Walking through the craft market in Cape Town, South Africa, some beautiful and unusual products caught my attention. There were coasters, note cards, crosses, and wood trays, all sporting hand-decorated USED TEA BAGS. I was even more intrigued when I read the sticker on the back of the products. The company was created to provide way for the people of the Mandela Park township outside of Cape Town in Hout Bay to get themselves out of the extreme poverty they currently live in. Talk about empowerment.
We were so moved by the quality of the products and what the company, T-Bag Designs, was doing that we wanted to visit their facility and see for ourselves.
Once there, we spoke at length with the woman who started it all: Jill Heyes. She moved to Hout Bay from the UK in 1996. A teacher, she was devastated to see the extreme poverty and worked with the local women to teach them crafts they could sell. The first couple of attempts failed, but they kept on looking for unique ideas that would be purchased for their beauty, not as a charity. In 2000, the tea bag concept was created and T-Bag Designs took off.
Building the company into a sustainable economic enterprise has been a challenge for Jill. With a huge heart but no business background, she has struggled to maintain the company’s profits due to the enormous overhead required to operate in her present location. She isn’t slowing down, though. Her vision is to eventually make or raise enough money to open a community center where the people of the township can go to learn new skills or just have a safe place for the kids to hang out.
She is also encouraging the women in the township to start their own businesses, grooming future women entpreneurs. She brings in an expert seamstress once a week to teach them how to sew high-quality goods they can sell alongside the T-Bag products. Everything she does is focused on teaching these people how to fish for themselves rather than providing hand outs - a philosophy we share.
When I asked her what she needed most, her answer was “increased sales.” So here is my request: check out their retail locations and do your holiday gift shopping there. Better yet, buy some for yourself and help me spread the word about these incredible products.
