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August 3, 2012 Sun Thisweek - Burnsville - Eagan
From Market Fest to free market Entrepreneurs find event is perfect testing ground for their ideas by Jessica Harper Sun Thisweek
Eagan Market Fest is known for its wide array of produce and live music, but it’s also a hotbed for budding entrepreneurs. For Terry Danielson, owner of Simmer Down Tea, the market presents a testing ground for his new blends.
“It’s a great opportunity to see if a new tea blend is a winner or not,” the Eagan resident said. His bubble and iced teas have become a staple for many market-goers who seek it out every Wednesday. The Taiwanese drink is much like a tea slush mixed with chewy tapioca pearls. Simmer Down Tea offers an American version, which substitutes the tapioca for Gummy Bears. In the last few weeks, Danielson has expanded the bubble teas to include popping bubbles, which are tapioca pearls filled with a fruit syrup. Not all his teas have been
a hit in Market Fest taste tests. One lemon blend in particular was a flop causing Danielson to scrap the recipe. Danielson founded the business two years ago after traveling to Taiwan for business. While there, Danielson, a senior project manager for Seagate, met a tea house owner who taught him the art of blending and brewing teas. From there, Simmer Down Tea was born. Danielson converted a former television repair shop in Eagan into a commercial kitchen. See Market Fest, 5A
Photo by Jessica Harper
Simmer Down Tea’s iced and bubble teas have become a popular item at Eagan’s Market Fest. Now, owner Terry Danielson is looking to open a retail store within Eagan to sell his teas and tea accessories.