Hi, I'm Amanda! I'm one of the two co-Founders of Loosely Tea Company. Meg and I thought that sharing a little about each of us, and what we do with the company, would be a fun way for everyone learn more about the Loosely story. 

When did you start having an interest in tea?

My passion for tea actually started as a University student when I discovered I was allergic to coffee beans. How was I going to pull all-nighters to study for exams??! Enter a friend who suggested I test out a strongly caffeinated black tea, and I was hooked. I actually started to import tea from Europe that I couldn't find in Canada and watched as my tea collection grew, and grew, and grew.

So you like tea... but why start a tea company?

In the fall of 2018, I had a health event which left me with both a focused interest in my own health and a newfound sensitivity towards caffeine. I couldn't drink more than a cup a day of my go-to blends anymore as the caffeine had a strong effect on me. As I began to search for decaffeinated teas, I realized that there was a lot I didn't know about the other health benefits of teas. I loved the idea that a drink I would be drinking anyway might contribute to my wanting to keep my body healthy, make it easier to fall asleep or just chill out. But the teas specifically designed to do all those things... tasted awful. I wanted to enjoy a delicious cup of tea that would support the health and wellness goals I wanted to achieve, but there was nothing available. So I began to source my own and voilà! 

What are your favourite Loosely Tea Blends?

So many to choose from... and Meg and I both decided when we started the company that we both needed to love every tea in the collection so the real answer is all of them. But if I *have* to pick, I think my favourites are The Skinny, The Detox, The Rewind and The Bloom. I also don't mind when a package of The Earl is open anywhere around me; the smell is divine. 

What teas would you like to see in the future?

I'd love to see us continuing to expand our decaf/low-caffeine availability, and we actually just developed a caffeine-free version of The Earl which is delicious... and now I can drink it all day! We are aiming to always have at least one decaf tea in all of our new seasonal collection releases. 

When you're not working on Loosely, what are you doing?

I'm a mom to 2 very active little boys so chances are if I'm not at Loosely, I'm either driving a child to a sporting event, watching a child at a sporting event or driving a child home from a sporting event. I also volunteer at my kids' elementary school, local sport associations and elsewhere in the community as it's really important to me personally - and Loosely as a company - to be an active participant in the communities we live in. I also have a cabin that my family escapes to at any and every possible opportunity. 

What are three things you love other than tea & your family?

1. Red wine. I actually love red wine so much I convinced Megan to have a wine tea when we launched the collection. It turned out that I didn't love that formulation as much as I loved the wine, so we discontinued that blend... for now!
2. The ocean. I love living on the West Coast for a lot of reasons (hello, warmer winters), but the proximity to the beaches and the ocean is at the top of it. 
3. To-do Lists: I have never met a list of things to check off that I didn't like. When you wear as many hats as I do, staying organized is key. Bonus points if I can write them with a Muji pen.