The Little Tea Pot Euro-Cafe

Christa de Beaupre, Owner/Operator
"This would be just my cup of tea! Right size for one person to handle, a very cozy and nice place", was Christa deBeaupres comment when she first set foot into "The Little Tea Pot". A few months later, she became the owner, operating two businesses in the one location. That was four years ago.

Here is Christas story: "In 1997 the gold price dropped, and my camp cook career was over. I had worked for a placer mine company in the Yukon for six years. Moving back to Powell River, I was faced with the challenge of finding a way of earning a living. An ad about a business course at Community Futures pointed me in the right direction. Because I had been in business before, I knew that business was the route to go. Realizing that the way of doing business has changed since the eighties I knew that I needed more than to follow my instinct. What I needed was a business plan."
The food industry had been Christa's passion and source of income all her life and that was what she wanted to explore, from a different angle this time. She had developed severe food allergies, especially to wheat, dairy and gluten, and found the market place wanting in products for people like her. Was there a business opportunity?

With the help of the Community Futures business course and staff Christa developed a business plan for "Christinas Gluten-Free Cuisine". With that, she was accepted to the Self Employment Program.

The challenge now was to get started without the loan she was refused. Networking through the business course landed her sharing space with an existing bakery. Pouring all her savings into equipment and supplies the business took shape. Christa developed recipes for breads, cakes and soups, overcame the challenges of packaging and labeling and started selling.

"My idea was to wholesale only, but soon saw that it was not the way I wanted to continue. I prefer the personal contact with my customers. When Pam, the owner of "The Little Tea Pot", phoned to ask if I would be interested in taking over her place, I made up my mind pretty fast. After all, I felt it would be "my cup of tea."
The Little Tea Pot Euro Cafe is more than tea and scones. It serves dishes with European flavour, cakes, fresh baked breads and homemade soups, and of course, a gluten free menu. Following todays trends, she offers many vegetarian delights as well. Her tea selection boasts over 50 varieties of black, green, herbal and decaffeinated, available as an in house beverage or to purchase as loose tea.

"My theory always has been that a restaurant is more than a place to eat. It is where you relax, share a meal with friends, listen to nice background music, discuss the menu in great detail with the owner, and you are greeted like an old friend. A place where you read the paper or have a meeting."