This woman wants to change EVERYTHING you know about tea
Tea is a beverage that is so intrinsic to China. The beverage originated in the southwest part of the country and is now drunk everywhere, from hole in the wall eateries to Michelin-starred restaurants. But tea is losing popularity among younger Chinese, who perceive it as their parents' drink or are lured away by the social cachet of coffee. It's a problem Ren Siyi is trying to address with TeaPlays. Made organically and packaged like candy, we talk to Ren to find out what it takes to arrest the slide of tea, how she runs her brand as a new mother, and the sexism she faced from mainland investors.
中国的茶文化可谓源远流长。茶叶最早起源于中国西南地区，而现在到处都能看到享受茶饮的人，不管是路边小摊还是米其林餐馆，都有茶水供应。但年轻一代的中国人却越来越不爱喝茶了，认为茶水是父辈才喝的饮料，觉得喝咖啡才更时髦。而TeaPlays的任思怡决心挑战这个难题。TeaPlays的茶叶采用有机原料，包装成可爱的糖果造型，我们有幸采访到任思怡，和她谈谈如何才能重塑茶叶在中国的地位、她作为一名新晋妈妈是如何经营自己的品牌的，以及她在接洽大陆投资者时所遇到的性别歧视。
How did you get the idea for TeaPlays?
What inspired me was my eight-month experience in Germany running my tea group through the website Meetup. We had 286 members of many nationalities, ethnicities, and cultures who joined and hosted sessions of tea tastings. It opened my eyes completely: tea-drinking can be so fun and dynamic! But back to China, teas are still so traditional and old-fashioned, and perceived by millennials as their parents’ drink. Teas on the market are either tea bags with fannings and artificial aroma, or are natural loose-leaf teas that are not convenient for people's fast-paced lifestyle and not packaged attractively. I wanted to extract the essence of traditional Chinese teas while rejuvenating the image and experience of our tea culture, which is how I came up with the name Tea Plays, because it’s almost looks too fun to be real tea at first.
你是如何产生要做TeaPlays的念头的？
2014年我还在德国生活时，通过Meetup.com网站办过8个月跨文化茶话会。2015年夏天离开德国之际，茶话会里已有286位来自世界各地不同国家与文化的成员，大家每周聚在一起品茶。这段经历极大地开阔了我的视野：原来各个国家都有自己独特的茶文化和茶配方，喝茶也可以如此有趣！但当我回到中国，我发现在这里茶文化依然非常传统老套，千禧一代的年轻人都认为茶是父辈们才喝的饮料。市面上的茶要么是装着碎茶片、添加了人工香料的茶包，要么就是天然的松散的茶叶，泡起来比较麻烦，不适合现代都市的快节奏生活，包装也不吸引人。我希望能够集取传统中国茶的精华，同时给我们的茶文化添加更多活力，于是就有了Tea Plays这个名字，让人第一眼看到就觉得很好玩。
TeaPlays founder Ren Siyi / TeaPlays创始人任思怡
Where does the tea come from and how is it grown?
All tea is directly sourced from organic tea plantations and manufactured in an organic tea factory in Pu’er, Yunnan. We use Dianhong black tea in our Good Morning blend, Taiwan High-mountain Oolong in Brainstorming, raw Pu’er tea in After Lunch, and post-fermented Pu’er tea in Sweet Home. Organic tea means a safe cup free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides that are common in most teas in China. It is not an easy job for us to stick to organic tea, especially when the Chinese market is still not fully ready to pay more for organic farming. However, consuming non-organic tea in the long run means we are more likely to contract chronic and life-threatening diseases.
你们的茶来自哪里，是如何培育的？
我们所有的茶都来自云南普洱的有机茶场，在有机茶叶厂中进行生产。在Good Morning茶中我们使用的是滇红茶，Brainstorming茶中使用的是台湾高山乌龙茶，After Lunch茶中使用的是生普洱，Sweet Home茶中使用的是熟普洱。不像大多数国内产的茶叶那样，有机茶叶不含化学肥料和杀虫剂，非常安全。坚持使用有机茶叶很不容易，尤其是中国市场目前还没有准备好为有机农业支付更高的成本。但是如果长期喝非有机茶叶的话，就很有可能会得慢性的致命疾病。
Why did you package the tea like candy?
Our tea is packaged like candy to not only make it stand out from other tea products in China, but to allow for a new and exciting way to consume it. I wanted people to reminisce about their childhood memories while unwrapping and playing with our tea bonbons. It's the most convenient way to carry around, share, and enjoy loose-leaf tea without having to know how many grams to steep for a cup.
为什么会想到把茶叶包装成糖果的样子呢？
把茶包装成糖果的样子，不仅使得我们的产品从中国众多的茶叶中脱颖而出，也让消费者品茶时有更多乐趣。糖果的包装会让消费者回想起小时候小心翼翼地拆开糖果包装纸的美好回忆，以及收藏五彩缤纷的糖果纸的爱好。糖果的包装也使茶叶更易于携带并分享给亲朋好友，而且冲泡时也不必小心称量重量来决定放多少茶叶。
You marketed to other countries first before turning to the mainland. Why did you do it this way?
Blended teas in China are perceived as a low-end product without food safety and nice designs. Although many claim to be organic, Chinese national organic standards have faced credibility issue for decades. Being the first tea company in mainland China to achieve full organic certification by the American Food and Drug Administration, we not only used this opportunity to market our product to the health- and flavor-conscious population of the US, but also build our image as a brand that delivers uncompromising quality when we came back to the mainland market.
你们先在其他国家的市场投放了这个产品，然后才转向中国市场，这是为什么呢？
在中国，因为没有食品安全保障及好看的设计，混合茶叶往往被认为是比较低端的产品。虽然国内有很多产品都声称是有机产品，但是过去的几十年里，中国的国家有机食品标准一直都备受质疑。我们是大陆第一家完全获得了美国国家食品药品监督局（FDA）有机认证的茶叶公司，我们不仅面向更注重健康和口味的美国消费者，同时也希望借此机会回到大陆市场，打造品质过硬的品牌形象
TeaPlays covered by food bloggers around the world. / TeaPlays受到全球众多美食博主的喜爱
You faced some stereotypes when looking for investors. What were they?
As I began to present Tea Plays at business roadshows throughout China, many questions from investors were personal and unprofessional. Questions such as, “Are you married” or, “do you plan to have children anytime soon’ were frequent. I always answered them loud and clear, “Yes, and yes. I plan to have at least two children and being an entrepreneur is just my career choice.” One investor even withdrew his offer as he got to know my age and family planning. As forward as China is economically, young female entrepreneurs are at a significant disadvantage. Equality shouldn’t necessarily mean that a woman should always lean in and lead. It should give women the same opportunities and respect, no less and no more.
During my pregnancy, I have acquired our seed capital from two investors with our team performance in six months. As a mother to a five-month-old and with my booming business, I hope my efforts with Tea Plays provide a spark of optimism and hope for aspiring female entrepreneurs.
寻找投资者时，你们曾经遇到过一些不公平的对待，你们是如何应对的？
我在国内为Tea Plays做路演的时候，很多投资者都会问一些很私人的问题，比如“你结婚了吗”，“最近打算生孩子吗”这两个问题是最常碰到的，我往往会坚定地大声回应：“我结婚了，最近打算要孩子，而且打算最少生两个。成为一名企业家只不过是我的职业生涯规划。”一名投资人在听说了我的年龄以及生育计划之后甚至收回了投资。尽管中国经济很发达，但是年轻的女性企业家还是处在很大的劣势。性别平等并不意味着女性全都要掌握大权，而是给予女性同等的机会与尊重，不多也不少。
在我怀孕期间，我们团队过去六个月的业绩使得我们获得了两位投资人的种子资本。我现在一边照顾五个月大的宝宝，一边经营着不断壮大的事业，希望我的故事能够给更多砥砺前行的女企业家带来乐观和希望。
How do you juggle both your business and your baby?
I had my doubts if I could do it until I met other women in similar situations at a panel in Portugal. There was Elisabeth Rehn, the former Finnish minister of defense and a mother of three, and Shireen Shelleh, an engineer and member of the board on the biggest engineering enterprise in Palestine. I saw that determination can push you beyond your capabilities, so I marched on. My daily routine is now this: I work from 9pm to 1am after putting my baby to sleep. Practicing yoga and meditation both help me concentrate and focus on who am I in life.
你是如何兼顾事业和孩子的？
我之前也很担心不能两者兼顾，直到我在葡萄牙的一场讨论圆桌上遇到了几位情况相似的女士。其中一位是前芬兰国防部长Elisabeth Rehn，她有三个孩子；另一位是Shireen Shelleh，她是一名工程师，也是巴勒斯坦最大的工程公司的董事会成员。他们让我意识到坚定的决心能够让你突破你的潜能，激励我不断向前。我现在每天的安排是，晚上9点把宝宝哄睡着之后，就开始工作直到凌晨1点。此外瑜伽和冥想也帮助我集中精力，清心生慧。
Where does tea stand now among the younger generation, and how do you compete with the popularity of coffee?
Coffee typically outcompetes tea for reasons such as gaining a quick dose of caffeine to keep one more active during the day. However, over time, a caffeine habit can have harmful effects on your heart rate, digestion, and can make you more prone to anxiety. TeaPlays is working to inform the younger generation of the health benefits of organic tea, including the lesser amounts of caffeine - for example, one Good Morning bonbon contains one-ninth of caffeine of an equivalent cup of coffee while still having an awakening effect from mint. With our bonbon style packaging, we aim to make the idea of consuming organic tea as easy as making a cup of coffee, but with much greater health benefits.
年轻一代对茶是什么看法，你们如何与更受欢迎的咖啡竞争呢？
咖啡主要是因为能够快速补充咖啡因，让人打起精神来应对日常活动，所以比茶更符合现代人的生活节奏。但是长期喝咖啡的话可能会对心率、消化等产生有害影响，也会让人更焦虑。Tea Plays致力于让年轻一代认识到有机茶所带来的健康益处，包括所含咖啡因较少，比如一包Good Morning茶所含的咖啡因是一杯咖啡所含咖啡因的九分之一，而其中所含的薄荷也有提神效果。糖果的包装使得冲泡有机茶也和咖啡一样简单便利，让大家轻松享用茶带给人身心的健康。
TeaPlays box
¥98
Free shipping within China
Each box contains eight bonbons with two of each flavor. The flavors are:
Good Morning (green), for refreshment
Brainstorming (red), which energizes
After Lunch (yellow), for digestion
Sweet Home (Purple), for relaxation
Directions
Each bonbon contains 5 grams of organic whole leaf tea and flowers, which can be steeped for 3-5 times. It can be served either in a glass or a cup (350ml - 500ml) for yourself, or in a small tea pot (500ml) for two to share.
To get the the best flavor, use hot water of over 90 degrees Celsius and steep for around 1 minute. Add ice cubes to make it iced tea or sliced fruits for a refreshing drink.
TeaPlays有机小茶糖
¥98
全国包邮
每盒茶叶包含8个糖果装茶叶，每种口味有2个。口味如下：
Good Morning（绿色）：提神醒脑
Brainstorming（红色）：头脑风暴
After Lunch（黄色）：消食解腻
Sweet Home（紫色）：舒缓放松
饮用方法
每个糖果茶包含有5克有机原叶茶和花茶，可冲泡3-5次。可以冲泡在茶杯(350ml - 500ml)中一人独享，也可以冲泡在茶壶(500ml)中供两人共酌。
为了充分发挥茶叶的美味，请使用超过90℃的开水，冲泡约1分钟。可加入冰块制成冰茶，或者加入切块水果更加美味。
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