Community Highlights: Meet Kiley Duncan of Tea and Toast

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kiley Duncan. 

Hi Kiley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today? 

I’m Kiley, and I launched Tea and Toast back in 2019 when I felt the nudge to do something different in my life. After spending the past near-decade helping other people build, market, and brand their businesses, I decided that it was time to do that for myself for a change! Through my passion for hospitality and love for delicious tea and pretty things, a vision for Tea and Toast was brought to life naturally and I am so glad I took the leap to start this work-in-progress venture. 

My love for tea started at an early age, and I vividly remember my sisters and me throwing ‘tea parties’ {with juice and water!} in the bedroom that we shared when we were little. In high school, I invited my friends over to bake cookies and sip on tea with me. And now as an adult, one of my favorite things to do is host guests in my own home, make them something to eat, and steep one of the latest blends I’m working on — or better yet, even shake up a Tea Cocktail using a fresh Tea Elixir from my shop {this last one is a crowd pleaser!} 

A common question I get about my business is, “what is the story behind your name?” which is then 9 times out of 10 followed immediately by another question, “I know you sell tea, but where’s the toast?” Ha! So, to explain, the name behind this business began as a saying that I had made up years ago. I would commonly refer to the things I looked forward to as my “Tea and Toast” similarly to how one would speak about their “Bread and Butter” in life. Except your “Tea and Toast” is something that you absolutely LOVE and actively choose to experience. 

The name is fitting, too, because my mission in everything I do here is to encourage positive experiences through all of my modern tea products. We all live such busy lives, and often times neglect to enjoy them. So, with every tea I blend, product I serve, and box that I create, in the back of my mind I always hope that whoever purchases or receives a Tea and Toast product gets to be able to do just that, simply enjoy creating a special experience. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road? 

It’s not always easy being a small business owner! I have known that since I was very young, watching both of my parents start their own businesses and seeing all of the obstacles that they faced over the years. But I also saw all of the joy that can come from hard work as an entrepreneur and had an idea of what to expect when as an adult I decided to take that leap of my own. It is something not meant for the faint of heart, though, that’s for sure! 

When I launched Tea and Toast at the end of 2019, it was only a few months before all of the lockdowns of 2020. So, 2020 was my first full year in business! I already didn’t fully know how people would receive my concept in our community, but then with the most unpredictable year ever thrown in there, too? I really didn’t know what was going to happen with this little dream of mine. 

Luckily, since my business was so new, I was able to quickly adapt and chose to drive online sales as much as possible. In March 2020 I created a box called the “Quaran-Tea Kit”, which contained a variety of immune-boosting loose leaf teas, a pack of organic honey sticks, and a Positivi-Tea Guide with tips on how to positively spend your time at home during the lockdowns. I ended up selling over 100 of those right at the beginning of Covid and they were sent all over the country. That unexpected support really blew me away and helped to kickstart things for Tea and Toast, giving my brand-new business some recognition locally and from areas of the US that I wouldn’t have reached otherwise. 

I think that the other main struggle of being a small business owner is finding that proper work/life balance. Making sure to shut off work at a certain point and remember that your personal life and taking breaks can be very important! With Tea and Toast, things are very fast-paced and it can be easy to get burnt out especially during busy seasons, and difficult to find time to reflect and relax. This was especially true in the beginning stages of my business, but even now so it’s hard to find time to balance these things. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know? 

Tea and Toast is a modern tea shop centered around premium loose-leaf tea and created “for the modern tea drinker” as we like to say. One of the main things that set Tea and Toast apart from other tea companies, is that we choose to blend seasonally; meaning most of our products change four times a year depending on what ingredients we are able to find in season in the USA. We blend in small batches to ensure optimal freshness, and once the tea is gone for the season, it’s gone! So, there is always something new and exciting to be found in our shop. 

Along with individual packages of tea, sustainable teaware, limited edition tea boxes, and more, Tea and Toast also has a Tea Cocktail Line featuring Seasonal Tea Elixirs {a blend of loose-leaf, citrus, fruit & garden botanicals} which are intended to create an easy yet unique tea cocktail. Just add your wine, beer, or other spirit of choice, or enjoy as is and on ice for a “mocktail” version! Recipes can be found on our social media and blog throughout the year, giving you ideas of what can be created with our Tea Elixirs. 

All of our products at Tea and Toast are intended to help bring people together and create an experience, and our hope is that they are able to do just that for anyone who purchases from us! At the end of 2020, we began offering frequent pop-up shops and events throughout the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina, where we bring goods from the online shop and also serve up fresh teas and delicious mocktail-style beverages by the cup. You can also find our products served and sold in restaurants, bakeries, and retail stores all throughout NC. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us? 

I often hear people tell me that they’re “not a tea person”, but as soon as they sample one of my tea lattes, tea elixirs, or cold brew beverages, they’re immediately hooked. At almost every event I work, I meet someone who is skeptical about tea {most of the time, it’s because they had a bad tea experience in the past} but I’m able to change their mind and they walk away with something from my modern shop that they absolutely LOVE! 

BIG NEWS… 

Anticipated in autumn or early winter, you’ll be able to visit Tea and Toast’s Traveling Tea Bar! What will serve as our ‘storefront’, the Traveling Tea Bar is a mobile tea cafe that will serve our creative teas & craft cocktails by the cup {and more to come} each week in Winston-Salem North Carolina, and wherever else you’ll have us. Including at your next event! You can follow the full renovation process of our vintage 1970’s camper trailer on our Instagram, @teaandtoastshop . 

 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.teaandtoastshop.com
• Instagram: @teaandtoastshop
• Facebook: @teaandtoastshop

Image Credits
1828 Collective
Tea and Toast LLC