Celestial Seasonings: Change, Growth, and the Value of Entrepreneurship

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Celestial Seasoning's Mo Siegel shares insights into the entrepreneurial mindset needed to form a successful company.

As a child growing up in Palmer Lake, Colorado, Mo Siegel wandered the spacious Rocky Mountains, picking up wild berries and mountain herbs along the paths he forged. It wasn't until years later, however, that his interest in those herbs would turn into a lucrative business called Celestial Seasonings.

Passionate about art, Mr. Siegel opened a small art store in the late 1960s, eventually combining his two loves by creating a gallery and health food store. A tea drinker for years, he served Oriental herb tea to customers in his store, but he quickly realized that better tea could be created using the wild herbs from the nearby hillsides and canyons of the Rocky Mountains. Armed with a burlap sack and a couple of friends, Mr. Siegel harvested the herbs to create his first healthy blend, aptly named "Mo's 36 Herb Tea®" by the health food store that sold it. After the success of his first tea-making endeavor, Mr. Siegel decided that it was time to go into business with some long-time friends and began what has become the largest specialty tea manufacturer in North America. Devoting his days to creating such tantalizing Celestial Seasonings blends as Red Zinger® and Sleepytime®, he led the company to a successful acquisition by Kraft, Inc., in 1984 and stayed with Kraft until 1986. He rejoined the company as chairman and CEO in 1991.

In 2000, Mr. Siegel oversaw the merger of his company with The Hain Food Group to form The Hain Celestial Group, staying on to oversee the transition between the companies. Assured of Celestial Seasonings leadership position in the herb tea industry, he retired in September 2002 to pursue venture capital opportunities, serve on Boards of Directors, work for non-profits, spend more time with his family, and continue his adventures in the great outdoors.

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[Fantageous]

Mo, I love the tie dye! I buy your tea. Just learning about the origins of C.S.