“Each and every Yswara product is a personal statement of my inner self and journey. I am enthused not only by the reality of my own every day, African & global experiences but also by a greater oneness. Yswara was formed as a pause, an act of reverence for the journey of being. ”— SWAADY MARTIN, FOUNDER YSWARA
After “where are you from?”, the second question I am always asked when meeting a new person is : “Why tea? What made you start a tea company? Why did you leave a comfortable safe and successful corporate job at a large multinational to start an African Artisan Tea company?”
We all get those questions whenever we make big life changes. The “Why” with the big eyes. “Is she delusional?” And even if I was, it is ok, maybe it’s part of un-becoming…
There are many reasons why someone would chose the challenging scary entrepreneurial journey…There is the WHAT and then the HOW. The HOW is really about making a contribution for the world I aspire to live in. For the WHAT, I fall into the category of those sharing a passion, my passion for the tea leaf.
“Tea and I have been lovers for a very long time. From a young age, buying and drinking fine teas was part of our family treasured rituals. As with all relationships, they evolve as you get to know each other and embrace the other for all they are… From shallow pleasures to a very deep bond, the magic is revealed.”
In a chaotic world, where all is fast, noisy, busy, tea is my relaxation and meditation on-the-go, a piece of eternity for the few minutes that the water is boiling, the leaves are steeping and the first sip of this fragrant warm brew…That moment of the day where I have a date with time and with everything, sipping beautiful loving nature in a cup…an ode to being present.
The hot beverage cannot be rushed. There is no other option but to slow down, be careful so clumsy me don’t spill the boiling liquor, surrender to the process and contemplate in stillness the universe the cup contains.
There are no limits to how many times a day you can have a cuppa and go within. It is always available and thanksfully welcome even in the most stressful business meetings. Tea is that companion who is allowed in all circumstances and all places. A simple democratic ritual, accessible to all. In the process of each measured sip, one is transported to a space not far from this ethereal African experience, the timeless time, the eternal moment.
Tea dictates. I follow.
Tea meets you where you are, as you are.
“I was born in a family of changemakers. My parents nurtured a strong sense of consciousness and responsibility to make the world a better place, starting from within.”
— SWAADY MARTIN
- multi awarded FORMER CORPORATE EXECUTIVE at general electric (ge)
- multi awarded entrepreneur, FOUNDER OF SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS businesses: YSWARA, AKRAFO AND SHIFT WITHIN
- Founder of TOUNCHé global consciousness summit
- published AUTHOR OF SPIRITUAL TALES for children
- certified YOGA & MINDFULNESS TEACHER
- Alumni of NYU Stern, London school of economics (LSE), HEC Paris business school, Harvard Divinity School and HEC lausanne
- Named on Oprah Winfrey’s “O Power List” for Africa (2014)
- One of “the 20 young Africans building Africa’s future” by FORBES (2014)
- One of “the 20 youngest power women in Africa” by FORBES (2012)
- AFRICA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN in BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT 2018 & 2019
- 200 AFRICA CHANGEMAKERS 2018/2019
- “Africa Economy Builders” award 2014
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow
- Aspen Europe-Africa Emerging Leader Fellow
- founding member of facebook company’s boost leaders network
“I was born in a family of changemakers. My parents nurtured a strong sense of consciousness and responsibility to make the world a better place, starting from within.”
— SWAADY MARTIN
- multi awarded FORMER CORPORATE EXECUTIVE at general electric (ge)
multi awarded entrepreneur, - FOUNDER OF SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS businesses: YSWARA, AKRAFO AND SHIFT WITHIN
- Founder of TOUNCHé global consciousness summit published
- AUTHOR OF SPIRITUAL TALES for children
- certified YOGA & MINDFULNESS TEACHER
- Alumni of NYU Stern, London school of economics (LSE),
- HEC Paris business school, Harvard Divinity School and HEC lausanne
- Named on Oprah Winfrey’s “O Power List” for Africa (2014)
- One of “the 20 young Africans building Africa’s future” by FORBES (2014)
- One of “the 20 youngest power women in Africa” by FORBES (2012)
- AFRICA’S MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN in BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT
- 2018 & 2019 200 AFRICA CHANGEMAKERS 2018/2019
- “Africa Economy Builders” award 2014
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellow
- Aspen Europe-Africa Emerging Leader
- Fellow founding member of facebook company’s boost leaders network
