Purple Grace LLC was established in 2010 as a beverage brand that uses natural and organic ingredients to its line of high-quality teas. The company currently offers two lines of loose tea leaf blends. Heaven’s Treasure and Purple Grace Exquisite Tea Affair (tea bag). Purple Grace Exquisite (RTD) bottled tea, which is an award-winning recipe, won The Beverage Forum’s Innovation Zone & Tasting Station Best in Show Bronze in 2013. Purple Grace is one of the few products in the ready to drink iced tea market that uses Non-GMO Organic, no concentrates and Gluten Free ingredients that still achieve the bold and rich flavors that everyone enjoys.
Purple Grace, Founder and Owner and her team, like many small businesses, experienced the affects of rapid growth, with their products landing in 22 stores which included Whole Foods, celebrity recognition and brand loyalist almost immediately. This drained their energies and reflected on their need to address their operational challenges, to continue to meet customer demand. That’s when she sought the help of the NJSBDC at Rutgers-Newark.
She placed her business on “pause” in 2018 so she could focus on the challenges, review and amend her business plan, retooled her company’s marketing plan and add business consultants to her team. Purple Grace Seck attended the full day NJSBDC at Rutgers-Newark (RNSBDC) State Certification workshop. She was assigned to RNSBDC Consultant Jinni Rock-Bailey to get her Small Business Enterprise (SBE) Registration and Woman/Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) Certifications. By December 2018 she had received her certifications.
In April 2019 she and her Team, including her RNSBDC Advisor Jinni Rock-Bailey updated her business plan and relaunched Purple Grace Tea. Ms. Seck was referred and accepted into the CUEED EPI Program and will graduate in December. She has financial advisors who are guiding her in the right direction. Along with her Team, Ms. Seck continues to receive SBDC consultation and attends programs offered by the Center when necessary. The Center’s goal continues to be to guide she and her business toward success and continued rapid growth.
Purple Grace Tea will be moving into their new headquarters in 2020. Along with planning her opening for the retail establishment Purple Grace Exquisite Tea is on the path of being an anchor business in the tea industry and committed to play a major role in her business and faith-based communities. Company currently has 3 full time employees.
We believe that Purple Grace LLC and Purple Grace Seck truly deserve this 2019 Success Award. Since becoming an SBDC client, Purple has shown perseverance and positive determination in managing her company’s growth. She continues to participate in various RNSBDC business training workshops and events.
