When people dined at Sophie Kreymerman's home, they never asked for coffee. She
was known for her tea, which she purchased from local Chinese markets. It was
not a preoccupation or hobby, but one day in 1999 inspiration hit and Sophie
decided she wanted to stop working manicuring hands part-time and start serving
tea full-time.
The idea was simple. Open a teashop, with a little computer in the back to do a
bit of internet business. At the time Sophie's son Michael had just come home
after 6 years of living in Eastern Europe working with companies adjusting to
capitalism. Her other son Ilya worked in a tech department of a high profile
financial company during the dot com boom. Their collective talents would
eventually combine to become more than just the teashop around the corner.
Adagio Warehouse 2001
After researching the logistics of opening up a tearoom, and knowing what they
knew about the internet's possibilities, it was decided that far more people
could be reached if efforts were focused on that little computer in the back. A
tea supplier was found, and the website was built. Choosing a name for the
company required two things. Not only did it have to match the mood of a cup of
tea, it also had to appear at the top of the alphabet (the way search engines of
the late 90's prioritized their searches). A brief read through the first few
pages of the dictionary and Adagio was found. Chosen also was a theme - music.
While Ilya continued to work in corporate America, Sophie and Michael began
filling orders from the tiny basement of their 3-bedroom starter-family-size
ranch home. The first $10,000 shipment quickly filled the garage. Tea was
everywhere. Adagio offered about 20 varieties of tea to start. 10 flavored, 3
blacks 3 greens and 3 oolongs. Nothing exotic - very basic. Delivery trucks
would barrel down their residential street to unload huge quantities of
merchandise. Luckily, their neighbors understood - and the Kreymermans were
thinking ahead.
In about 18 months, it was decided that Adagio had to move out of the basement
and into a warehouse. The 10,000 sq ft space was found and moved into in September
2001 - Adagio's former site in Clifton NJ. The old 4-story warehouse was
formerly a silk factory with a now paved-over baseball diamond in the back,
where in the 20's the Yankees once played the "Clifton Silk Socks" on Sundays (a
day that they were not allowed to play on in New York). This first Adagio
warehouse was on the top level, which required a 72-step walk up to the offices.
At first, the company was to sublet the space to another renter. The most
memorable prospect was a photographer of risqué pictures. This arrangement
luckily did not work out, since in 2002 it was realized the extra space would be
needed. That same year Ilya left his job and began working with his mother and
brother full time.
If Adagio were only going to be an online tea company, they would have stayed
in Clifton. But they continued to grow. With products such as the
IngenuiTEA,
AnTEAdote
and a line of
realiTEA teabags that are being sold in stores, the company
needed the extra space. Adagio is no longer just a direct-to-consumer company,
and retail opportunities are developing on a daily basis. Adagio is also in the
process of developing its own
glassware line, and the space will be needed for
thousands of teapots, cups, pitchers and warmers.
Adagio Teas is now housed in a 26,000 sq ft warehouse in Garfield NJ, and has begun
shipping from a 24,000 sq ft warehouse in Fresno CA. They now employ about 12
people - which may seem small but is a lot more than 3! At this time, I am
happy to report that Sophie has returned to working part-time. The rest of her
week is spent being a grandmother to Ilya's newborn daughter,
Sencha Genna Kreymerman.
Hope she likes tea!
