Full name: Yulia Zhizhaeva
Role: Founder, Managing Director
DOB: 22/11/1987
Birthplace: Moscow
Twitter Handle: @JADUtea
Website: www.jadutea.co.uk
Fun Fact: Yulia has a collection of more than 150 decks of playing cards, and knows a little card magic.
J: Hello Yulia! Thanks for talking with us and how the heck do I pronounce your surname?
Y: Thank you. It is a good question, which I have been asked the most, since I have moved to the UK. However, I am afraid it is only possible to explain in person.
You have a background in banking right? Where’d the original idea for Jadu come from and what was it like getting from original idea to where you are now? How long did it take you?
I have been interested in tea since I can remember. Tea is an integral part of my family. We have many different teas in our cupboard to treat ourselves and our guests. The first thing I did when I moved to London was to fill my cupboard with different teas. Though, the idea of JADU came slightly later, in March 2013, when many things came together. I was writing my dissertation to complete MSc in Global Banking and Finance, and like all others, I was researching my options on what to do next in life.
My dream was to build my own company in the UK. Having some entrepreneurial experience in Russia, I embraced my dream and started to look at options of businesses I could open. I did a lot of research, went through different means, the only thing that stayed unchanged was my cup of tea. That was the time when I started to think of establishing a tea company. The turning point was a tea masterclass by Jane Pettigrew in April 2013, I learnt a lot about tea. It was the day when I decided to start a tea company.
Then I started my business research and in June 2013 I registered the domain name for JADU website and in the beginning of 2014 JADU trademark was registered in the UK.
What do you learn from a background in finance anyway? Anything that carried over to what you do with Jadu now? Are you working on Jadu full time?
I am working full time and following my passion for tea with JADU Tea. I have learnt a lot from finance, the most useful things are how to work under pressure and evaluate returns on investment. Every time making a decision, I try to assess what the company will get from it in return and try to invest smartly.
Jadu…Sanskrit for ‘magic’ – right? What is magical about tea for you?
Everything about tea is magical. There is less and less time to enjoy life in this competitive environment. Therefore, tea is one of those little treasures, which takes you away, allows you to relax and brings you back to your senses. Its a drink you can enjoy with your family and friends. Tea is a magical beverage and an everyday luxury that we can indulge ourselves in.
I’m assuming, based on your name, that you are Russian? Is there much of a tea culture there?
Yes, that’s right, I am Russian. I think, to say there is much of tea culture in Russia is an understatement. Tea is very popular in Russia. You can find a large variety of tea on offer in many stores and restaurants. However, the quality of tea available there is not always very good. There are many more places in Moscow that serve whole leaf tea compared to London.
I’m assuming that you don’t end up starting a company like this without being some kind of tea lover yourself? What’s your favourite tea ever?
As I mentioned before, my love for tea comes from family. It was a matter of time to start a tea company as I was sending lots of tea to Russia. I even joked that it would be cheaper for me to start a tea company in London, rather than to send tea to them. Destiny brought me to JADU, I would say. It was meant to be.
I cannot pick one favourite tea. I love different varieties of tea and choose one for each moment, it could be black, green, white, oolong etc.
How long does it take to settle on a tea blend anyway? Do you have a blender or is that something you do yourself?
We are blessed to have one of the most experienced tea blenders, Alex Probyn, who has worked on our blends.
Same with sourcing suppliers – I assume you’re working with plantations in all the main tea areas?
Our high quality whole leaf tea is sourced from trusted tea suppliers, who use only orthodox methods of tea production. Tea leaves are sourced from India, China and Sri Lanka, herbs and fruits sourced from around the world
Cold brew – yay or nay?
Yay
Pu-erh – yay or nay?
Yay
Jadu coffee – will we ever see it?
Personally, I drink coffee from time to time, but at JADU we don’t see ourselves in the coffee industry, it’s all about the magic of tea.
You guys clearly thought a LOT about the packaging (and it is very beautiful!). Could you tell us a little about how you ended up settling on your current design?
After the few initial months of my research, visiting tea stores and browsing online, I knew that I want to offer high quality tea in a luxury packaging and this was the starting point. I was looking for a packaging that would be easily accessible, that’s how I came up with idea of a cube shaped box. Then the texture and colour of the paper for the box were also very important elements, I spent few months looking for the right paper. It was actually very hard to find the right navy blue paper.
I saw more than 200 paper samples. Then my business partner, Vineesh Tokas, joined me in my research and helped to make a final decision. We focused on each individual element of the perfect box – materials, dimensions, colours and convenience.
You also mentioned that you are set to launch in selected department stores in London by Christmas 2015 – where will we be able to find you? I’d imagine at your pricepoint we’ll not be seeing you in most ‘regular’ supermarkets.
We are planning to launch in a few luxury department stores in London, supermarkets have never been in our plans.
What’s a ‘day in your life’ like? Could you give us an insight into the luxury tea business?
It’s quite hectic these days, emails, product development, marketing, finance, social media. So there are many things to be done in a day. However, it is very interesting, as you are able to do different things. We are a small and very enthusiastic team.
What’s your greatest/most memorable professional moment been, so far?
Actually I have two memorable moments. First of all was my trip to tea plantations in Himalayas, India. It was really magical! Its an immensely beautiful part of the world, some kind of parallel reality. And secondly was the arrival of our first consignment of JADU boxes. These were equally magical moments.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere! The world around us has so much to offer.
What’s your philosophy, summed up in a sentence?
Don’t break your values, be honest and learn from others.
What advice would you give to aspiring food and drink entrepreneurs who’d want the kind of results that you’ve had?
Plan, be focused towards your goal and always value your team.
If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing instead?
Probably working in finance.
What’s your ultimate aim and goal for Jadu? If you could achieve anything with it, what would you pick? Money and reality are no obstacle, so shoot for the moon…
Open tea bars around the world and become more popular than one the most famous coffee chains, cannot name them, in order not to promote them more.
Where next for you and the business?
In five years we would love to generate brand awareness and see JADU Tea London in the most famous gourmet food halls around Europe, Middle East and North America.
Along our journey we would love to share the magic of tea with everyone, bring families and friends together for a relaxing cup of tea, and make a positive contribution to society! To try to make the world a little bit better and kinder!
And we always ask three customary ridiculous questions…
If you were forced to live on one kind of alcohol for the rest of your life (assume that your metabolism becomes specifically adapted to use this as your sole source of calories, so you had to drink this to survive) – which would you pick, and why?
I do not like alcohol, and personally have no interest in it.
But just to honour your question, any cocktail involving tea should be fine.
You have acquired a pet T-Rex and are morally obliged to look after it. It is 13 ft tall at the hips , eats half a ton of raw meat a day, and likes taking long walks. What would you call it and what would you do to keep it entertained and housed?
I love this question. I am dreaming about getting a pet, and the name was decided long time back. I will call it JADU. It will be a cute JADU T-Rex, you got me here, as I personally connect with T-REX, love them, and already have a picture in my mind. With he/she wearing a bow with its name JADU on it. It could even be our mascot!
If you had to get into a no holds barred, 20 round fist fight with any fictional character, who would you square off against?
Spider Man, do not like spiders or his movies. But I will teach him some peace, through yoga accompanied with tea. So a cup of tea with Spider Man it is.