According to Ashely Haywood, Founder and Owner of Embrew Tea, WNC’s supportive community is helping craft beverage companies to grow.

After relocating to WNC from the Tampa Bay area, Haywood said that she noticed that people here love tea and appreciate it as part of their healthy lifestyle, and that it is a joy to talk to locals about tea. 

“Even though the population density was larger where I was in Florida, it was difficult to sell hot tea to hot people,” Haywood said. “Not only that, people here don’t just talk about buying local, they seek it out and are willing to pay more for it. Businesses here have the culture of helping each other out. They also understand what’s more important in their products, which is not always the cheapest.”

Haywood said she feels people in many types of businesses here want to help others succeed. She said that the great culture, engaging mentors, and entrepreneurs that are happy to share their experiences with others is a game changer for her business. 

“The Asheville Area Food Guild is one of the groups of business owners in the area,” Haywood said. “It seems like there is no competition within the group, only collaboration. People are sharing tons of feedback and willing to help in any way. Members understand that there is enough space in the market to go around; it’s a mindset, and people everywhere don’t see that. People in other local industries seem to feel the same way.”

After winning an NC IDEA grant in 2022, Haywood said that the cohort of grant winners meet regularly with programming that helps with their businesses. She said that the result has been a major change in her business over the last six months, and that many of the cohort members have become friends and/or customers.

Haywood is also part of the Elevate mentorship program through Venture Asheville, which she said has been invaluable in many different ways. “There has been inspiration, collaboration, sharing of ideas and venting of frustrations,” she said. “This has helped to place my business and myself in a position of more likely success.”

The craft beverage industry is 95% beer, according to Haywood, and she said tea and its variations like kombucha and jun are a large part of the remaining 5%. She said that the percentage of non-alcoholic beverages is only getting bigger because of a shift away from alcohol.

“This opening up of the industry is allowing craft beverage companies to get really creative with what kind of options they are bringing to the table,” Haywood said. “There are more and more options that align with craft breweries as well, allowing them to offer more options for more people.”

Haywood said that independent restaurants in the area are helping to get people to try tea. She said she has had meetings with several restaurateurs who want something to offer a guest as an after dinner drink that is a non-alcoholic option, and that a local, ethically sourced option is definitely something that many are interested in.

“Tea people find it interesting when they see Embrew on the menu,” Haywood said. “Big tea brands are often less interesting, and it also speaks volumes about the restaurant and the experience that they provide when their guests see that they offer a really good tea. I’ve also been exploring the idea of helping bars at these restaurants craft creative tea cocktails, but it can be a bit more of a challenge to create the recipe and feature it on the menu.”

Another place that Haywood said she loves to see her teas in is high-end grocers and boutique shops. As of late, she has noticed increased news coverage regarding overpricing by large national distribution companies overcharging for a variety of items, which is putting small businesses out of business. 

“Not only do we need to be in locations that maintain average price points that mirror the price point of my teas, but small business owners typically pay more attention to how long things have been on the shelf, as well as can be more helpful with promotion of the product,” Haywood said. “I love to work with business owners that offer a real partnership.”

While Haywood is currently operating Embrew as a solopreneur, she said she is at a tipping point with her business. She said she is working with Appalachian State and UNCA to find interns to help her with certain aspects of her business, and she’d love to be able to hire an additional two to three employees in the near future.

“I really need employees that will be truly invested in the business,” Haywood said. “I believe in this product so much. It’s supposed to be out there and it’s supposed to be bigger.”