Recently, while in Chicago, I visited the retail outlet of a customer, TeaGschwendner, and witnessed what I considered one of the most innovative partnerships I have ever seen.

As I pulled up on State Street in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast, I saw a huge group of people outside drinking iced tea and thought, ‘WOW, they have them backed up outside the store. Business must be good.’ By the time I parked and walked back to the store, the group had dispersed. Then, while I was in the store, a guide for a walking tour of Chicago brought in another dozen or so people and began a dissertation about the tastes, health benefits and virtues of tea.

I was stunned by the high level of this tour guide’s knowledge of tea. I was even more impressed by the group – the way they smelled samples, tasted tea and listened to the guide. I could see they were all truly fascinated and intrigued.

The guide began by discussing what whole leaf tea is and the difference between it and what members of the group were probably used to drinking from commercial tea bags. And, yes, she explained what tea dust is and why it isn’t good. She talked about how tea does contain caffeine, but less than coffee, and how it doesn’t give the up-and-down crash because of the balanced calming effects of the amino acid L-theanine. She talked about the high-level of antioxidants and why they are good for your health. I watched eyebrows raise and heads nod as the audience absorbed these new revelations.

The experience left me amazed at how this simple partnership – between a tour operator and a tea retailer – in a single store in a single city will have a profound effect of increasing awareness and consumption of tea. I expect almost all of those people will go back to the store to buy some tea, but more significantly, every one of them now has a new-found understanding of and appreciation for tea that they will share with their family and friends.

And the best part is that the store is paid for each tour-goer that comes through, guaranteeing steady revenue. It’s a true, win-win-win situation.

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