What I do
As the founder, I had been involved in every aspect of the company. I remember blending, labelling, and packing the teas in our converted attic. Nowadays my role is split between originating blends for our customised tea blends, sourcing the teas, which involves travelling to our partner tea farms, and developing the company’s long-term strategy. I am also involved in marketing, and obviously in building and developing a great team. Very exciting indeed.

My day in Solaris
No day is the same. I am primarily a creative person, so I try and work in short bursts of creative cycles (New Product Development, Innovation & Strategy). In less creative moments I will compare finances vs our targets, or fill in paperwork (never a shortage of paperwork!). I like teamwork, which is basically at the heart of our company, solving challenges (never a shortage of these either!), and setting new goals. Part of my time is spent training customers or their staff, attending trade shows or visiting our suppliers.

I like to be a visionary and work on improving myself, the team performance and how customers perceive our company and its products and services.

What inspired me to do what I do
My mother is a traditional herbalist from the Czech Republic, and we grew up being treated with herbs, so for me this was quite natural. I also vividly remember going foraging in my childhood: the smells, the adventure, discovering the forest. I always had an interest in medicinal and edible plants– so I studied Herbal Medicine, and while studying started supplying local Cafes with unique Herbal Tea blends. When they sold more Teas than Coffee, I knew blending tea was something I was good at. This is how Solaris was born.

In my teens, I was a member of the German National Gymnastic Team. To get there, I had to teach myself goal setting, patience, sacrifice, and undergo intense periods of pure concentration. These are all invaluable skills when running a business. I had no formal training in business.

Fun fact about me
I am able to fly (see picture)

My super power is…
…knowing how to reach goals (even if it takes a while).

Outside the office
I love adventure! Whether I’m Hiking & Camping with the family in Connemara, foraging in the woods or just plain relaxing. These are all fine with me!