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Sunday, September 13, 2010
capital news B3
BUSINESS ▼ ENTREPRENEURS
Example of a family enterprise that is able to thrive L ‘‘ ast week, I found myself extolling the prominence of family entrepreneurship in our society, along with some of the ups and downs that are inherent in creating a family team to identify, develop, launch and manage a family venture. I am very pleased to share with you this week the tale of a married duo with whom I became intrigued through discussion with Dave Biglow, of Cherry Hill Coffee in Kelowna. Bigelow had recently entered into a co-operative arrangement with Pierre and Amber Piche, MOTEAS tea company entrepreneurs, and wanted me to enjoy the experience of learning their story. When I sat down this week at my favourite outof-office meeting place to interview the Piches, I was immediately touched by their infectious warmth and personality. Here was a young entrepreneurial couple who are solely committed to making a difference in not only their tea product venture, but also to leverage their entrepreneurial dream machine to affect
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
Joel Young the lives of those around them in a positive fashion. Amber was born in Kelowna and graduated from high school in 1999 gaining work and business experience along the way in the hospitality industry. In that same year, Amber entered Okanagan College, ultimately obtaining her business administration degree in 2003. What I found so enlightening about Amber is that she grew up in an entrepreneurial family environment where her grandparents, parents and an uncle all enjoyed the entrepreneurial ride. It appeared very readily to me that here was a young woman destined for the “entrepreneurial spirit,” as only time would mature and mold such spirit for her future journey. The beginnings of the synergy that would bring
Amber’s creative spirit to the forefront dramatically occurred when she met Pierre in 1999 while attending Okanagan College. Amber recalled that both of the couple’s school and career paths were very important in shaping their opportunity visualization to build MOTEAS. Having both graduated from the college with business administration degrees, they had a baptism to the business world coupled with the enhancement of each owning their own venture while in school. Their careers did lead them from time to time in different directions, but both Pierre and Amber stated each position they held prepared them for the family enterprise they operate to-day. Pierre, born in Ottawa, began his entrepreneurial journey early with a framing eyeglass business as his very first work/job experience. He moved to Kelowna at age 19 in 1994, tackled the sciences in school, then left for Banff in 1996 to adventure for about a year in the hospitality industry.
Returning to the Okanagan in 1997, he enrolled at Okanagan College where he set his focus on completing a business degree to prepare him for his future entrepreneurial endeavours. Pierre quite convincingly advised me that he never doubted he would embark on an entrepreneurial lifestyle for his future, embracing the notion that his love interest might enjoy the ride as well. Interesting how fate writes our life script and brings two people together in love who already had the entrepreneurial foundation in place as individuals. Pierre took various career positions in the food sector, managing a Kelsey’s restaurant and selling transit advertising while the couple began their life as a married couple in 2002. Amber diversified her business background with stints working for the museum society and a daycare operation. She also became a new mother, at the same time planting the seeds of the tea enterprise which would become MOTEAS. When I inquired about the genesis of the idea
Water audit conducted The Forest Practices Board will audit how well forest and range practices in the Vernon and Oyama Creek community watersheds are protecting water quality, beginning Oct.18. The forest practices of Tolko Industries Ltd, BC Timber Sales and the Ministry of Forests and Range’s small scale salvage program, as well as range practices of three range tenure holders, will be examined. The watersheds are located next to each other on the east side of Okanagan Lake, and supply drinking water to Oyama and Winfield. The two main objectives of this audit are to assess the compliance of forest and range practices with FRPA’s practice requirements for water, and to assess how well practices are achieving government’s objectives for protecting drinking water. Once the audit work is completed, a report will be prepared and public input will be sought.
THEY LAUNCHED THE MOTEAS TEA COMPANY IN 2003 AS AN OKANAGAN COMPANY COMMITTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD…
for MOTEAS, the couple joyfully replied that the result came easily for them. Both had become immersed in the hospitality industry and were aware of different paths they could test. Pierre has a passion for health and Amber was in the wine industry at a time when they noticed that there seemed to be a considerable shift from poor quality to premium blend coffee. They noticed this shift in both coffee and the general food categories, with customers seek-
ing better quality products while becoming more conscious of their health and our environment. When they looked at the tea industry as a sidebar from coffee, they quickly realized there was a large gap in reference to quality, taste and sustainability from where their minds were at and where they envisaged they ought to be as budding entrepreneurs. They launched the MOTEAS tea company in 2003 as an Okanagan company committed to make a difference in the world through offering high quality organic tea products at reasonable pricing. One of the aspects that I enjoyed when meeting the Piches is that they both exhibit a tremendous passion in their enterprise, have clearly identified their skill set for the management and operation of their venture, and are determined to grow the enterprise by creating more visibility in the regional market through exposure at events, advertising and
an abundance of consumer education about the advantage of consuming a healthy range of tea products while contributing to sustainability of our global environment. The desire to “make a difference” is so prevalent in this couple that their mission to help others is above themselves. That left me with a gratitude for having met them and an appreciation for their journey undertaken as Okanagan entrepreneurs. Dear readers, I am compelled to ask you to check out the MOTEAS website at MOTEAS.ca and learn of the joys of a quality tea product enterprise in our midst. I am enjoying a cup of Vanilla Rooibos while closing my column for you this week. Until we meet again…. Joel Young is an entrepreneurial leadership educator, coach and consultant and the founder of the Okanagan Valley Entrepreneurs Society. www.OVeSociety.org
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