CEO Cindi Bigelow honors her family’s traditions while embracing the future.
By Lisa Cavanaugh
“I always knew I wanted to run this company,” says Cindi Bigelow, President & CEO of Bigelow Tea. “By the time I was sixteen, I recognized that we had this fabulous family company, which, with the right education and right training, I could lead someday,” she says. “My father never made me feel that being a female was any kind of barrier to this role. Of course, he only had daughters!”
Bigelow is the third-generation President & CEO of the family-owned, Connecticut-based company. Before taking on this vital position in 2005, Cindi Bigelow spent nearly 20 years working in every aspect of the business her grandmother founded in 1945. “To me, it’s a real gift to be able to do this,” she says. “To be given the opportunity and hopefully blessed with the skills to grow the company. I never take it for granted.”
Ruth Campbell Bigelow created the first specialty tea in America in her New York City kitchen, a unique blend of black tea with orange rind and sweet spice she named “Constant Comment.” Five years later, the burgeoning tea company led by Ruth and her husband, David Sr., moved to Connecticut, setting up shop in a small factory alongside the Norwalk River.
Their son, David Campbell Bigelow, and his wife, Eunice, eventually took over the day-to-day management of the business, which had moved to a downtown Norwalk location and significantly expanded its tea line. Their eldest daughter, Lori, joined the company full-time in 1981. Cindi, the recipient of several degrees—a Bachelor of Science degree from Boston College, an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, Honorary Doctorates from Johnson & Wales University, the University of New Haven, and Fairfield University, an Honorary Associate Degree from Housatonic Community College, and most recently, a Doctor of Humane Letters from Albertus Magnus College—followed suit five years later.
“My parents and sister led the way for me,” says Bigelow, acknowledging that her position is filled with both satisfaction and challenges. “Things are constantly coming at you with many different variables, so you need to be able to pivot and become knowledgeable in a thousand different areas very quickly.”
She credits the talents of the people she surrounds herself with for much of Bigelow Tea’s success. “We employ 450 people in Connecticut and in our two other US-based facilities,” she says. One of our many keys to success is our Sales and Marketing and Research and Development teams. They live our core values every day, which means understanding the value of our different and special ingredients.”
To source these quality products, Bigelow travels far afield to the tea regions of the world. “We are one of the last companies to still buy beautiful, mountain-grown teas,” she says. “It is expensive, and our profit margin is thin, but quality is what we stand for.” She relates a story about travelling to the top of a mountain in Sri Lanka to visit with one tea producer they have used for many years. “I get there, and the individuals running the gardens were teary-eyed,” says Bigelow. “I asked why, and they told me it was because we are one of the last companies that care about quality and don’t change to another country to deal with the constant pricing pressures.
“That was so impactful to me,” she continues. “I shared with them it was all due to my mom, dad, and sister. They’re the ones who deserve the credit for finding the quality teas.” Bigelow feels that it is her job to keep that standard. “I must ensure that all our new ingredients come in at that same level.”
Navigating current tastes and contemporary flavors while maintaining the classic blends is a large part of what Bigelow focuses on. “We have a great innovation process. Our R&D team takes the temperature of what the public is looking for and presents ideas.” She admits that balancing tried and true with trailblazing can be challenging. “We can never compromise, for example, our ‘Earl Grey.’ We have to maintain that most beautiful recipe, which uses organic bergamot oil sourced from Calabria, Italy. We buy the entire crop. So, there is no settling for less, but at the same time you’re always thinking about creative new products and ingredients.”
Bigelow’s fortitude in these challenges comes from the core values she inherited from her family. “I believe you have to be consistent in all aspects of your life,” she says. “I try very hard to make this a place that never compromises on thinking about employees and never compromises on quality for the consumer.” She is proud that Bigelow Tea is a Zero Waste to Landfill company, a certified B Corporation (for-profit business that meets high standards of social and environmental performance), and one of the first in Connecticut to install solar panels to offset energy usage. She also initiated the company’s Annual Bigelow Tea Community Challenge, which has donated over $2.7 million to local charities.
“I believe businesses can make a difference every day,” says Bigelow. “They can make the world better for their employees and the community.” It helps that she adores the region in which she lives and works. “I love New England. I love the people in Connecticut. I love the style here. This was my parents’ home and my sister’s home, so we’re going to stay in Connecticut. I would never want to move.”
She often reflects on what the future holds for Bigelow Tea. “My children may or may not want to take leadership roles, but it is still my job to prepare for the company’s next generation.” She knows, however, that with delicious high-quality teas—which she enjoys freshly brewed four or five times a day—and a commitment to the people who work for Bigelow, the days ahead will always be filled with delight. “I like to say that my job is making two billion cups of joy!”
