Page 94 - CTI75_EN
P. 94

T

                                                         Q&A                    What are Antea                                                                                                Jolene Seow

                                                                                Social’s selec-
                                                                                                                                                                                              Founder of Antea Social,
                                                                                tion criteria for
                                                                                                                                                                                              opened its first modern
                                                                                tea?                                                                                                          contemporary teahouse in
                                                         We think it is important to know the source of our                                                                                   Singapore last June.
                                                         teas, and therefore strive to work directly with the
                                                         tea makers whenever possible. Basically, we only
                                                         sell tea  that we would drink ourselves. It  is also
                                                         particularly comforting to know that we are able to
                                                         share stories from the makers to the drinkers.

                                                         What kind of lifestyle do you practice? How
                                                         does tea make a difference?
                                                         As a  business  owner of  a new brand, there are
                                                         usually never-ending tasks on my to-do list. I am
                                                         a huge fan of the slow life, so having tea always
                                                         makes things better, and gives me space for some
                                                         quiet moments.
                   Antea Social offers three different workshops
               – Tea Blending Workshop, Hens Night Parties, and   What does Antea Social break the stigma
               Corporate Workshop, to meet the requirements of   and balance between traditional tea tasting
               groups in different sizes and at different times.   and specialty tea?
               They are designed to be fun, engaging, and hands-  For hot tea service, for example, we created a
               on, where participants can learn more about tea   little tea ceremony experience which is adapted
               and some technical information.           from the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. The
                   Jolene also chose another localization plan   tea gets served in a tray where there is a teapot,
               taking advantage of the spread of social media.   an hourglass (to time the steeping duration), a
               When she started her business, she received a good   fairness cup, and the teacup. It is basically a much
               response from the young Singaporeans, many of   simpler adaption of the traditional tea ceremony
               whom are receptive to trying new and different   so that it doesn’t appear too intimidating while
               teas. Therefore, she and her team try to source and   still allowing us to share the spirit of traditional
               create teas that are suitable for the local palette.   tea brewing.
               They also try to share and explain the taste profiles
               of some teas using local food and workshops to
               connect with their customers.
                   Antea Social sees  a lot of potential in the
               future of specialty tea and contemporary teahous-
               es, as consumers get more discerning and their
               demand for new products and new experience is
               growing. “There is a growing interest in artisanal
               goods, and people are getting more interested in
               taste profiles, origins, and stories of the different
               products,” said Jolene. “The world of tea is really
               huge, and in Singapore, I think what we have in the
               market is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so
               much more to explore and as consumers get more
               curious, we hope to be there to share this tea jour-
               ney with them.”








     96                                                                                                                                                                                                          97
   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99