sites, accounting, creating products, developing new products, R&D, and marketing. I don’t know if people really understand the time and effort that goes on behind the scenes. I like to think that people can feel the love I put into my products.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My teas are made in small batches to ensure freshness. I use high-quality ingredients for each tea. I’ve been gardening since I was little. In my teens, I started a small apple orchard, which my parents still harvest for pies, jams and butters. But I really started to dive into teas when I met my now fiancé with sleep issues. He was on such bad medication that had awful side effects, I was like there has to be more natural ingredients out there so I started researching herbal sedatives. That was when I created my sleepy time tea. Then it just snowballed from there and I started making allergy teas for myself and friends.
What sets me apart for everyone else. Making my teas with love and French Bougie music of course. But I believe it’s taking the classic teas and adding a modern taste and sparkle to it makes it really stand out.
Most proud of: how far I’ve come in only a year. But what really makes me proud are the sweet reviews from my customers. From customers telling me they want to collect all my tea or that they love how the tea tells a whole story, or how they only will drink it on special occasions so they can save it.
What makes you happy?
I just love seeing people’s faces light up when they sample my tea. Or the surprise on how much they really love it. I love the ability to give a moment of joy to someone. I know how awful these last two years have been on society it’s nice to know that I can bring a little light to the darkness.
Pricing:
- Test tubes are $10-12 for 5-15 servings. They are a high quality blend each serving can be brewed up to 3 times
Contact Info:
- Email: Diana@apothecary-blends.com
- Website: Apothecary-Blends.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/apothecaryblends
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/apothblends/
