Company News | Chai House

Chai House: Feature Article in Sun Prairie Neighbors Magazine

Jack Herbert — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 04:48:50 +0000

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Ninooba (St. Nino’s Day) – Commemorating the Enlightener of Georgia.

Jack Herbert — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 14:00:00 +0000

My first trip to the Republic of Georgia in May 2019 was exciting to me for a lot of reasons. It was a long weekend visit tacked onto my first trip to London. I was there to attend a wedding. I had heard great things about Georgia, especially Georgian cuisine. However, there was something else in particular. As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I was going to be in a place where the entire country is predominantly Eastern Orthodox and I was anxious to experience that.

One evening after dinner, I was on my own exploring the city of Tbilisi. As I was walking past an open window, I heard singing that had the familiar sounds of an Orthodox choir. It was so beautiful it stopped me in my tracks. So, I took out my phone and recorded the video on the right.

When I had finished listening to the choir, I turned around and saw a large church behind me. All of the doors were open and people were going in and out, so I decided to check it out and go inside.

At the time, I had no idea which church this was or what I would eventually find inside.

Walking into the church, I was immediately struck by the beauty of it. The exterior was beautiful, but somewhat nondescript. The interior, on the other hand, was. . . WOW!

The iconostasis, the iconography, the magnificent apse, the large cross with a boulder for its base, and even the grave markings in the floor.

It was stunning.

The next day, I met up with my friends and told them about the beautiful singing and the amazing church I had stumbled upon. I offered to take them to see it, if they were up for it. They agreed, so made our way to the church.

We arrived and after spending some time walking around and taking pictures, my friend, Ken, came over to me and said he had just been talking to a man who told him this incredible story about the cross displayed at the front of the church. It was a replica of the Cross of St. Nino (the original cross is kept in a secure location in the lower portion of the church).

I had never heard of St. Nino or her story, but as I listened, I became intrigued by, and somewhat enamored with her. It would not be my last encounter with St. Nino and I would learn the church was Sioni Cathedral, the spiritual heart of Tbilisi, which has a fascinating history of its own.

So, what does this have to do with tea?

Well, regarding Chai House. . . just about everything.

That whirlwind weekend in Georgia ignited in me an affection for everything Georgian, especially, St. Nino. When Mary and I were researching the tea trade before starting Chai House and discovered Georgia was trying to revive a once thriving tea industry, it became a strong factor in our decision to take this plunge.

As Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mary and I recognized that Georgian tea provided us with a unique and unobtrusive opportunity to incorporate our faith into our new business venture. You can’t talk about Georgia, and not talk about St. Nino. She is intrinsically woven into the fabric of Georgian culture. There are a myriad of Georgian girls named Nino in her honor. Everywhere you go, you see images of her distinctive cross or architectural features that incorporate grapevines. St. Nino is literally everywhere in Georgia, as are Georgian Orthodox churches. Which is why you see them portrayed on the labels of our Georgian teas.

Since St. Nino is the patron saint of Georgia, we thought it not only fitting, but necessary to adopt her, along with St. George, as the patron saints of Chai House. As such, while our trip to Georgia in August 2021 was primarily to meet our Georgian tea supplier and visit our tea growers, it was also a pilgrimage to visit the resting place of St. Nino.

Mary and I were blessed to visit St. Nino’s Convent in Bodbe this summer and venerate the saint’s holy relics.

January 14 (January 27 in Georgia) is Ninooba or St. Nino’s Day. Today, we join our Georgian Orthodox Christian brothers and sisters to honor St. Nino on the day she entered her eternal rest.

I’m thinking a cup of Chai House Georgian tea and some khachapuri might be just the ticket to commemorate the memory of St. Nino.

Gagimarjos! (cheers in Georgian).

The post Ninooba (St. Nino’s Day) – Commemorating the Enlightener of Georgia. first appeared on Chai House.

Tea Importer Makes Debut at Fort Atkinson Holiday Market.

Jack Herbert — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:28:00 +0000

The Fort Atkinson Holiday Market marked the public debut of Chai House on Saturday, December 4. We had a table display of our two signature spice blends (Madison Masala #17 and Green Bay Golden Milk), world-class teas from the Republic of Georgia and Nepal, a variety of tea snacks, and our teaware.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us. We enjoyed seeing some old friends and making some new ones. Special thanks go out to everyone who purchased our Masala Chai Bundle to support the Fort Atkinson K9 Unit.

If you missed us at the Holiday Market, please visit our website at www.ChaiHouseLLC.com.

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Wisconsin Company Looks to Capitalize on Demand for High-Quality Teas.

Jack Herbert — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:10:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

U.S. TEA DRINKING CONTINUES TO RISE AS COVID CONTRIBUTES TO INCREASED CONSUMPTION.

Consumers Seek Healthy, Sustainable Products. Fort Atkinson Company Looks to Capitalize on Demand for High-Quality Teas.

FORT ATKINSON, Wisconsin (December 1, 2021) – Mary Lowisz, loves tea – rituals of tea, trappings of tea, and stories about the people and places behind the tea. Serving as a critical care nurse at hospitals in the Madison, Wisconsin area, Lowisz has realized as much as she loves being a nurse, the extreme physical demands make this a precipitous career that could end with one injury. So, developing a plan to carry her into and through retirement has been a priority. What better dream than opening a tea shop?

Chai House is an idea that has been gestating for many years in the mind of Lowisz, a Fort Atkinson resident. She is married with two grown children who are now on their own, and a husband, who resides in an assisted-living facility due to a traumatic brain injury he suffered in a bicycle accident in 2001. This accident effectively left Lowisz as a single-mom to raise her two young daughters and some very large medical bills. At the time of the accident, Lowisz had just completed her first semester of nursing school, earning her A.D.N in Nursing in 2004, her Nursing Baccalaureate in 2009, and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2011.

Jack Herbert, from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, has spent his career in the corporate world of sales and marketing in mid and executive level management. Like many, he has entrepreneurial dreams and has been searching for an opportunity. In 2019, Herbert traveled to the Republic of Georgia and became thoroughly enamored with Georgian people, culture, tradition, and it’s majestic, natural beauty.

In 2017, Lowisz met Herbert at St. Ignatius Antiochian Orthodox Church in Madison, Wisconsin. The two became friends, Lowisz introducing Herbert to her love of masala chai and tea, and Herbert sharing his affinity for the country of Georgia. Soon, they started collaborating on Lowisz’s idea for a tea business.

Approximately 85% of tea is sold by a few multinational companies, making it difficult for family tea farms to compete in the global tea market. Farmers working for multinationals face forced and child labor, poor working conditions, low wages and little profitability. Many small family tea farms try to make it on their own, but find it virtually impossible to compete and survive without help. This has led to increased demand for more economically, ecologically, and sustainable tea, primarily in Europe and North America.

Tea Field Workers in Nepal.

The U.S. has seen a significant rise in tea consumption recently, making tea the most popular beverage in the country today. COVID dramatically increased Americans’ tea drinking habits as people sought the immunity boost and calming agents tea offers. Tea is perceived as healthy and natural, particularly millennials and baby-boomers, so overall industry growth is expected over the next half decade. Tea consumers pay attention to health, but they also seek and pay for environmental, social, economic and ethical attributes in selecting their tea. Demand for high-end specialty, organic, and loose-leaf tea continues to grow at accelerated rates.

In their research, Lowisz and Herbert learned the plight of tea producers around the world, and also that the Republic of Georgia was trying to revitalize a once thriving world-class tea industry. The two decided Chai House would focus on developing partnerships directly with independent family tea growers, promoting the grower’s skill and expertise. Chai House buys tea from three cooperatives of small family farm tea growers in Georgia, Nepal, and southeast Asia. Lowisz and Herbert even traveled to Georgia in August to visit the Georgian tea farms and tour their operations. Chai House is the exclusive U.S. importer of tea produced by GOTPA (the Georgian Organic Tea Producers Association).

Chai House sells direct to consumers via their online store at ChaiHouseLLC.com, local farmers markets and local events. Products include: two signature spice blends made in Wisconsin – Madison Masala #17™ and Green Bay Golden Milk™; a variety of world-class, loose-leaf teas (Black, Oolong, Green, and White); unique and rare Wild Harvest Teas from Georgia; snack items commonly served with tea; and various teaware items (measuring spoons, teapots, tea mugs, and tumblers).

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Chai House is an importer and online retailer of loose-leaf tea and related tea products. Chai House sells world-class teas from the Republic of Georgia, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. We also handcraft a proprietary line of signature spice blends, including masala (for making masala chai) and golden milk. In addition, Chai House sells teaware (including measuring spoons, teapots, tea mugs, and tea tumblers), and tea snacks. For more information, please visit www.ChaiHouseLLC.com.

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