A Bold Move Teaches a Life Lesson

A Bold Move Teaches a Life Lesson

January 21, 2019

Jami Lewchik, Senior Brand Manager for TAZO, Unilever

MAKING BOLD MOVES

A Bold Move Teaches a Life Lesson

From the time I was young, I read anything I could get my hands on—Grimm’s fairy tales, science fiction, Arthurian legend, Greek mythology, historical fiction. I grew up in a small beach town in southern New Jersey, and reading was this amazing doorway to other lands, a journey I could take any time I wanted. 

I read with my mother and grandmother—and drank tea. My grandmother was a fan of the British royal family (I still remember our waking up early to watch the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana). She would make English Breakfast and Earl Grey in the winter, and iced tea in the summer.

As a young adult, I knew I needed to make a big move, to break out of my comfort zone and see the world. While I was working for an international hotel brand in my early 20s, I took a position in Bermuda. I found an apartment in an area where mostly Bermudians lived, played field hockey for a local club team, and celebrated traditions with the families of my Bermudian friends. I learned a life lesson—that immersing yourself in the unfamiliar opens up your horizons and makes life eminently more interesting.

And that’s the spirit that inspires us at TAZO. We don’t approach tea conventionally, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we always try to deliver the thrill of the unexpected. The other day, I brewed a cup of Wild Sweet Orange herbal tea for my mom.

“Wow, I didn’t think a tea could smell like this!” she said. “I bet I could make a sauce with this. If I boiled this down, I bet I could make a syrup for a cake.” I laughed to myself, because this is just what we hope our teas will do—spark curiosity and creativity.

You never know what rewards will come from embracing the unexpected. Several years ago, I adopted a rescue dog from a wonderful organization, Big Fluffy Dog. They told us he was a “pocket [Great] Pyrenees, and, at two years old, had reached his adult weight at 85 pounds.

Once he started eating good food, and had a stress-free life, he grew: Now, he weighs 155 pounds. And he’s the sweetest, gentlest dog. He is a giant marshmallow, everyone knows him, and kids come running across the street to pet him. I took a chance on the unknown, and now, my dog is the neighborhood celebrity.