On the Theme

To celebrate our eighth birthday, we turn fittingly to the magic of the number eight. Eight symbolizes many things, but is uniquely ascribed to demonstrate the balance of the spiritual and material worlds. It is the only number besides one that is a perfect cube. It's a Fibonacci number. It is also the periodic symbol for oxygen (great for a company whose namesake derives from the word “to breathe”). In Chinese culture, it is the luckiest number—a symbol of fortune. In numerology, eight represents victory, prosperity and overcoming. 

In the words of Roman poet Virgil, “audentis fortuna iuvat”—fortune favors the bold. The spring release interfaces with the duality of luck and willpower. It is difficult to have one without the other. Eight years ago, starting a company like Spirit was a significant risk, a huge deviance from what even our specialty market wanted—to put it brutally: there was no money or customer in it. What is most remarkable about a tea company surviving eight years (not just survived, but grown) is that what we started doing eight years ago (purveying an uncommon selection of seasonal, handcrafted, and orthodox teas that showcase the true places and talent behind their making) has not changed. Much of the market has changed around us. At the time, you could count on one hand how many other importers and wholesalers were taking that risk—now there are countless dozens. To create change and to change the landscape, you have to assume significant risk, and just when you want to fold with despair—persist.

Spirit is now in a new home (our fifth), with a new website (our forth or fifth), and a new brand identity (our second). Almost every surface circumstance from where we took our first steps is now out of sight and in the past—eight is a time not just to celebrate, to thank those who our essential to our success (our producers), our team, and the amazing support of our customers—but to continue to push forward, boldly.