My Tea Journey - A Story of Art, Tea, and Resilience
Beginning
My tea journey began in 2004 with Grand Tea Company and www.grandtea.com. Starting on eBay, the brand gained traction, allowing me to transition to my own website. At the time, I had already completed my Bachelor's degree in Drawing and Painting at Huddersfield University (2003). I hoped selling tea would offer the freedom to pursue my artistic passions and create a less stressful life than a typical artist's path. Alongside the business, I continued creating art and teaching children and the elderly.
Re-branding
Business was initially smooth, but the 2008 economic downturn was a turning point. Increasing challenges, especially around 2018-2019, with heightened competition and expensive advertising, led me to rebrand as TeaCanvas (teacanvas.com), integrating my artistic background more directly.
Interruption
Then, COVID-19 struck. The halt in international flights from Hong Kong (where I am based) meant no shipping, effectively shutting down my business. I had to close my website and later rebuild on Etsy. This platform proved successful until they permanently banned me in Dec 23, 2024 (Christmas gift from Etsy) for selling GABA tea, mistakenly classifying it as a drug – a decision I find absurd. GABA tea is a natural product, non-addictive, and contains GABA within normal levels. They gave me not much explanation whatsoever, leaving me frustrated.
Handy Crafty
During my time on Etsy, I explored my creativity by crafting and selling handmade items like incense, soap, and other crafts. I also experimented with creating tea-infused products: tea fiber paper, tea fiber paper mache, tea incense, tea pigment watercolors (using tannin pigment), resin art, and natural lacquer painting. Not all were commercially viable, but the experience gained will enrich what I offer on Tea Canvas.
New Beginning - Freshly Brewed
With my Etsy sales channel closed, new opportunities beckoned. I investigated several options: appealing Etsy's ban, revisiting eBay (a touch of nostalgia there!), and even exploring Amazon. However, I discovered that creating a new website is significantly easier than before. Within days, I had a basic shopping site up and running, seamlessly importing my product listings from Etsy—the integration was surprisingly smooth, a vast improvement compared to just a couple of years ago. A website now easily connects to other platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and even potentially Walmart, allowing me to offer my products across multiple channels. Teacanvas.com will serve as the central hub for my sales network, making reopening my website the obvious choice.
Beyond the Brew: Exploring Tea-Inspired Products
This new teacanvas.com website will primarily focus on tea, but I'll also offer a broader selection of tea-related handmade products, perhaps stretching the product line a bit further. For example, alongside handmade tea seed oil soap bars, I might offer other fragrances of handmade cold-pressed soaps to expand my customer base. My curated selection will feature a variety of tea-themed items, including tea-infused products like paper mache decor, tea incense, soaps, and candles, as well as my own artwork, such as paintings. Further exploration may lead to even more exciting offerings!
So, here I am, starting fresh, relaunching teacanvas.com. This journey, though challenging, has deepened my passion for tea and fueled my creative exploration. I hope you can join me on this adventure and support my small endeavor.
Yat Fung, Yeung
Owner of TeaCanvas.com
28/12/24