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The Quiet Pour No. 04: What to ask yourself when things take an unexpected turn.
The concept of pivoting is ingrained in us early on, when training to be a physician. When we see a patient, we start with the fundamentals: taking a careful history, doing a thorough physical exam, building a thoughtful differential diagnosis, and choosing a management plan. But medicine is rarely linear. Sometimes, the patient does not improve the way you expect. When that happens, you pause, reassess, and pivot. You revisit your assumptions, expand the differential, and adjust management. The ability to pivot is often what leads to better care.
The pathway of building Herbs & Kettles has felt surprisingly similar.
Like any small business, we’ve experienced our fair share of highs and lows. Periods of momentum, peppered with quieter stretches that force you to ask harder questions. When you hit a low moment, it’s easy to feel panic and frustration. There’s a lot that can be at stake, and sometimes, circumstances are out of your control.
What emerges, steadily, is curiosity: What can we change? What can we learn? What opportunities might be hiding here?
We were working closely with a café partner to grow the B2B side of Herbs & Kettles. They had asked us to develop a chai base, and we worked with our organic farm partner in Assam to source a beautifully malty CTC tea just for them. We were excited and committed, sourcing enough chai base to support them for a full year.
Then, things took a turn. Plans shifted on their end when their needs changed. As they expanded and invested in a new espresso machine, they were offered a bundled deal that included tea from another supplier. They decided to step away from working with us.
We had more chai base than our current needs required, and our B2B arm was still too small to absorb that kind of sudden change. We carefully stored the excess chai base, and took a pause to think about it.
What we were left with was not resentment, but inventory and a question.
Our DTC business, on the other hand, had always been more resilient and flexible. We decided to treat the chai base as a starting point, instead of seeing it as a problem. And instead of being stuck in the spiral of “Why did this happen to us?”, it prompted us to ask “What can we create from this?”
Over the next few months, we tested recipes, explored new natural ingredients and spices, and slowly shaped ideas into blends that felt true to the Herbs & Kettles ethos. It was not fast, and it was not rushed, but it was deeply creative.
We created Coffee Chai, a blend that bridges two worlds. It has been embraced by coffee lovers looking for something familiar, and by chai drinkers who want an extra morning kick. We also launched the Chai Club, which has become one of the most meaningful parts of our business.
Through it, we realized that one of our greatest strengths is not just blending tea, but building community through chai.
There are also several new chai blends quietly waiting in the wings, tagged and tucked away for later this year. We are taking our time with them, because giving you thoughtful, high quality experiences rooted in single origin teas and real ingredients is what matters most to us.
Around this time, I was talking with a dear friend about pivoting, and he shared a story from his years as a chef at one of Atlanta’s most respected restaurants. One evening, a sous chef accidentally overcooked a delivery of beautiful, high-end steaks. Instead of scrapping them, my friend pivoted. He transformed them into Philadelphia cheesesteaks. Within hours of opening, they had sold out of 200 sandwiches. What could have been a loss turned into a hit.
When I see a montage of hard experiences in my mind (my “museum of failures”, as they call it), the act of pivoting becomes a redemption point. It’s the hinge that connects to experiences that are new, different, and aligned.
In many ways, my medical training gave me that mindset, long before I realized I would need it as an entrepreneur.
Pivoting is not about failure. It’s about survival, adaptability, and growth. Whether in medicine, food, or tea, the ability to pay attention and think creatively, tangentially, and calmly under pressure makes all the difference. It’s about staying curious when things don’t go as planned, and being willing to rethink your approach rather than staying stuck.
So, this is just a small reflection from me. A reminder that pivoting is not giving up, it’s about believing in your capabilities, to choose growth over rigidity.
And yes, for those wondering: the café did reach out again a few months later and purchased some of the tea we had originally sourced for them! It felt like a quiet moment of relief and closure, a reminder that things often come full circle.
If you have your own pivot stories, I’d love to hear them. Sometimes, sharing them is how we all learn to navigate the next turn a little better. 🫖
