They say traveling is good for the soul! But what if you traveled around the world anticipating finding something tremendous and pure? Now that I have your attention, I want to share a new black-owned business owner who discovered her love for making and selling tea with her brand LaRue 1680. Get your floral-colored cups and practice raising your pinky finger when giving cheers to your friends and family near and far. Meet Stephanie Sinclair, a business coach and single mom of 14-year old Caden. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, Sinclair always had a love to travel. She would spend time in the library thinking about the library’s travel book section.
In 2012 when Caden was only seven years old, Sinclair packed their things and began their traveling journey throughout Europe and Asia. During the stay down there, they were captivated by the luxury of Versailles and tea ceremonies in everyday life in Indonesia. During their trip to Bali, Sinclair and her son were fascinated by the ritual of drinking tea and preparing it. When they returned to the states in 2013, Sinclair brought the tradition back with them. Often she made fresh ginger and honey tea which was common in spas and stores in Indonesia. This later evolved into a business idea for her e-commerce brand. After being in and out of France in 2019 conducting research, Sinclair had her brand LaRue 1680 ready to launch in January of 2020.
Because of the pandemic, the launch was later pushed back to October of 2020. Since her business launch, Sinclair has seen a massive increase in sales which grew her business by 500%. Also, her customers are increasing and requesting in-person stores for LaRue 1680 to dress fancy and sip their fancy tea in their fancy cups. Sinclair’s dream was to create a sensual experience with her tea brand, and two months after the launch date, Netflix’s drama “Bridgerton” got the attention of audiences around the country! Everyone then wanted to sip different flavors from porcelain cups just like they did in the movie.
Visit the website at www.larue1680.com
Follow on Instagram @larue.1680
A storyteller and writer creating her own lane one opportunity at a time! Patrice Rivers is a 9x published author who created her own brand That Riverz Gurl Brand, LLC. Not only is she a certified journalist and freelance writer, but a Sickle Cell survivor and advocate. Patrice created the “Come Learn with Patricia” book series to share her personal testimony of living with SCD. Learn more about Patrice and That Riverz Gurl Brand, LLC by visiting http://www.thatriverzgurlbrandllc.com. Be sure to follow her on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/thatriverzgurlbrandllc
