Jia Beixi, a native of Chengdu, Sichuan, studied Germanic studies in Germany. After graduation, she worked as a manufacturing related business manager in Hamburg. In their spare time, she and her husband Julian R. Stodt both enjoy drinking tea and meditating, often using meditation based mobile applications. Both Buddhist meditation and Taoist meditation have precedents associated with drinking tea, in 2019, Beixi and Julian had a sudden idea to combine tea and meditation and began developing the Mind Vacations mobile application for tea meditation. Back then, they won the Creative Award in a startup competition in the city of Lüneburg, Germany. The following year, they received an entrepreneurship scholarship of 66000 euros from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economy.
Lünale 2019
With the initial funding support, the early development phase went very smoothly. Firstly, they conducted 400 questionnaires within Germany, and the results showed that green tea and black tea are relatively well-known to Germans, with 90% of people paying attention to organic tea. Two people without a background in software development technology are conducting their own research to build an app architecture. They collaborate online with programmers in Beijing to write code according to the architecture. According to the conclusion of market research, German consumers tend to prefer organic tea, and the two chose organic tea gardens certified by the European Union in Yunnan. They visited the tea gardens to collect video and audio materials. They chose black tea and green tea, which are well-known to Germans. Large leaf tea has a stronger and richer taste that is closer to the taste of Germans. After more than two years of effort, their app product was launched.
Customers usually purchase tea sets through consumption, including a glass tea cup and several tea samples. According to statistical data, about 40% of buyers will download the app on their mobile phones and scan the QR code on the tea sample packaging to participate in meditation classes. Each tea sample offers 10 video courses, divided into three levels, cleverly combining tea drinking and meditation. Starting from boiling water to brew tea, through Jia Beixi’s video and audio explanations, adjust the breathing and gradually enter a meditative state. Accompanied by the sound of tea picking in the tea garden and a brief explanation of tea knowledge, within a few minutes, meditation was unconsciously completed. Both Buddhist meditation and Taoist meditation have precedents associated with drinking tea, tea is a great medium that can help relax the body and mind, concentrate on meditation, provide simple tea knowledge explanations, and encourage more people to learn how to enjoy drinking tea.
At present, the tea meditation app is expected to promote the German market, mainly participating in tea and health-related activities and exhibitions, such as collaborating with German psychological treatment institutions, conducting online and offline meditation activities, and attending gatherings such as the Berlin Tea Festival. The operating language of the app is currently in German. In the future, Beixi and Julian hope to develop an English version. There are plans to target the Nordic markets around Germany, and the long-term plan is to become an international brand that promotes physical and mental health.
Western society does not have the habit of clear drinking of pure leaf tea without any other additives, and even though meditation has become very popular in recent years, the digitization of tea is still highly challenging. The millennial generation is proficient in using high-tech products, and using apps is even more common. Consumer and lifestyle habits are also changing. Jia Beixi maintains an optimistic attitude towards the future of tea digitalization and hopes to use the concepts of Chinese and Asian cultures emphasizing health preservation and emphasizing health, to influence Westerners to seek the secrets of maintaining physical and mental health from Asian wisdom.
