[FAC] Fresno City College presents Founder of Oregon Chai Tea

[Cris Monahan-Bremer]

For Immediate Release:  March 23, 2009

Tedde McMillen-Million Dollar Cup of Tea

 

The Fresno City College Speakers Forum presents Tedde McMillen, author
of "Million Dollar Cup of Tea," a book chronicling her experience of
building a small tea company into a multi-million dollar enterprise.
McMillen will speak at Fresno City College on Wednesday, April 1, 2009
at 6 p.m. in the FCC Theatre.  The public is welcome.  Admission is
free.  For more information call 265-5711.

 

In 1994, McMillen co-founded Oregon Chai with her daughter Heather
Howitt.  Heather had travelled to India where she discovered the exotic
drink and convinced her mother that it would make a good business
investment.  McMillen agreed and the mother-daughter team began the
company in the basement of a Portland, Oregon church with $3,000.  For
the first three years of the company and nearly one-million in sales,
Tedde served as Chair of the Board of Directors.  She was responsible
for all manufacturing of Oregon Chai and developed six new beverages for
the company of which three were finalists for best new beverage at
NASFT's Fancy Food Show in New York. In less then ten years, Oregon Chai
sold for $75 million!

 

Her message of success with Oregon Chai is something that will resonate
with many FCC students.  She says that while the country is experience
hard economic times, there is still hope for people who want to start
their own businesses.  "It's really important for people to follow their
passion, especially today.  It's important to be focused and communicate
your passion to everyone around you because people want to be part of
the excitement and the joy of what you are doing," she said.  "I think
this is a good time for us to stop and think about how we are spending
our lives and think about what is important to us.  My message is to
inspire and to tell people to have the courage to follow their dream."

 

Tedde has been published internationally in The Tea and Coffee Trade
Journal and Tea International and has written two books:  Million Dollar
Cup of Tea, the Founding of Oregon Chai, published by WBusiness Books
and a workbook:  How-To Take Your Food Product to Market.

 

State Center Community College District

 

 

Cris Monahan Bremer

College Director of Marketing and Communications

Fresno City College

1101 E. University

Fresno CA 93741

(559) 442-8258

FAX: (559) 485-3367

www.fresnocitycollege.edu

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://fresnoarts.info/pipermail/fac-list_fresnoarts.info/attachments/20090323/369d238d/attachment.html>