Max Rivest, Wize Monkey: Tea in North America is where wine was 15-20 years ago
Next we quizzed Max Rivest, co-founder of innovative coffee leaf tea brand Wize Monkey (pictured right).
What keeps you awake at night?
Cashflow is definitely up there. We're a small business and if we can't pay the bills on time, we're done. There's also stress related to investors and raising money, making sure the business is on the right track, not knowing when I'll be able to start paying myself, and who do we need to hire next…
What trends are you tracking?
One emerging trend would be traceability and how it's FINALLY becoming more common to know the source of the tea. Another trend would be related to educating non-tea drinkers and opening up the market to the new younger crowd that's showing lots of interest in the category.
Any other thoughts?
Tea is finally hitting its third wave and we're excited to see how it progresses. Right now, tea in North America is like wine was 15-20 years ago, where some people started getting interested but the masses still hadn't really known what it can offer in terms of experience and variety. We're really glad to see the public starting to embrace tea and open up to a whole new world of beverage and culture.