2011-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about twitter is the people I've met. As weird as it sounds to all of you out there who aren't fans, I have met some great people. I have built really strong friendships, like me old muckers Dan @essesxeating (not to be confused with TOWIE) and Elly @pearcafe, as well as business relationships.

I recently met these two top chaps, Steve and James from @centralworking, when I replied to a tweet hunt for a cracking tea supplier to work with at their exciting new venture in London. I popped to the big smoke for a day and met with them to see how I could help. I loved their concept and less than a month later they've opened, I'm a member so I have a fab place to work from when I need to, and whatsmore they're serving Lahloo Tea. Speedy!
When I was looking at launching Lahloo Tea I really struggled to find the right place to work. I had always worked with lots of people, both leading teams and well as looking after customers, in hospitality and retail and so to be stuck at home alone in my spare room-cum-office was a real struggle. But I just didn't have the budget to pay for an office and neither was it very appealing having never worked in an office before! So I had to balance between noisy coffee shops and home and make do. Now, if there had been somewhere like Central I'd have joined in a flash!
I think it's a wonderful solution to people who want to run their own business and want somewhere to do it and be able to meet people doing the same thing. Here's what they say about Central. And I hope you agree, it's a great concept!

We believe that there are endless opportunities to build the business or career you dream of. The problem is a lack of space, resource and inspiration to help you maximize this opportunity.
So we want to fix this. With your help Central’s going to be a place where you can find the people and essential things you need, when you need them, whether that be a desk, a friendly smile or a lovely cup of Mozzo coffee or a mug of Lahloo Tea.
We want to build a membership full of interesting, passionate and driven people who want to make the best of the opportunities the world has to offer, be that a new venture, a new connection or a bit of inspiration.
You’ll have had times when your office is too distracting, or when you’ve tried to “work from home” but found it too isolating. Maybe you’ve tried a coffee shop but it’s just not right, you can’t even go to the loo without losing your chair. So maybe a private members club, not if you want to print and bind documents, make a phone call, register your post, get a courier, or you need a USB key.
We believe it’s time for a change. Central provides a welcoming and collaborative place to meet, eat, work and be inspired. We are on the high street, just where you need us, and we want to be full of people who are passionate about their business, whatever that may be.
We’re a new concept, we know we’re not going to get everything right. We are going to launch in Beta, which means we want you to tell us what you think and much more importantly we are going to listen. We will be the world’s first physical Beta. So why not get involved and shape a better way to work?
We will be opening our first site, Central Bloomsbury, in London in April 2011 so please share your thoughts on how you work and what you need to help make sure Central is just how it should be.

Get involved at www.facebook.com/centralworking
Become a fellow member at www.centralworking.com - I'll hopefully see you there one day, maybe over a cuppa!
Or say 'hi' over a virtual cuppa in twitterland here @centralworking and here @lahlootea

2011-04-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is me as a little girl. I've always loved nice things to eat and drink - especially jam on toast! In those days, tea wasn't my thing like it is now! But people were. I have always been a real extrovert - I love people! So, one of the things I love most about running my own business, Lahloo Tea, is meeting really interesting people.
With all the things we get involved in with Lahloo Tea throughout the year, we meet some wonderful people and make really great friends. It also means I get to do what I love most – talk about (and I can talk for England) truly fabulous tea! We even meet interesting folk on the 5th floor of our hub - this window cleaner recently dropped in for a cuppa. Real tea for real people!

At food festivals like Abergavenny, Dartmouth and The Real Food Festival the highlight for me is meeting gourmet-loving foodies, fellow food and drink producers, chefs and restaurateurs and retail buyers. And with a simple cup of tea, I can open their eyes up to this gourmet epiphany that is just waiting to be unearthed.
Not only is it great fun meeting people, it’s also fun to taste wonderful things (and take home swapsies)! My fav's have been Orchard Pig,Pieminister, Rude Health, Yeo Valley and Hobbs House and Trethowan’s Dairy Gorwydd Caerphilly!
I’ve also enjoyed (and look forward to working with) other passionate producers to create something really unique. Working with the Willy Wonka-like Damian Allsop to create our sensational tea chocolates was so much fun – not to mention tasty! And we love our bite-sized shortbread treats from Hart's Bakery.

But one of the most interesting parts is meeting those people who take the plunge and choose to help me challenge people's views on serving loose leaf tea. They've chosen to upgrade their tea offering by serving and/or retailing Lahloo Tea. Not only do I get to meet brilliantly talented chefs, like The Walnut Tree’s Shaun Hill (he is a great character and a real advocate of Lahloo Tea), The Seahorse and Rockfish Grill chef-owner Mitch Tonks and Gordon Ramsey’s Best Restaurant winners 2011 Jonray and Pete Sanchez, I also meet inspirational, fun entrepreneurs like James Layfield and Steve Pette at Central Working.

Thank you so much to all of you who have helped me spread the word that Lahloo Tea really is real tea for real people ♥! Long may we continue!

Lahloo Tea ♥ blog: inspired by the little things that make me smile!