Grove City College prides itself on faith, freedom, and its entrepreneurship department (amongst other things). One of the fruits of the department is the amazing Mark Sotomayor. I knew Mark when he still went here. He transferred out a couple of months ago to focus on a business idea he had–a company that sells tea and uses its profits to help plant trees. In fact, they plant one free tree for every bottle sold. That’s good for the planet and for your tastebuds!
The business is called Té Amo. I love the name because “te amo” is Spanish for, “I love you,” and thus expresses the social good aspect of the business. Also, it’s a pun because “té” with the accent means tea in Spanish. The recipe was developed by his grandmother and was brought over to the United States when his parents moved here. Now he wants to share this delicious nectar with the world.
I asked Mark what the best and worst thing about being an entrepreneur was and replied:
“Being an entrepreneur is like a heartbeat, there are ups and there are downs but you must keep pumping. If you stop, you (your business) die.”
I think that statement is a great overview of the entrepreneurial lifestyle. There is such a positive social benefit involved, as well as a pleasant drinking experience, why would you not want to get involved? If you are interested in checking out his progress or buying his product, check out the link below!
https://www.buyateaplantatree.com/
It’s always great to get to read about former Grovers with these posts. It’s impressive to me that there is enough of a margin to be able to plant a tree for every single bottle sold. I’m excited to see how much this business can grow, along with the world’s forests!
It’s always inspiring to hear about a peer who is accomplishing great things and making a difference, but it’s especially intriguing to learn about someone like that who went to the same college as you!
Also, Mark’s quote is reminder that we all need. It’s so easy to find success and become complacent, but comparing entrepreneurship to a heartbeat just underscores the great importance of consistency in effort and excellence.
Something of interesting note, is that Starbucks recently closed all of their Teavana retail stores citing the issue of declining foot traffic in malls due to online shopping. While this leaves a gap in the market for Te Amo, it also means he’ll have to find a way to overcome the issue.
I love how he has collaborated different resources, ideas and benefits to ultimately create this business. I love tea and I love how the profits are used to plant trees!
It’s cool to hear how someone from Grove City came up with a great business idea in alignment with something that they are passionate about. This is a great idea!
What a great and creative idea! It is so inspiring to see people native to Grove City College that are succeeding in the world of entrepreneurship! This idea is not only good for people who love tea, but it is also good for our environment as well!