Do sellers sell the best they can find?
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 7:06 pm
I came across this article from @Sweetestdew and I think it's worth posting it here and see a few reactions on it:
https://sweetestdew.com/blogs/tea-educa ... y-can-sell
For me, I agree with some of it, but I do think the whole thing is more complicated than that. So much depends on the individual business model, the funding available in the background as overhead, the sellers skill in actually being able to get access to certain teas and so fourth.
I do have friends in the business and it is a reality that it is really hard to sell a certain quality of tea in amounts that make a living possible (this of course might fail due to factors unrelated to the tea itself).
The market for premium teas is very small, there are these people, but are they enough to sustain a business? And usually, if you willing to buy things like that you will branch out and buy not only from one source, which makes it even more difficult for the businesses. You also need to have a certain level of understanding to have enough confidence in buying a premium tea and then you might not like it.
What is sometimes the case are vendors who sell tea to get the quantities and connections to be able to get access to better teas – which they won't necessarily sell, it is purely a means of even being able to get access and buy certain premium teas. The owner of a larger well-known tea operation in the West told me that is exactly why he got into selling tea. To get better tea for himself.
Interested to hear everyone's thoughts!
https://sweetestdew.com/blogs/tea-educa ... y-can-sell
For me, I agree with some of it, but I do think the whole thing is more complicated than that. So much depends on the individual business model, the funding available in the background as overhead, the sellers skill in actually being able to get access to certain teas and so fourth.
I do have friends in the business and it is a reality that it is really hard to sell a certain quality of tea in amounts that make a living possible (this of course might fail due to factors unrelated to the tea itself).
The market for premium teas is very small, there are these people, but are they enough to sustain a business? And usually, if you willing to buy things like that you will branch out and buy not only from one source, which makes it even more difficult for the businesses. You also need to have a certain level of understanding to have enough confidence in buying a premium tea and then you might not like it.
What is sometimes the case are vendors who sell tea to get the quantities and connections to be able to get access to better teas – which they won't necessarily sell, it is purely a means of even being able to get access and buy certain premium teas. The owner of a larger well-known tea operation in the West told me that is exactly why he got into selling tea. To get better tea for himself.
Interested to hear everyone's thoughts!