In today’s Behind the Biz interview we’re diving into the world of tea and healthy living with Marcella Tupinamba, Co-founder of D’Amazonia Functional Teas. The name D’Amazonia means ‘From the Amazon‘ in Brazilian Portuguese.
D’Amazonia was founded by a mother and daughter duo with the aim of finding natural solutions to increase their energy levels and improve their health and fitness.
I’m a big fan of teas and have recently written about my health and wellness goals for 2022 so this brand is right up my street. If you’re also into tea, health and female founded brands, keep reading.
In today’s interview Marcella Tupinamba, co-founder of D’Amazonia shares the story of how the brand came to be, their mission as well as their business highs and lows to date.
Give Us An Overview of D’Amazonia
It’s been a long-standing bugbear of us that in broadbrush terms tea has been treated like a second-class citizen versus coffee that has manifested itself in a variety of discerning formats including: organic, decaffeinated, cold brew, coffee bean provenance, blend prowess…Tea has certainly enjoyed a few notable highlights (Matcha and Green Tea) but as a rule tea infusions and functional recipes have failed to truly capture the UK imagination.
What Led You To Set Up D’Amazonia
My mother (Polyana) and I are very close and do a lot together. When she was diagnosed with osteoporosis 8 years ago it was clear that she needed to take on a healthier, more ‘exercise intense’ lifestyle and diet to strengthen both her core and her bones.
We embraced gym culture but by the very nature of the intense workouts found ourselves drinking a lot of caffeine-rich coffee and Red Bull to try and boost our energy levels. It was clearly a flawed strategy, not to mention self-defeating because halfway through the workout we’d hit a brick wall, the inevitable ramification of a caffeine crash.
How Do You Make New Flavour Decisions?
Clearly our recipes have to taste great, but our range is all about functional benefits so its ingredients and their unique healing properties that truly guide us – to date we have a Digestion, a health & fitness and a Better Sleep Brew – we’re also looking to support great skin, pregnancy and the menopause in 2022.
What Did You & Your Mum Do Pre D’Amazonia?
My mother Polyana is a self-employed interior designer whilst I worked in digital marketing and sales.
Did You Always Have A Burning Desire To Be An Entrepreneur?
Certainly! We have both always deemed ourselves ‘creative types’ with an eye for modern trends – it has always been a matter of finding the right opening, bring about meaningful innovation within a sector we truly believed in.
How has Lockdown Impacted Your Business?
A net win I’d suggest, gave us the breathing space to bed down and trial our new brand identity and 2022 NPD whilst building a credible online presence (Amazon, The Positive Co, Shopify….)
Please Share A business High & A Low With Us
High: Our Daylesford Launch in Feb 22, a massive statement of intent our side, a prestigious account with peerless foodie prowess. We also joined forces with One Tree Planted (a tree is planted every time a D’Amazonia pouch is purchased). It was essential to us that social responsibility was a key strand of our brand from the very outset.
Low: We often hear that the premium wellness tea space is cluttered which simply isn’t the case. There are many showy, image over substance infusions that smell amazing but taste of nothing.
What Advice Would You Share With Aspiring Entrepreneurs?
Only take on a project you’re truly invested in. You will spend a lot of time working on, worrying about, investing in tweaking, reassessing, doubting and proactively championing your range so never take on a project you feel indifferent about.
Thank you to Marcella for taking the time to answer our Behind the Biz questions. I love the passion and story behind the brand and look forward to trying the blends soon.
You can find out more about D’Amazonia over on the website and shop the blends. You can also support the biz over on Instagram.