How a Nashville voice coach launched a thriving tea company from a homemade tonic - Columbia Daily Herald

When Diane Sheets developed a blend of herbal tea aimed at soothing the vocal chords, the tonic began receiving wide acclaim among Christian music artists.

Back in 2015, Sheets would have never dreamed that she would now be operating a successful, and quickly growing, high-quality loose tea business, Nashville Tea Co. out of The Factory at Columbia, a cluster of retail shops.

A Nashville vocal coach of 25 years, Sheets has extensively studied voice science. She said it’s important to preserve the unique sound and character of one’s voice.

"Keeping the health and integrity of the voice is important," she said. "A unique raspy sound can be vocally healthy for some singers."

When she toured with Christian music singers, such as Natalie Grant and Mark Hall of Casting Crowns, she noticed many singers would spend time recovering from nightly performances through drinking teas and other warm liquids.

Looking back:Natalie Grant reclaims voice from cancer, lands Grammy nod

However, there wasn’t a specific blend on the market aimed at maintaining voice health. After research on botanicals, in her own kitchen and with the help of a few local vendors, Sheets devised a potent high-antioxidant blend of dried ginger, dehydrated lemons and green rooibos, deeming it Voice Tea.

“I realized this is something people wanted,” she said. And artists began flocking to it.

The special blend can help reduce swelling and keep tissue healthy around the larynx, she explained. And because it seemed to work, the tea quickly began to build in popularity among singers, especially in the Christian genre — just by word of mouth at first.

“They would drink it before a performance to prepare, after a performance and even while they were on stage,” she said.

Artists began to say it would contribute to a stronger and more clear vocal performance.

"They were saying, ‘this is changing the game,'” Sheets said.

Unexpected jumpstart leads to skyrocketing sales

Knowing she had a unique product, Sheets decided to begin packaging and selling the herbal tea in 2015 through a local vendor and distributor. However, while on tour with Grant in 2016, Sheets put the endeavor temporarily on hold.

Then, unprovoked, Hall, spontaneously posted a video on Instagram singing the Voice Tea tonic’s praises.

When I came off stage one night and checked my phone, I had 56 messages on Facebook," Sheets said. "I thought what is going on? They were all asking for Voice Tea.”

Sheets immediately called her new vendor, and miraculously, they had ordered the ingredients to begin production and were able to fill the orders pouring in from across the nation.

In just 10 days, Sheets had $10,000 in sales.

From that experience, Sheets realized there was a market for quality tea. People began asking her more about its benefits, but with a background in the herbal realm, she didn't know the answers.

"I didn't know anything about the tea plant," she said. She figured she better learn quickly.

She began attending tea educational conferences, studying the health benefits of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and researching blends, which eventually evolved into her current thriving business at The Factory at Columbia, which launched in 2018.

She even mentored under a couple in Topeka, Kansas, that owned a successful tea business.

Once her training and manufacturing plans were in place, sales begin to grow, and she realized a larger space was needed to produce the tea products at a volume to meet demand. Not thinking about a walk-in shop, a shot-gun style space at The Factory at Columbia seemed to suit her production needs perfectly.

"I was driving by what is now The Factory, and I saw the building being painted. I just stopped by and said 'what's going on here?' They had a space though it was a little big," she said.

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Unable to find a cost-effective option in Nashville, Sheets said the price of the space was also right. However, The Factory at Columbia owner Darrell Lynn had a different idea. He told Sheets he'd prefer for her to open a shop to attract customers, which better fit his retail vision for the 1950s renovated building that was once a T-shirt manufacturing plant.

"At first I said, 'no.' I don't want a café, but when I thought about it and prayed about it, it seemed more and more like the right thing," Sheets said.

"I believed we were supposed to move forward with it."

The Factory was recently revived by Columbia native Lynn and transformed into a retail hotspot in 2018 and 2019, which is currently in its second phase of development. B's Salty & Sweet bakery, Columbia Antique Marketplace, Wear It Well Consignment Boutique and Traveler's Botanik, a rare plant store and bar have storefronts at the retail venue and much more is planned for the 71,000 square-foot space.

Sheets said it's an exciting place to be.

More:Business is booming: New shops open despite 2020 hardships

More:B's Salty & Sweet: Husband and wife team stirs up innovative baked goods at The Factory

A bittersweet grand opening

Sheets launched a grand opening at Nashville Tea Co. just a few weeks before COVID-19 hit Middle Tennessee in 2020. The business had a very promising start, she said.

"It was a massive success. We held two afternoons of Valentine's Day teas. We had positive numbers, and then everything fell through the floor," she said.

However, the business survived, and Sheets attributes that success to the support of the business environment at The Factory and in Columbia.

"I would not have survived anywhere else. In Columbia, we are a community of small businesses who support each other. I don't know what I would've done without their support," she said.

Place to connect

The atmosphere at the modern tea house permeates a welcoming, cozy setting, perfect for meaningful conversation between friends, a relaxing stop to sip or a quiet work spot.

Sheets' attention to detail in providing comfort and an aesthetically pleasing environment was very intentional. Sitting vignettes are placed under the warm glowing of floor lamps and creative light fixtures, almost calling for one to stay a while. Even the expansive white stone-top bar in the shop's posterior carefully measures 22-inches wide, on purpose.

"That's just enough room to still hold a conversation," Sheets said.

And that's what's most important to Sheets — providing a place where people can connect, especially during an age when isolation seems to have become too normal.

"I wanted to create an environment where the community can connect and a safe place where teenagers can gather.

"I feel we have provided a unique place in Columbia," Sheets said.

The daily traffic of customers and familiar regulars keep her enthusiastic about the future. And she wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

"I am in the right place," she said.

Nashville Tea company offers high-quality loose teas from around the world, including green, black, rooibos and oolong teas with herbal and fruit blends such as dried strawberries and ginger, rose hips, lemongrass and lavender. A few blends include Bourbon on Broadway black tea, Bluebird herbal blend with hibiscus, apple, elderberry, currant Pieces, American blueberries and traditional green tea blends like Jasmine Pearls.

Specialty drinks include bubble teas and the innovative Nitro Chai, poured from a tap mixed with nitrogen, giving the drink a smooth-as-silk, creamy but spicy finish without dairy. Sheets uses state-of-the art equipment to brew teas at the ideal temperature for the best taste and to retain the highest amount of antioxidants.

Nashville Tea Co., 101 N. James Campbell Blvd. located at The Factory at Columbia, is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed Sunday. For more information, visit https://nashvilletea.com/.

Published On: Sun, 14 Mar 2021 02:00:12 GMT