In conversation with Candice Mason, founder of Mother Cuppa Tea
A woman that started a herbal tea business in the land of the milk tea to bring attention to women’s hormonal needs
As a way to honour International Women’s Month I bring you the story of Candice Mason, an English entrepreneur that made a shift in her life to focus on giving solutions to middle-aged women through herbal teas. I hope you like it. (This is not a paid collaboration).
Candice has metamorphosed several times in her life. Professionally, two years ago she decided to give a chance to an idea she had been brewing for some time. She started an online business of herbal teas, all run by herself. From the production to the marketing. Candice lives in Tring, a small town North-West of London (UK) and when I asked her how she decided to give a chance to non-caffeinated herbal teas in a land where most people indulge in a creamy black tea blend several times a day she said: “I wanted to focus on the needs of women like me”.
That leads to the first metamorphosis she endured. This one was hormonal. In her late teens she was diagnosed with endometriosis. According to the World Health Organisation:
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. Endometriosis can start at a person's first menstrual period and last until menopause.
The WHO also states “The cause of endometriosis is unknown. There is no known way to prevent endometriosis. There is no cure, but its symptoms can be treated with medicines or, in some cases, surgery”. Candice knows it well. Her treatment resulted in a medically induced menopause. She was only 40 years old. In the midst of understanding the new situation, she tried to find ways to support herself and her body, and found comfort in natural herbs.
“I went through a diet cleanse 12 years ago, giving up coffee for 28 days. I’ve never looked back, finding that I was able to experience the benefits that I’d previously relied on coffee for, from drinking herbal teas. Since then, I’ve become fascinated with the benefits of natural botanicals and teas to support health and wellbeing.” She explains.
From the herbalist to the tea sommelier
In our conversation, Candice told me how she got into this world. She first started going to the local herbalist and asked them to recommend different herbs for the different symptoms she was experiencing. She would then brew them at home and so she started developing a taste not only for the herbs but also for their properties. She soon began to create her own blends to satisfy her specific needs. “They didn’t taste very nice, I must admit!”. That was not the point for her back then, though. She mainly wanted to feel better, more balanced.
“I found it amazing to learn you could select and mix different plants for specific health benefits!”. As years went by, she claims to have found solutions for her insomnia, anxiety, low-energy levels and for the initial stages of perimenopause. All due to the repeated consumption of herbal brews.
All these changes in her body and mind occurred while she was in charge, along with her husband James, of another completely different company. She was (and still is) the director of Mason’s Minibus & Coach Hire LTD, their family business to the date. “I liked it, but it was a very masculine environment and I wanted a change after everything I was experiencing”.
The 2020 global pandemic hit the transportation business hard. If you couldn’t leave the house, there was no need for a bus or a coach. Still, Candice made lemonade (or rather tea) out of the situation. That difficult time made her realise perhaps the moment had come to push to another direction. So the next year she enrolled in the UK Tea Academy in London, a recognised world authority in tea education. On December that same year she graduated as a tea sommelier and started participating in tea tastings as a judge.
The final push, though, was only 10 months later. On October 2022 she launched her online business Mother Cuppa Tea.
Teas for women
She knew about all the different Chinese teas, about the Indian blends and about the Japanese techniques but she decided she wanted to stay away from tea leaves. Stay away from caffeine actually, and opt for the benefits that other herbs can bring.
“I wanted to use my knowledge from training as a tea sommelier and my interest in plant power to help other women just like me and to establish something for myself, that inspires me, fits with my values and that I 100% believe in!”. So she got in touch with a supplier based in the UK and started making her own blends to cover specific needs.
“I knew I wanted to start with three different but complementing blends that women could take in different times of the day”. The first one is called “energise” and it’s meant to be drank in the morning as it helps sustain energy throughout the day. The second one is called “hydrate” and helps manage inflammation, which is often caused by dehydration. The third and last one so far is “relax” and it’s meant to be drank after dinner. It helps calm down the mind and body.
ENERGISE
Ginger (30%). Antinflamatory. Excellent remedy for menstrual pain
Hibiscus (16%). Cleans liver of toxins, which helps maintain energy
Apple Pieces (14%). Flavour
Beetroot (10%). Enhances stamina by making muscles more fuel-efficient
Rosehip (7%). Anti-inflammatory
Ashwagandha (5%). Adaptogen. Relieves stress and improves concentration
Lemongrass (5%). Flavour
Peppermint (5%). Flavour
Schizandra Berries (5%). Helps reduce fatigue and support concentration
Freeze-dried Cranberry, Orange Peel, Freeze-dried Cherry (3%). Flavour
HYDRATE
Rooibos (55%). Accelerates hydration and contains antioxidants
Desiccated Coconut (18%). Helps prevent dehydrations (high in electrolytes)
Eldelberries (15%). Antioxidant, anti-inflamatory and temperature balancing
Eldelflower (5%). Helps the skin retain moisture
Lime leaves (4%). Flavour
Freeze-dried Raspberry (3%). Flavour
RELAX
Rosehip (25%). Relaxing and sedative
Roasted Dandelion Root (18%). Anti-inflamatory
Pear Pieces (18%). Flavour
Cinnamon (17%). Antioxidant and helps lower blood sugar
Apple Pieces (11%). Flavour
Orange Peel (3.5%). Flavour
Puffed Quinoa (3%). Beneficial for sleep, tissue growth and muscle relaxer
Oat Flowering Tops (3%). Relieves stress
Lavender (2%). Anxiety reliever and sedative
“I decided to pack them up in individual tea bags as they are meant for busy, hard-working women that may not have time to prepare loose-leaf brews. I wanted to make things as easy as possible but while keeping the environment in mind!”. She makes sure that the ingredients are ethically sourced and also that the packaging is sustainable.
On my surprise on how to promote tea blends that actually have no tea in them, she says the market is there. “In the United Kingdom people are very used to drinking tea, which helps already, but they are used to sometimes very strong black teas. I wanted to make blends for women that are experiencing hormonal changes and that think that caffeine is not doing them any favour. Probably the most difficult market would be Yorkshire, though!”. We both laughed as she knows my mother in law lives there and I mentioned one time she offered so many cups of tea I started to have signs of tachycardia. The tea there is specially strong, also, so maybe it would be difficult to convince Yorkies to shift to the rosehip and the rooibos.
She may do it, though. Candice is very out there when it comes to marketing and social media. “It’s no doubt the most challenging thing that I have done!”, she admits. You wouldn’t believe it if you saw how she puts herself in front of the camera to explain her followers the properties of each ingredient and how she has embraced the opportunities that platforms like Instagram or Tik Tok bring. “At first I was a bit embarrassed and I didn’t know what I was doing but now I plan my content ahead of time and I think that my customers like to see who is behind the brand, because the company is a lot about my own story”.
Many women may see themselves reflected on Candice and that may make them buy her teas, but beyond that I think what Candice achieves is to make public a situation many people experience and it’s not talked about enough. Endometriosis affects roughly 10% (190 million) of reproductive age women and girls globally. Also, some women may encounter menopause earlier but what is sure is that most women will experience it at some point in their life. That brings lots of hormonal changes that although natural may feel strange. Candice not only offers herbal teas but also her own awareness to help women navigate their mid-life metamorphosis.
You can see more of Candice and her herbal teas here.
