Meet Jenna Kramer | Owner of Four Stages Tea

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenna Kramer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenna, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Four Stages Tea and Herbals was born out of a calling to nourish people, the planet, and the endangered Monarch Butterfly. We sell all organic, fair trade when necessary tea blends that do just that! All Four Stages blends have specific health intentions, and as a trained herbalist I make sure they are effective and delicious at the same time. With every purchase, 5% is donated to the Monarch Joint Venture and I include a packet of the only host plant to the Monarch Butterfly, milkweed, with every order for the customer to plant. I make sure every seed packet is native to the area of the customer because this is environmentally important.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Herbalism was always a passion I had, but I could never quite articulate it. Growing up, I spent most of my time outdoors with my brother, around plants. I always felt like something was missing until I listened to an audiobook from the library that mentioned “the herbalists.” I was intrigued, googled it, and it led me to a book by Rosemary Gladstar, who is now my favorite herbalist. I just became really interested in it and started learning everything I could about it. I lived by a co-op, and would go buy little amounts of each herb and tea and sample each one. I became a real nerd about it, filling up a dresser drawer with little mason jars full of herbs.

As far as making it a career… it wasn’t expected, it was an answered prayer. I didn’t feel like I knew where I wanted my life to go, I was getting burnt out from acting and pretty depressed. I signed up for a singles event at a local church that was at a nature preserve – it was a jogging event. I didn’t even like jogging, but I felt so desperate to find someone at the time! Funny enough, I ended up being the only one who showed up – probably because it was a jogging event. Just kidding! :p I figured, what the heck, I’m here and it’s a beautiful morning, I might as well go on a hike. Well, at first I was sad and bummed I was alone, but you know what? We are never alone. God showed up that morning. I felt that He was telling me that even though this jogging event wasn’t going to bring a romantic life partner, He wanted to bring me a unique calling that day. I saw a butterfly and immediately felt the need to start a tea company with the butterfly being a key aspect. No joke, it was really wild. I still remember exactly where I was on the trail, the butterfly, the thought.

Four Stages Tea and Herbals was born out of this calling to nourish people, the planet, and the endangered Monarch Butterfly. We sell all organic, fair trade when necessary tea blends that do just that! This generation shows more depression and anxiety and poorer physical health than previous generations – increases in metabolic syndrome and chronic inflammation being the main culprits. Tea has been shown to reduce these symptoms, and herbalism works to get to the root of a problem, in a very safe and affordable way. Herbalism truly is medicine for the people. Why Four Stages? After the tea is plucked it goes through a four stage process and I compare that to the butterflies four stage life cycle. I truly believe we ourselves can be part of a “super generation,” emerging with vitality when we incorporate organic, tea and herbal blends into our everyday life, and this will help us lead the next generation sustainably. Every blend comes in a recyclable package so we are not contributing to the global packaging waste problem.

All Four Stages blends have specific health intentions, and as a trained herbalist I make sure they are effective and delicious at the same time. Every blend is created by me and hand blended. With every purchase, 5% is donated to the Monarch Joint Venture and I include a packet of the only host plant to the Monarch Butterfly, milkweed, with every order. I make sure every seed packet is native to the area of the customer because this is environmentally important. The endangered Monarch butterfly is a vital pollinator, amazing creature, and has spiritual and economic impact around the world. It deserves our help!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m new to the Lakewood area, so I’m still exploring myself! A few favorites around the city:

Tabletop Game Bar to play board games, Bartleby for a cocktail and Birds of Paradise for dancing. (Ohio City)

Algebra Tea House and then Presti’s for breakfast. (Little Italy)

A sunset walk or yoga around Lakewood park or Edgewater.

Dinner or lunch at Cleveland Vegan. (Lakewood)

A night out in the Flats.

A night of Theater at Playhouse Square.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I don’t have enough space or time to thank everyone who has helped me get to where I am today! I would like to first dedicate this shoutout to my mom and dad, who have always supported me and encouraged me to reach for my goals – no matter how lofty they might seem. I would like to thank my mom for the countless hours she has put into helping me work Farmers Markets and Pop-Ups as my “Executive Assistant.”

I would like to thank my good friends and family who have encouraged me, helped me work my markets with nothing else expected in return but a cup of tea, and have been loyal customers since day 1.

I would like to thank Andrew Turoczi, owner of Julianna’s Coffee & Crepes in Atlanta (check it out if you are in the area!) who mentored me when my tea company was just an idea and allowed me the opportunity to introduce my brand and sell my masala chai latte by the cup at the shop.

Lastly, I would like to thank my wonderful mentor Dave Lupyan with the Score program. He has helped me with so many aspects of my business. Thank you for helping me identify my target audience and perfect my “elevator pitch” for Tea Tycoons at the World Tea Convention, which helped get my name out there to a global audience. Check out Score for free business mentoring resources!

Website: https://fourstagestea.com

Instagram: @fourstagestea

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenna-kramer-19b04024a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fourstagestea

Image Credits
Matt Petrunak, Wendy Pramik, Michael Turner