MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Have a cup of tea and help Memphis women on a path toward success.
My Cup of Tea is a business in Orange Mound which imports teas and sells them locally. But the mission is bigger than just tea.
“It’s the best kept secret in Memphis, Tennessee,” said Debbie Hert, Operations Manager at My Cup of Tea. “We provide jobs, stability and hope for the ladies who live here in the community.”
“We use their skills to package, label, distribute tea that we import from the far east. We have a very high-end product that is well received across the community, actually across the country,” said Carey Moore, Founder and CEO of My Cup of Tea.
My Cup of Tea hires women from the Orange Mound community. They currently have 19 employees but have employed a total of 60 since the beginning.
“I was raised in this community. So, I know what Orange Mound was… And so, it’s a different place. But because of My Cup of Tea, we are bringing back that sense of community,” said employee Cheryl Henderson.
“Orange Mound has a rich history. It is the oldest African American Community in America, founded by African Americans who built their own homes here,” said Moore.
They bought the house in 2012, and My Cup of Tea began in 2015.
“Working here gives a lady dignity, of course, and it anchors her in the ability to create something that she can put her name on and be proud of,” said Moore. “We have about 50 volunteers and create a sisterhood. We have daily devotionals. We have Bible studies. We pray. We sing.”
“After I had the Bible class, I had like, My Cup of Tea… We did that class. Then we did like, save your money, budget your money and everything like that. We had that class. And after that, I got hired. And I’ve been here ever since,” said Doris Sanders.
“This weekend, Friday and Saturday we’re having a Christmas open house. It’s kind of like a winter wonderland where people can come in and just buy tea, tea gifts, all sorts of things. But the main thing is the exposure of learning about tea. It’s kind of like our Christmas coming out,” said Henderson.
“Without women being valued a neighborhood really cannot thrive. And Orange Mound is primarily women,” said Moore.