Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food & beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Victor Chirita, Founder of Craft Tea Botanics, located in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We produce Coffee Leaf Health Drinks. Coffee Leaf is a fascinating product with many health benefits and a delicious taste. Our customers are people of any age who take their health seriously and take preventative steps.
Also, our customers are people with health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart conditions, and other issues, as Coffee Leaf is clinically proven to help with all these ailments.
Tell us about yourself.
We started this business driven by making health accessible to everyone. My partner, Bruce Stimpson, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009 and was given 5–10 years to live (that was 13 years ago). His doctor recommended he stop all sugar (because sugar is what cancer feeds on) and consume antioxidant-rich foods and drinks.
After years of searching, he found the perfect natural source of antioxidants that helped him: the Coffee Leaf. We teamed up in 2020 and founded Craft Tea Botanics to continue the research and develop a product that will help people and be affordable. We released our Coffee Leaf Drink in December last year, which has been a massive success.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
As business owners, one of our priorities is obviously to make profits. However, when talking about accomplishments, the fact that we help people is our most significant accomplishment. The feedback we get and the letters from customers tell us how much we allow them to drive us to do what we do.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things was to educate people about our product, as it is new and different from everything else. You must explain to people what it is, how it helps, its advantages over tea or coffee, etc.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Perseverance - this is the main advice. We took years of research, trials, and errors, and failed to succeed. Do not give up if things don't work out as planned. Keep going, be patient, work hard, and that will pay off.
- Be genuine and love what you do. Only then will you succeed.
- Be the best at what you are doing. There will be competition. There will be hate. But as long as you are confident and know your product, and it is the best, you will crush everyone.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.craft-tea-botanics.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftteabotanics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftteabotanics/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crafteabotanics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craft-tea-botanics/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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