From the outside, I imagine building Ceremony has looked relatively seamless. We post beautiful imagery, write curated pieces, and sell what we believe is Cape Town’s best matcha to an ever-growing community by the Atlantic Ocean. And while I am incredibly proud of all that we have built, it certainly hasn’t been easy.
Behind every launch date, photoshoot, new product, and event, there have been countless moments of questioning whether I was capable of creating what I had set out to build. For every ten steps forward, there always seemed to be one or two back. More than once, I’ve thought to myself whether I have what it takes to run this business the way it deserves. Imposter syndrome has become a familiar companion throughout the journey. What I have realised is that self-doubt serves very little purpose. With the right attitude, an eagerness to keep learning, and a dream support system behind me, I’ve discovered that resilience is far more valuable in entrepreneurship than confidence.
From the outset, my intention was to create something that felt out of the ordinary. Every detail matters in this business, from the products we develop to the texture of the walls in our Ceremony Matcha Bar. Our website experience, the way we write, and the way a customer feels when they open one of our packages. None of this has arrived by accident, and with this level of care and precision, a certain amount of pressure is to be expected.
I’ve always felt that every product we release should be better than the one that came before it. It’s in the bones of an entrepreneur to improve on one's own progress, time and time again. Once people started trusting the Ceremony brand, it became increasingly important for me to keep earning that trust and respect by creating the best possible products, by making every decision with the right intention.
OkJa was our very first wholesale partner. At the time, wholesale hadn’t crossed my mind as a sales strategy, but it ended up being an essential part of Ceremony’s growth path. I have always been of the opinion that Ceremony belonged to the customers, which made direct-to-consumer my priority. But partnering with cafes was an in into an industry that would give people their first experience of our products, and for that I am eternally grateful.
From there, our Ceremony matcha found its way into cafes, retail spaces, and fitness spaces. At this stage, we were hosting a lot of events, slowly integrating our product, Ceremony Matcha, into the fabric of Cape Town’s wellness community.
Then, matcha in Cape Town, as we knew it, exploded. The product became one of the trendiest drinks on the market. It felt like it happened overnight. Cafes wanted matcha on their menus, and demand grew faster than I could have ever imagined. It was exciting, but it came with its pain points. It was around this time that we experienced some supply shortages and were simply unable to keep up. Of course, we always knew this was an incredibly good problem to have, and there were plenty of solutions that came with it. There were certainly some setbacks, especially considering we are working in a business built around agricultural products and seasonal harvests, but every obstacle taught me something new. And through all of the ups and downs, I have been consistently supported by an incredible community and a close support system that backed me even when I may not have.
As we continued to grow, we had the opportunity to work with inspiring brands like Bootlegger, Plato, Soho House, One&Only, Pina Jewels, Lexus, and ASICS. Each of these partnerships represented a leap forward for Ceremony. That said, not every opportunity is the right one, and we have turned down some collaborations with big brands and corporations that don't align with our values. Instead, we actively choose to work with brands, photographers, creators and models who themselves believe in Ceremony and share similar values around intentionality and quality, rather than chasing those with the biggest audiences. We would prefer to create a community of authentic work relationships rather than purely transactional ones.
Growth isn’t always about saying yes to everything. Sometimes, it’s about knowing when to say no.
Our community came together, once again, when we opened the Matcha Bar in Sea Point. Here, I saw familiar faces from some of the very first Ceremony events. But more on that full-circle moment later… I always wanted Ceremony to feel like a community where people could belong, not just a product or a shop, and I wholeheartedly believe we’re heading in the right direction.
