Chai By Night

Update

Chai By Night was recently invited to attend a Ladies Shopping Night as a fundraiser for Albion Elementary School in Maple Ridge. The response was really great, and I really enjoyed the evening and was glad to have met all the women that came.

We’re also signed up to sell at the Royal City Farmers Market’s Winter Market on December 12 and January 9 at Holy Trinity Cathedral (514 Carnarvon Street, New Westminster) from 10am to 2pm.

Chai makes an excellent winter treat and can really warm your toes on a cold night. Here’s a tip: make a large batch of chai concentrate by boiling the spices in water but them straining it and cooling in the fridge. When you’re in the mood, fill a mug half with the concentrate and half with milk and microwave! Poof! Instant Chai.

See you at the market on December 12th!

Where Chai By Night Is At

It’s been a while since I posted given how ridiculously busy its been lately. So here’s an update:

Chai By Night is still at the Royal City Farmers Market, and while we are most certainly not “in the money” we are breaking even which was all we wanted. We’re there every week on Thursdays, from 3-7. We’ve teamed up with the Village Coffee Lounge, who is selling organic, fairly traded coffee beansand we’re sharing a booth so we can both keep costs down.

We’ll also be appearing at the 12th Street Festival this Sunday (on 12th Street in New Westminster) August 2nd, from 11-4. We’re actually sponsoring a booth for our friends at Tenth to the Fraser, so we can liveblog and livetweet the festival. We’ll be handing out samples for yout o take home and brew yourself, as well as selling a few bags of chai. We’re going to be set up around the 700 block of 12th Street, in front of the Village Coffee Lounge.

If you’re here because you got a sample or bought a bag or chai, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a note in the comments.

How Quickly Things Change

So there I was, all ready to be there on opening day at the Farmers’ Market. And then I got a phone call about two weeks ago from a very nice guy who had gotten my info from a friend. He wanted to know if I’d be interested in applying for the position as the market manager for the Royal City Farmers Market organization, as their market manager had had to quit rather suddenly due to illness.

So, I applied for and was given the job. It’s quite the challenge, with three weeks til opening day.

As a result, my wee little chai booth needed to be manned by someone else, to make sure there was no conflict of interest.

So, I’ve hired a friend to work my booth. So Chai By Night will still be there, but it won’t be Kale and I with a wagon full of goodies. But we will still have this awesome fabric banner! My friend Ruth made the main part out of some old curtains she had, and some random red fabric in her fabric stash, and I added the little text with a sharpie and made freezer paper stencils and fabric painted the CHAI BY NIGHT part. Sweet, huh?

From Chai By Night

Eco Footprint

 Chai By Night’s participation in the Royal City Farmer’s Market is going to be an eco-challenge. I am going to try to make our particpation at the market as ecologically low-footprint as possible. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?  I’m going to be hauling all my market gear using a Step 2 Rumble Wagon like this (minus the politically correct smiling children and mother): 

Wagon

My mom was given one of these wagons as a gift, and because it was sitting in her carport, collecting dust and not getting used yet since her grandson is so little, she’s loaned it to me as a Chai Transportational Device. I’ve picked up two sun umbrellas, and I have a folding table and chair. A friend is making me a quilted 3 foot by 1.5 foot fabric banner. I’m trying to do my part with my tiny little chai company and have made the choice to not drive to the market this summer (although, if it’s pouring rain and my son is freaking out, I won’t say no to a lift, I have to be reasonable) because let’s face it, I live 4 blocks from the market site and the gear altogether only weighs about 40 pounds. I hiked 72 kilometres on the West Coast Trail with 50 pounds on my back, there is no reason why I can’t do this. 

This is my personal eco-challenge for the summer. What about you? Are you doing anything to lower your impact?

News: Chai By Night is approved Royal City Farmer’s Market vendor

I am super excited to report that Chai By Night has been approved and will be available at the Royal City Farmer’s Market starting at the end of June – kicking off on the 25th – and running every Thursday from 3PM to 7PM at Tipperary Park in New Westminster. I’ve signed up for almost all of the markets -there are three weeks I can’t make it and those are July 30th, September 3rd, and October 1st – but otherwise I will be there with bells on! 

I’ll be there with my son Kale, and a little stand, and my chai mix. Hopefully by then I will have found a good supplier of decaf loose orange pekoe tea so I can also offer decaf chai. I won’t be serving brewed samples at the market – doing that means there is a long list of technical things I have to change to comply with Environmental Health regulations and financially that’s not in the cards – but I will have sample packets for you to take home and brew yourself and then come back and buy once you are hooked. 

I can’t wait! Now I need to get an umbrella and stand and a wagon to cart it all in.

Buying Chai by Night

I’m so excited that some of you are interested in buying Chai By Night. Each 150 gram package is for sale for $7. Shipping is a bit trickier, however. If you want me to ship it in it’s original packaging, it a ridiculous $7 to ship it. I don’t blame you – I wouldn’t pay that either. It’s because it’s light, but it’s bulky for it’s little weight.

But if I take it out of it’s package, put it in a Ziploc, and mail you the Ziploc full of mix and the original package folded up in an envelope, I can ship it as a letter and it’s $2 and you can pour it into the original packaging when you get it. Go figure! Silly Canada Post! 

Package of Chai By Night

So if you’d like to order Chai By Night, be aware that we might have to sort out shipping first! Please drop me a note at info at chai by night dot com if you are interested! I do also offer a wholesale price if you buy 6 or more packages.

Samples!

I’ve got my samples up and running and am now prepared to mail you a sample of tea if you’d like! To get your free sample (no strings attached) simple email me at info at chai by night dot com with “chai sample please” in the subject line and I will pop it in the mail!

News

I am proud to report that Chai By Night is now being served at the Village Coffee Lounge at 705 12th Street, in New Westminster. You can also buy the mix there to take home and brew yourself!

Tasting Event

I’m really excited to be hosting my first tasting event tomorrow. I won’t be selling anything, I just want people to have a sip and tell me what they think. I also took my first step toward becoming a farmer’s market vendor and dropped off my application to the environmental health officer to get approval to sell Chai By Night. Stay tuned for more details!

Tasting Event

I’ll be giving away free brewed samples of Chai By Night at the Village Coffee Lounge on 12th Street in New Westminster on Saturday February 28th from 12pm to 2pm. Stop by and have a sip!