Thursday, August 4, 2008
Sarah of Fair Trade Teas contacted me and told me that she produces “green” (i.e eco-friendly) wedding favors. Since she’s a Nashville gal, my interest was piqued immediately. I quickly learned that her tea wedding favor has been featured on The Knot and I am thinking - why didn’t I know about this local fab?
When I saw the pic of Sarah - I was like - what a cutie with passion and purpose…this chick is really doing it. Then I realized that Sarah and I are the same age. We graduated the same year from Nashville high schools. I feel like I know her already.
It didn’t take long for Sarah to get me up to speed on her favors. Here’s what I learned about Sarah and her green wedding favors.
Not your Grandmother’s Cup of Tea
Sure, tea makes you healthy and beautiful, but did you know that Fair Trade tea also helps improve lives of tea growers around the world from Africa to India? Make a difference with your wedding favors by giving friends and family a gift that gives back to tea producing communities around the world. Our high-quality, delicious Wedding Blend is a full-bodied, vibrant blend of Fair Trade and Organic Pomegranate White tea and flowers. Each favor consists of 5 silken sachets of our Wedding Blend, 1 beautiful Fair Trade Teas label and a 3″X3″X3″ kraft box.
Fair Trade Teas is a local Nashville company owned and run by Nashville native, Sarah Scarborough.
Sarah’s Rocking Bio:
With an entrepreneurial spirit and a life-long dedication to environmental sustainability, Nashville born Sarah Scarborough has been developing and running Organic and Fair Trade tea businesses since 2001.
After graduating from Harpeth Hall School in 1993 and Trinity College in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, she worked and studied in the field of Sustainable Agriculture, completing post-graduate work at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2000.
In 2000, Sarah co-developed Thistle Farms, an effective local herbal crafts business for the employment of recovering prostitutes. Then, in 2001, turning her attention towards the social and global implications of sustainability, she started Fair Trade Teas, a business dedicated to promoting a better quality of life for developing tea producing communities world-wide.
As a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in New Zealand in 2004, Sarah promoted Fair Trade while studying for a MA at the University of Auckland and co-developing a successful mainstream Fair Trade tea, coffee and chocolate brand, Scarborough Fair Foods. Her work there earned a U.S. Congressional Award of merit in 2005.
Currenty, Sarah continues to stay involved in the tea industry by consulting on Fair Trade and tea, teaching tea classes, leading tea tours to countries of origin and developing unique and market- current custom tea blends for schools, churches, cafes, brides and corporations and by maintaining her tea certification with the Specialty Tea Institute.
Through her wedding tea favors, Sarah is “connecting tea lovers and tea growers to improve the lives of both”. It’s kind of like what I am doing with Nashville weddings…she’s my kind of girl.