Tea pact: Businesswomen's support defies disaster

In the summer of 2024, businesswomen Jessie Dean and Alexandra Sangster formed a pact: if one's tea business faced disaster, the other would provide support. This promise became critical when Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, North Carolina, in September 2024, washing away Dean's Asheville Tea Company building and its contents.

Sangster, whose company Sarjesa is based in Calgary, Canada, immediately began manufacturing Asheville Tea Company's products. For nearly two years, Sarjesa blended, processed, and packaged teas, a lifeline for Dean's business amidst challenges like tariffs and economic uncertainty.

This fall, Dean will reopen a new facility in Asheville, transferring manufacturing back to North Carolina. Their experience highlights the crucial role of cross-border relationships and social capital, particularly "bridging ties," in disaster recovery, as noted by resilience researchers.

Experts like Jennifer Helgeson emphasize that such relationships are vital, especially when insurance and aid are unreliable. Dean noted that while community donations covered about 50% of losses, Sangster's support was essential. The collaboration extended to logistical planning, including designing the new 4,400-square-foot facility in Asheville's former Moog Music factory.

Navigating new tariffs in early 2025 and subsequent escalations added complexity, impacting shipping and brokerage fees. Despite these hurdles, Dean prioritized maintaining her mission to work with regenerative farmers. Their model offers an alternative to competitive business growth, focusing instead on collaboration.