This year, Bigelow Tea turns 65. And in the United States, 65 is synonymous with retirement.
Does that mean we’re retiring from tea? Never!
Our family company has been making tea for three generations, and we get better every year. In fact, in a recent interview with World Tea News, our own Cindi Bigelow explained why she’d never consider taking the company public:
Why would I? We are so committed to this business, so committed to the product, the consumer and the employee. As soon as you bring somebody else in, that focus changes. They’d propose things that we don’t feel are good for the family long-term. Their concern is profit; our main concern is our people and our product.
That’s because Cindi knows what fuels her: she’s committed to the quality of our product and the well-being of our employees. She’d never sacrifice her values for the sake of a dollar — and that commitment has made Bigelow Tea profitable and sustainable for generations.
Last year, while visiting our Charleston Tea Plantation, Cindi stopped to chat with some of the entrepreneurs in Charleston’s tourist district. She learned a bit about their businesses, but she also recognized a kinship they share with the Bigelow family: each of them is fueled by the desire to succeed, on their own terms, doing what they love.
(Of course, it helps that some of them keep themselves fueled with tea, too…)
So, as we celebrate our own 65 years of success, we’d like to know: what fuels you to succeed?
Image via silkroadtea.com
