KwaZulu Natal born entrepreneur, Zanda Isaacs has turned her love for tea into a booming business with a range of antioxidant-rich teas. Here, she shares her approach to entrepreneurship, the inspiration behind her tea range and her message for Women’s Month as it draws to a close.
Glamour: What does Women's Month mean to you?
Zanda: Women’s month is a time to appreciate South African women’s impact and their contribution to society. Many of us have had at least one woman change our lives for better: a mother, sister, teacher or even a mentor. This month is the one out of eleven that encourages us to commemorate and embrace them.
Glamour: Why is it important to celebrate the women of SA?
Zanda: Other than celebrating the thousands of women who protested at the Union Buildings so that women of colour could move freely throughout our country, I think it’s a good reminder of how far we have come as women in South Africa. From needing a pass to travel around the country, to being the boss-babes we are now. The massive shift in such a short space of time is incredible and humbling to me. Women’s Day is a great opportunity for us to look back, but also a day to encourage us to keep moving forward to honour those who walked so that we can run.
Glamour: What's your approach to entrepreneurship?
Zanda: There is no one-size-fits-all approach. For me, entrepreneurship is all about building a community. It is sometimes a lonely path to walk as an individual but reaching out to organisations such as the SAB Foundation helps you to overcome obstacles in your way. Being part of the SAB Foundation’s Tholoana Enterprise Programme enabled me to gain knowledge and business skills, as well as funding to grow my business.
There’s no better way to engage with consumers than if they can relate to you and your business. A big part of it is staying authentic to yourself and your brand, but also not forgetting the importance of being present for your customers when they need you. Think about how you speak to your customers? Do you answer their DMs? Do you educate them on your products and spend time finding what is best for them without the guarantee of a purchase?
Community building happens everywhere. In my opinion, it is one of the most fundamental parts of running a business in 2022.
Glamour: Please talk us through the inspiration behind Ting Tang Tea?
Zanda: Ting Tang Tea is a South African family business founded by me. When I was young, my mom never believed in using modern medicine to cure our colds and flus. Instead, she would make us tea! Every illness you can think of had its own tea blend. The only twist? Her teas weren’t really my cup of tea.
Very soon, I started creating my own blends, and enjoying them with Gogo’s freshly baked queen cakes of course. And there I was, a 10-year-old Zulu girl, who had found a love and passion in crafting tea.
Now, 15 years later, my mom and I run Ting Tang Tea and get to do what we love everyday - make and drink delicious tea. There’s nothing quite like having a freshly brewed ‘cuppa’ and chatting about life with mom. Tea is a gift to us, and it’s our gift to you.
Glamour: What makes your offering different?
Zanda: Ting Tang Tea provides an array of teas that are all tailored to a specific health or wellness concern. Our recipes are all derived from natural products of health & healing that many of our grandmothers, great grandmothers and earlier generations used to cure ailments.
What we have achieved as a company is bring to those recipes back, while applying our own education and research of herbs to make them more effective for the concerns we deal with today. Sip on our tea & tonics to help aid anxiety, mental focus, a tired body, weight issues and even dull skin.
The antioxidant-rich teas & tea-based products are handmade & packed from the finest, premium, natural ingredients. The recipes are all original and were crafted by myself, as well as my mom, through our extensive knowledge and background of making teas.
Glamour: What are some of the challenges you've faced as an entrepreneur in the space you're infiltrating, and did you overcome them?
Zanda: Starting a business is not easy. Ting Tang Tea is my first ever entrepreneurial venture, and it has really challenged me in so many ways. One of my greatest challenges was finding suppliers who cater to small businesses like mine. In the food & packaging market, minimum order quantity for customers are extremely high, making it very difficult for the new entrepreneur to get off their feet and offer competitive pricing to their customers. Because of this, I saw a massive gap in the industry - small business had no reasonable source to purchase, fill and package herbal products with no minimum order quantity. Ting Tang Tea proudly offers teabag filling and packaging service to other business in the country to help create a more sustainable and fairer entrepreneurial ecosystem. It is also with big thanks to the SAB Foundation for funding us with the machinery to do so.
Glamour: What keeps you grounded both personally and professionally?
Zanda: The people closest to me. They know me best - sometimes even better than I know myself, so I never feel like I am or must be someone else around them. They keep me feeling like me. Maintaining a balance and creating daily space for mindfulness & exercise really helps me as well. When things get super crazy, these things keep me sane.
Glamour: Which women are on your radar at the moment?
Zanda: Mbali Sebapu (Hermosa Flor Cosmetics fouder & CEO). She’s built an incredible community online around herself and her beauty Empire.
Melanie Perkin (Canva founder & CEO). She became a self-made billionaire before 30 & has 2 massively successful business under her belt at 35.
Glamour: What's your message to women in business?
Zanda: Stay true to yourself and honor your moral compass highly. If it goes against your core values, it’s not worth it.
Glamour: Your message for Women's Month as we wrap it up?
Zanda: Now more than ever, it is extremely important to continue lifting each other up as women. Our power and strength lie in supporting one another. Let us continue to speak proudly, lead fearlessly, and continue unapologetically in the pursuit of our successes.
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