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by Steve Reed
When she was a
student at Cottey, friends gave
Zhena Muzyka ‘95 the nickname
“California.” Granted, that was her
home state, but the nickname was due
more to, “my point of view on
wanting to save the world and being
a little
‘granola’ ” said Muzyka with a
laugh. Today, Muzyka does live in
California, but more important, she
is doing what she can to “save the
world,” particularly the world that
laborers live in on tea plantations.
Muzyka is the president and founder
of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea Company and her
insistence on Fair Trade practices
have improved the lives of hundreds
of workers.
“The quality of life has so improved on Fair Trade estates, and it’s something simple that people can do for just pennies a cup,” said Muzyka. “It makes a world of difference.”
Interestingly enough, Muzyka was able to help others by first helping herself. She was working on a book about her grandmother, a Ukrainian Gypsy, when her son, Sage was born in 2000. (Originally, Muzyka wanted to pursue a career as a writer. She won a Pillsbury Writing Award through the Santa Barbara Foundation, and herbal medicine was just a hobby.) Although she had no health insurance, Muzyka was healthy and expected the best from her pregnancy. Within a few weeks of his birth, however, Sage was diagnosed with a serious birth defect that required immediate surgery. The surgery was successful, but because of his care requirements, Muzyka would need to find a job that would allow her to have Sage with her at work. Her search for a such a work environment was fruitless.
With a $3,000 loan from family members (sound familiar Virginia Alice Cottey fans?), Muzyka bought a tea cart with an espresso machine. She would take Sage in a baby carrier while she set up shop and sold blended tea drinks.
“I used to make these really unique lattes with an espresso machine on my cart,” she explained. “It was so much fun. I was really selling lattes and selling my teas in little corsage bags tied with a ribbon.”
Muzyka did have the right background for the tea business. Call it serendipity or fortuitous planning, but prior to her business venture Muzyka had studied herbal medicine with ethnobotanists in Peru.
“I was taking a home studies course on home remedies and medicine through the Clayton College of Natural Health,” she said. “When I got the opportunity to go to Peru, I jumped. I found a deep passion for the wonders of the natural world.”
Ethnobotanists are scientists who
study the relationship between
indigenous cultures
and how they use their plants. “In
the rain forest, shamans use plants
for all kinds of medicinal uses,”
added Muzyka. Based on her
experience in Peru, Muzyka found
herself doing organic scent profiles
for a hair care company.
About six months after she began selling blended tea drinks and small packets of loose tea from her cart, Muzyka’s business began to take off. Soon she was packaging and selling teas for local cafes.
“I put together a menu of loose teas for spas and cafes and hosted tastings,” said Muzyka. “I would put my son in his backpack and would hold tastings for chefs of four-star restaurants. I was selling tea in one-pound bags before getting into the tins we sell today.”
Soon, a Southern California buyer for the Whole Foods stores discovered Zhena’s Gypsy Teas and became interested in selling them through the chain. Muzyka put some tea blends into tins and did a presentation for Whole Foods. Once they said they were interested, Muzyka designed some packaging and went to a trade show in 2003. Today her teas are available through a number of organic and whole food chains as well as catalog outlets and her Web site: www.gypsytea.com. From $4,000 in total sales her first year, Muzyka’s business is now a multi-million dollar per year company.
Although Muzyka has a background and training in herbal remedies, she does not have a business degree. “Not having a business background has been very satisfying,” she explained. “I’ve learned everything through practical knowledge. My learning is getting my hands dirty and figuring it out.” She did add that, “I have a colleague who has an MBA and we balance each other. Finding mentors is the fastest and easiest way to learn a trade or build a career.”
Other than the quality of her products, one of the most striking elements of Zhena’s Gypsy Tea is the packaging. The tins with the unique Gypsy Tea logo are quite striking and different from other tea products on the shelf.
“The original logo was a variation of the current one,” said Muzyka. “An artist friend in Hawaii did a design of a flowing woman with a tea pot. Now it looks more modern, less abstract. I wanted the logo to be more playful. A lot of people who make tea are uptight,” Muzyka joked, “I wanted to make tea fun and approachable.”
When it was mentioned that the woman in the logo strongly resembled the founder, Muzyka admitted she was the model. “The designers wanted it to look like me,” she said. “I lifted my arms, they snapped a photo, and they used that image.”
Zhena’s Gypsy Tea is more than tasty teas in funky packaging, however. Muzyka insisted from the beginning that her company adhere to Fair Trade practices. (See sidebar article on page 1.) Muzyka is also a proponent of green initiatives and offsetting her company’s carbon footprint. Her company has eliminated almost all air freight out of its business model unless it is a special tea that has to arrive in a couple of days. They have also purchased green tags and wind power credits to offset their electric bill. They no longer print catalogs, they use recycled paper and don’t use a varnish on the tea labels. When their tins are stamped, the scraps go to a factory that makes office furniture.
“I think it’s common sense now,” said Muzyka of her environmental efforts. “It’s not political. We’re very lucky to have this planet.”
Muzyka has been recognized for her business and entrepreneurship. In 2007 she was named one of Country Living Magazine’s Women Entrepreneurs, she was featured in a 2007 Inc. Magazine article on Five Young Entrepreneurs, in an April 2007 article in Good Housekeeping Magazine, and in the Winter 2008/09 issue of GreenMoney Journal. She was also one of the featured women in the book Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship and Creativity as a Lifestyle.
Despite her success, the most noteworthy things for Muzyka are her son’s health—“He is nine; he is healthy; he is beautiful,” she said—and the positive changes she has been able to affect on tea estates. (See sidebar on Fair Trade.) “My experience is it makes all of the hard work worthwhile,” Muzyka added. And what better way to relax after a day of hard work, than with a soothing cup of tea.
