Passion Over Pay

Thinking of giving up what could be a high-flying career for a shot at doing what you truly love? These women did, and they’ve never been happier

- Natalya Molok

“We never dread work, and we don’t look at the clock waiting for the day to end”

– Geraldine Koh, 37 (right), and Michelle Koh, 38, co-founders of Tily Tea

A life steeped in happiness isn’t a pipe dream for co-founders, Geraldine Koh and Michelle Koh, ever since they started Tily Tea, their herbal infusion business rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) elements.

“The year, 2018, was a challenging one. My husband and children had a couple of long spells in the hospital,” recalls Geraldine. “Synthetic medicine was only providing short-term relief, so I turned to a Chinese physician who introduced me to astragalus and codonopsis, which are anti-inflammatory herbs. I brewed them together [as a tea], adding red dates and goji berries, and to my surprise, my tea tasted sweet. The true taste test, I had to pass, however, was [to convince] Michelle.”

“Our families have always been TCM users,” says Michelle. “Back then, we were mostly forced to drink the concoctions our elders made because there wasn’t a pleasant taste association with medicinal herbs! So, I was sceptical when Geraldine first approached me with her tea, but I was hooked on the first sip.”

Shortly after, the cousins were inspired to take Geraldine’s herbal infusions to the market because they wanted consumers to revisit a traditional way of approaching wellbeing. Tily Tea was born last year, and it has created brouhaha for the business partners and cousins.