"Our mission as Asheville Tea Company is to build local and regional supply chains," explains owner Jessie Dean. "So it's so important to us to be able to find vendors like BP Solutions to work with who are best in the business and can provide access to the packaging that we're really looking for and that moves our product forward."
This commitment to local partnerships, rooted in business philosophy, would prove invaluable when natural disaster struck Western North Carolina, transforming a vendor relationship into a recovery partnership that helped rebuild not just packaging, but hope.
The Mission: Building Community Through Local Supply Chains
Asheville Tea Company's approach to business extends far beyond simply selling tea. Their mission centers on building robust local and regional supply chains that strengthen the entire Western North Carolina economy. This philosophy influences every business decision, from ingredient sourcing to vendor selection, creating a network of mutually supportive local businesses.
"It's so important to us to be able to find vendors like BP Solutions to work with who are best in the business," Dean emphasizes. This dual requirement—local presence and exceptional quality—reflects the company's understanding that supporting local businesses doesn't mean compromising on standards. Instead, it means finding partners who share their commitment to excellence while contributing to the regional economy.
The local supply chain approach resonates deeply with Asheville Tea Company's customer base, many of whom actively seek brands that demonstrate community commitment. In today's market, consumers increasingly value businesses that contribute to local economies rather than simply extracting profits to distant corporate headquarters.
This mission also provides practical advantages beyond customer appeal. Local partnerships enable faster communication, more flexible problem-solving, and the kind of collaborative relationships that can adapt quickly to changing business needs. For a specialty food company like Asheville Tea Company, these advantages translate directly into better products and customer experiences.
The commitment to local sourcing also aligns with sustainability goals that matter to environmentally conscious tea consumers. Shorter supply chains mean reduced transportation impacts, while local partnerships often involve companies with similar environmental values and practices.
Working with local partners like BP Solutions Group allows Asheville Tea Company to maintain direct oversight of their packaging quality while supporting the broader mission of keeping economic activity within the region. This approach creates a virtuous cycle where local businesses support each other's growth and success.
The Packaging Challenge: Making Tea Visual and Compelling
Tea presents unique marketing challenges that packaging must solve. Unlike many food products, tea's most compelling attributes—aroma, flavor complexity, and the sensory experience of brewing—remain completely inaccessible to customers at the point of purchase. The packaging becomes the sole communicator of these essential product qualities.
"When we're selling a product that really has this visual aspect to it and flavor aspect to it that you can't get when you're looking at it on the shelf, it's so important that we can convey our messaging," Dean explains. This challenge requires packaging that functions as both protector and storyteller, preserving product quality while communicating brand values and product benefits.
The visual aspect Dean references encompasses more than simple aesthetics. Tea packaging must suggest the sensory experience awaiting inside—the warmth of a perfectly brewed cup, the complexity of carefully selected blends, the ritual and mindfulness that many tea drinkers seek. Colors, textures, typography, and imagery all contribute to this sensory suggestion.
Flavor communication through packaging requires sophisticated design choices. Different tea varieties evoke different moods and occasions, from energizing morning blends to calming evening herbal teas. The packaging must instantly communicate these distinctions while maintaining cohesive brand identity across the entire product line.
The shelf environment adds another layer of complexity. Asheville Tea Company products compete for attention alongside established national brands with significant marketing budgets. Their packaging must cut through this noise while appealing to customers who value local, artisanal products over mass-market alternatives.
Technical requirements also influence design decisions. Tea packaging must protect delicate leaves from moisture, light, and air while maintaining freshness over extended periods. These functional necessities must integrate seamlessly with visual design elements, ensuring that protection doesn't compromise appeal.
Crisis and Recovery: When Disaster Strikes Local Business
Hurricane Helene's impact on Western North Carolina in 2024 devastated countless businesses, but few losses were as complete as what Asheville Tea Company experienced. "When Hurricane Helene hit Asheville we lost our entire facility," Dean recounts, describing a catastrophe that would challenge even the most resilient business owner.
The scope of this loss extended beyond physical assets. Inventory, equipment, packaging materials, work-in-progress orders, and even business records—everything accumulated over years of building their company—disappeared in a matter of hours. For most businesses, such complete devastation would signal the end of operations.
Recovery required more than financial resources or insurance settlements. It demanded a complete rebuild of operational capacity while maintaining customer relationships and market presence. "We were definitely in a position where we needed to find ways to recover and recover quickly," Dean explains, highlighting the time pressure that accompanies any disaster recovery effort.
The speed requirement created additional challenges. Normal vendor selection processes, design iterations, and quality testing had to be compressed into emergency timelines. Every decision carried weight, as mistakes during recovery could compound the disaster's initial impact.
During this critical period, existing relationships became lifelines. Vendors who understood the company's needs, values, and standards could accelerate recovery by eliminating the learning curve typically associated with new partnerships. The depth of these relationships determined whether recovery would be measured in weeks or months.
"Those relationships that we had built with vendors right here who understood what we were going through and were able to help us through the next few months following that crisis, were pretty key in us being able to rebuild our business," Dean reflects. This statement reveals how vendor relationships transcend simple commercial transactions during crisis situations.
The Partnership Solution: Local Support in Crisis
BP Solutions Group's response to Asheville Tea Company's crisis demonstrated the unique value of local business partnerships during emergencies. Geographic proximity enabled immediate assessment of needs and rapid mobilization of resources, while established relationships provided the trust necessary for quick decision-making under pressure.
"Being able to work with BP Solutions right here, right in town" provided advantages that distant vendors simply couldn't match, Dean notes. Physical proximity meant face-to-face meetings could happen immediately, complex requirements could be communicated directly, and solutions could be implemented without the delays inherent in remote coordination.
The shared experience of Hurricane Helene's impact created additional bonds between local businesses. BP Solutions Group understood the broader context of recovery efforts because they were part of the same affected community. This understanding translated into flexibility, patience, and creative problem-solving that purely commercial relationships might not have supported.
Local partnerships also enabled innovative solutions that might not have emerged through traditional vendor relationships. When standard approaches weren't feasible given the emergency timeline, both companies could explore alternatives that balanced speed with quality requirements.
The collaborative approach extended beyond simple order fulfillment. "Have them build the product from there is pretty amazing," Dean describes, indicating a level of partnership that goes beyond typical vendor-client dynamics. This suggests BP Solutions Group took ownership of the challenge, bringing their expertise to bear on Asheville Tea Company's specific recovery needs.
Recovery efforts benefited from BP Solutions Group's understanding of Asheville Tea Company's brand identity and quality standards. Rather than starting from scratch with new vendors, the existing relationship enabled immediate resumption of packaging production that maintained brand consistency during a period when everything else was changing.
The partnership also demonstrated the broader value of local supply chains during crisis situations. While distant vendors might have been overwhelmed with their own challenges or unable to prioritize emergency orders, local partners shared investment in regional recovery efforts.
Building Forward: Stronger Through Collaboration
The collaboration between Asheville Tea Company and BP Solutions Group during the Hurricane Helene recovery illustrates how local partnerships can transform crisis into opportunity. What began as emergency packaging needs evolved into a deeper understanding of how packaging supports mission-driven business goals.
"What we're trying to tell our customers and showcase for our customers" became clearer through the recovery process, as both companies worked together to rebuild not just packaging but brand presence in the market. This collaborative approach ensured that new packaging solutions met both immediate recovery needs and long-term business objectives.
The experience reinforced Asheville Tea Company's commitment to local supply chains while demonstrating the practical benefits of this approach. Local partners proved more flexible, responsive, and invested in mutual success than distant alternatives might have been during such challenging circumstances.
The partnership continues to support Asheville Tea Company's mission of building regional supply chains while ensuring their products receive packaging that effectively communicates their brand values. This ongoing relationship provides stability and growth opportunities that extend far beyond crisis recovery.
BP Solutions Group's support during this critical period exemplifies how local businesses can serve as community anchors during disasters, providing not just services but hope and stability when both are desperately needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Power of Local Partnership in Crisis and Growth
Asheville Tea Company's recovery story demonstrates that choosing local partners means more than supporting community values—it means building relationships that can sustain your business through its most challenging moments. Their partnership with BP Solutions Group provided not just packaging solutions, but a foundation for rebuilding and growing stronger.
The experience reinforces the wisdom of building local supply chains that align with business values while providing practical advantages in both daily operations and emergency situations. For mission-driven businesses, these partnerships become essential infrastructure for achieving long-term goals.
As Dean reflects, being able to work with partners "right here, right in town" to convey your message and build your products creates opportunities that extend far beyond simple vendor relationships. It creates community resilience that benefits everyone involved.
Ready to build partnerships that support your mission and provide resilience for your business? Contact BP Solutions Group to discover how our local expertise and commitment to community can help your business thrive through growth and challenges alike. Let's build something meaningful together.
BP Solutions Group has been supporting Western North Carolina businesses through growth, challenges, and recovery since 1925. Our commitment to local partnerships and community resilience helps businesses like Asheville Tea Company achieve their missions while building stronger regional supply chains.
