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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | J a n u a r y 2 0 2 0 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 7 Continued on page 48 discovered via research that most consumers did not know we were a family business. So the emphasis [became] having consumers rec- ognize that there's a family behind this tea. at is why I decided to go out into the marketplace and share the family story. It's certainly a compelling story, but how does it make people buy tea? I believe people want to know more about the brands they consume, and what better way to know more about the brand [of tea] that they're drinking than by knowing the family and the ethics behind the brand? What was the thrust of Bigelow's marketing message before you became the face of the brand? It was about freshness and the need for the foil wrapper [enveloping each teabag], because only foil protects the volatile oils [in the tea]. It was [also] about the plethora of tea [varieties] that we have. In creating and building a company, your grandmother Ruth was really unusual for her time. As a female CEO in 2019, you're less unusual for yours. How are you like your grandmother, and how are you different? She was known for literally writing consumers personally — sharing with them a thank you, sharing a little story about the company. And to this day I personally write and talk to consumers all the time. She was really renowned for giving back to the community, very generous. She adopted a town in West Virginia and used to send down books and coats. I like to consider myself very much focused on philanthropic work. So we're very similar from that perspective. She loved design; I love design. She loved the creation of [tea] flavors; I love the creation of flavors. You have the opportunity to run an organization in an ethical, clean, kind, hard-driving way — why would I want to do anything else? Why? How are you different? She started a business from scratch. e hurdles in front of her were so significant, I don't know what that looks like or what it took [to surmount them]. I know it was a really rough beginning. I'm third-generation; every generation has different strengths. Manage- ment and leadership of the 400 [employees]; and [ensuring that] the 400 people are doing their best and feeling good about who they are is a completely different skill set [than starting a company]. at's what I've been groomed and developed to do — but to do it with that same entrepreneurial spirit [that Ruth Campbell Bigelow had]. What's your growth target for this company for your tenure leading it — is it a dollar figure, or number of employees? I don't think like that. My mis- sion is not to have the company hit X number in sales; my mission is to ethically grow a business for the long-term health and well-being of both the employees as well as all the consumers who get to enjoy our tea. Some people might assume that your path was paved with gold as the princess of the family business. But your parents weren't like that, and maybe had higher expecta- tions for you than they might have had for a hired executive. Only three percent of family businesses make it to the third gen- eration. It's not always easy for the generation that's passing the baton. If there's ever any advice I would give to the generation [passing on the family business], I highly recommend that both generations look through the other's eyes. Easy to say; harder to do. You need to get the older generation to really understand you and what your motives are, and you need to listen to them about what their concerns are. When you put all of that on the table, I think your chance of successfully passing the business on to the next generation is significantly higher. But you need to be really honest, transparent and respectful. It took [my parents and me] five years to have that conversation. You've said you knew you wanted to run this company since you were in high-school. Was there a road-to-Damascus moment when a light bulb lit up over your head and you realized this was your path in life? No. ere was nothing else I ever wanted to do. To me, a family business is a gem. You are given the opportunity of a lifetime to run a family business. I don't know if everybody understands that. But Cindi Bigelow President & CEO, Bigelow Tea Co.

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