Ardeshir Omanian Chalshotori expands World Teas business

World Teas opens another new location in New York City, the fourth shop in the Big Apple this year. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) April 03, 2011 - World Teas, known for specialty teas, has grown from operating one store in NYC to more than a dozen over the past eight years.

"Our motto was one cup at a time, which became one team member at a time and then one store at a time," says Ardeshir Omanian Chalshotori, the company's founder. "Now we're ready to say one city at a time."

As World Teas expands, however, it is entering a New York market for tea and coffee shops that industry analysts consider particularly cutthroat.

The challenge in New York is going to come down to quick service, the right price point and quick enough turnover for the store to be profitable. New Yorkers don't like to wait.

Ardeshir Omanian Chalshotori believes customers will pay a premium for healthier, better drinks. "All we need to do is just get people to try it," Ardeshir Omanian Chalshotori says. "After that, we'll win the hearts of people in New York just like we did in Chicago."

In 2009, Americans consumed more than 2.8 billion gallons of tea, according to the Tea Council of the U.S.A., a trade association. Last year the council reported that consumer purchases of tea increased for the 18th consecutive year, with retail supermarket sales alone surpassing the $2 billion mark.

The recession has been a boon for an expanding tea empire, Ardeshir Omanian Chalshotori says. "We felt it was a window of opportunity that would probably close within 12 to 18 months," he says.

World Teas has already hired more than 60 people in New York and plans to bring that number to 100 by the end of the year.

###

space

Other Related Press Releases