Stephanie Lovas and Leanna Moorman, co-owners of Nothing Finer Tea, giggle as they recall how they came to be in the business of selling high-quality, loose-leaf teas.
While working at Zephyr Café one day, Leanna heard the original owner of Nothing Finer Tea offering her business for sale. WI thought it would be a really good investment because I knew loose-leaf tea was picking up,” she says. “So I ran in the closet and called Steph, saying, ‘Do you want to buy a tea business?’ and she says, ‘Let me ask my mom.’”
Before owning Nothing Finer Tea, the ladies had already gained a reputation as the “tea people” at Zephyr Café.
“We were already interested in tea and were always asking customers what kind they liked,” Stephanie says. When the opportunity came along, “We decided, ‘Let’s just go for it,’” she says.
At the time, Leanna was 21 and Stephanie was just 20.
They wasted no time in getting to work and set up their first stall at Squamish Farmers’ Market in November 2011, where they’ve been regulars ever since.
Almost all their loose-leaf teas are blended by hand, a process that is preceded by careful research (aided by Leanna’s experience with essential oils), and extensive testing among family and friends, before hitting the shelves. And their teas don’t just hit the Squamish Farmers’ Market shelves. They also sell at four other locations, including Nesters, a place where they know shoppers are faced with the option of buying bagged tea if they prefer.
They are convinced, though, that there is no comparison between the two. “Loose-leaf tea is a million times better,” Stephanie says. “If you were to do a comparison and taste bagged Earl Grey and loose-leaf Earl Grey, the loose-leaf tea is much higher quality.”
“It’ll steep faster and there will be a lot more flavor,” Leanna adds.
They make loose-leaf versions of many popular bagged teas as well as creating their own custom blends, such as their strawberry kiwi green tea, which launches this weekend. It’s a blend they hope will satisfy customers who’ve been asking for fruity green teas.
You can also make iced tea from many of their varieties. The popular one this summer is cranberry apple. Drink it hot and it takes almost like apple pie, but enjoy it cold and it’s a refreshing juice that’s popular with children and adults alike.
Despite juggling both a demanding business and full-time work, the inspiring, youthful entrepreneurs genuinely love what they do. “It doesn’t feel like I own a business,” says Stephanie, “it’s just something I like to do… As soon as you don’t have fun with it then it becomes a job.”
You can visit Nothing Finer Tea at Squamish Farmers’ Market every Saturday throughout the summer, as well as buying online at their Etsy store. For details contact [email protected].
