In modern vernacular, “the tea” refers to gossip or personal information about someone else. To “spill the tea” means to spread and share that same information. The phrase can be used in various contexts.
Thanks to a new business that has popped up in recent months, softball coaches and fans alike now have a new meaning for the phrase.
At the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City in early June, lines were rarely short at a bright, teal-colored trailer behind straight-away center field. At the foot of the outfield grandstands and adorned with a bright, fresh logo that read The Tea, it was one of two locations around Hall of Fame Stadium – and the latest successful trip for a new business steeped in the softball world.
Following its debut at the Atlanta Legacy travel ball tournament last July, The Tea marked the entrepreneurial debut of C.J. Browder.
Browder, a former college softball player and coach who is married to Ole Miss assistant coach Katie Rietkovich-Browder, starting tossing around the idea in the spring of 2021. A friend that owns a similar business elsewhere suggested that Browder should consider starting one and the brain gears immediately started whirling.
“It was probably only two, two-and-a-half months between when the idea came about and when I got my trailer,” Browder said during a rare break at Hall of Fame Stadium. With a chuckle, she acknowledged that she started making moves on the idea quickly after the idea first came about.
Starting a new business requires a lot, but one of the important intangible qualities is a passion for what you’re doing. Spend just one minute with Browder while waiting for your drink and it leaves no doubt that she has exactly that passion.
“I’m a people pleaser at heart,” Browder said. “I love making people happy and having fellowship with others. The Tea encompasses all of that for me. Along with being a small part of a world that has been such a big part of my life, softball.”
Every new business has a memorable beginning, and The Tea is no exception. Browder ordered an outfitted trailer, branded it with her business logo, and stocked it with supplies. That Atlanta Legacy tournament last summer was the inaugural outing for The Tea, and the business was a success right away.
“It was a huge hit. We could not have asked for more support from everyone in attendance,” Browder noted. “Including players, coaches, college coaches and parents; we still have customers that we keep in touch with from there! I want to make sure to thank Will Tomasello, Rick Jeffries and Becky Massave for allowing us to be there.”
In Oklahoma City for the Alliance Fastpitch Championship Series last July, The Tea was a smashing success yet again. With their allocated spot in the midst of what amounts to “Concession Stand Row” at Hall of Fame Stadium, the trailer was assuredly the hot commodity of the week. Lines frequently stretched six or seven customers at a time, many of them repeat customers.
At each of their locations during the Women’s College World Series, six or seven customers at a time was a light moment.
Following her early, swift success in the first months of business, Browder’s mobile business added a stationary element – The Tea is now set up in a permanent location on the campus of Ole Miss. The second trailer marked an expansion of her fleet, and both trailers also travel to certain events to maximize service.
That Browder’s venture was so successful, so fast should not be a surprise. With a multi-faceted career path that has included college coaching and sales most recently, she says she has always had an entrepreneurial spirit.
“[Entrepreneurship has] always been a world I have been intrigued by and wanted to be in,” the new business owner said. “The Tea just happened to be the perfect place to start!”
