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

Hi Titile, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started my own business because I’d found an industry that I loved, and not a lot of people my age (19 at the time) were familiar with. I wanted to introduce them to the world of tea and honey!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I’m Titile Niamke, a beekeeper and tea maker down in Memphis, TN. I’m one of the youngest beekeepers in the state and one of two black female beekeepers. I harvest and sell honey, and make teas in house that I sell as well. The name of the business is The Tea Bar 901! I am where I am today because of there things: customer service, believing in myself, and trusting God. Without those qualities I can assure you The Tea Bar wouldn’t be where it is today, nor would I be self employed at 24 years old. It wasn’t easy starting out, but it most definitely wasn’t hard. It was actually fun! I loved what I do so the “failures” didn’t hurt that bad. I do what I do because the benefits of tea and honey are helping people daily. Whether our honey is helping someone with allergy relief or our Pain Relief tea is helping someone feel better. I had my mind set that running The Tea Bar is what I want to do with my life by age 19. I found my passion in helping others through my business. The challenges were being in school, having a job and running a business simultaneously. All were very time consuming – but after 5 years, thousands of customers, and that same excitement I started with – I’m now self employed full time and am so excited for the future. The brand is branching out into honey based skincare, candles, and sooo many more tea and honey based products. Excited is an understatement!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Omg! We’d definitely go to Big River Crossing for a girls picnic! We’d have a lovely view of the Mississippi River with the serene sunset as your backdrop. We’’d visit some of the museums for sure, some of my favs are the Dixon Gallery & Gardens (pay what you can on Tuesdays), the Pink Palace, and the Botanical Gardens! We’d visit fine restaurants and have mocktails – places like Bishop (downtown Memphis) or Maybe the Costal Fish Co!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Danielle Gipson! We worked together from 2018-2020. We had many ups and downs as a team. We learned new skills together like photoshop and the art of tea making. We walked around campus in the heat giving away a samples of tea, and organized fun raisers together for The Tea Bar. We were friends and business partners and learned so much in a small amount of time.

Website: Theteabar901.com

Instagram: @theteabar901

Twitter: @theteabar901

Facebook: @theteabar901

Image Credits
Single shot holding tea glass – Timothy Kane

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta 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.