We had the good fortune of connecting with Maggie Xue and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maggie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Tea is at the heart of Asian culture and it has always been a part of my life. Yet the tea brands we know and love are not Asian. I think It is our generation’s responsibility to claim our culture and create a brand that represents us. In the process of building Us Two Tea, we want to make tea culture more accessible to people in the U.S and to speak to them in a way that how coffee connects people here: inclusive, welcoming and accessible.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a mission-driven company. Us Two Tea is not a traditional Asian tea brand. We are a reflection of the Asian American experience, a unique combination of the east and west. Unfortunately, being a minority group in the U.S makes us a target for discrimination and racism. Constantly trying to fit in, we sometimes get lost in the process and forget who we are. I hope this brand encourages our next generation to be more confident about our culture and stay true and authentic to who they are – to be proud of being Asian American. I hope it inspires them to pursue their dreams and gives them the confidence to do what they love. We can dare to defy expectations and stand out, not just fit in. It was definitely not easy to start a business when you step into a completely new industry and basically trying to figure things out as you go. I definitely made a lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of money in the beginning, but I think it was a good experience for me to learn and grow. One thing I learned from being an entrepreneur is that you need to be persistent and have a thick skin. Do not afraid to ask for help and ask questions. Reaching out to strangers and negotiating the best deal for your company. Put away your ego and admit that you do not know everything and that’s okay!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If it’s on a Saturday, we will first head to Chinatown and get DimSum for brunch. After I will take my friend to Chelsea to do some gallery hopping, most of my friends love Art so I am sure this is a great spot for them to check out and also walk off that heavy lunch. Then we will slowly walk to West Village which is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. We will grab dinner around 7 pm at my favorite Italian restaurant Palma. I love everything about that restaurant, the food, the decor, and the cozy vibes. The restaurant is filled with beautiful fresh roses. It is such an experience to dine there. After dinner, we will walk around the neighborhood and wait for the 9 pm live Jazz show to start at Smalls. There are so many amazing and talented artists perform there and that’s the spirit of New York. You can see how passionate they are and how much they love what they do. Then we will take a yellow cab home and enjoy the night scene of the city that never sleeps. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out to our customers and Us Two Tea’s community. I believe your vibe attracts your tribe. I think it also applies to brands. I am very grateful that we have an amazing community and loyal customers. Since the pandemic, we received a lot of emails, DMs from our customers thanking us for providing the tea and service during this difficult time. We got tremendous support from our community in 2020 and we couldn’t be more thankful for the trust and love from our customers. We will continue to build our brand and grow with our community.

Website: www.ustwotea.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ustwotea/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ustwoteam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ustwotea/

Image Credits
@ustwotea

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.