March Practitioners

Nicole Emanuel knew it was destiny to get in business with her sister and create 21Seeds – the fruit juice infused tequila that not only makes a statement on your bar cart and tastes delicious, but is disrupting the alcohol industry with an approachable disposition to spirits.

Nicole began her career in finance with a job post-college at Deloitte where she opened the tax office in Hyderabad, India. Realizing she liked building companies rather than maintaining them, she boldly cashed out her 401k and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime by traveling the world. On this journey, she found herself in front of the most sought-after astrologist in India who told her she would one day fulfill her greatest accomplishments by working with family. When Nicole returned from globetrotting, she continued her career in finance where she quickly climbed the ladder and became the CFO to well-known media companies including Refinery29 and Brit & Co as well as fintech giants such as AngelList.

Kat, Nicole’s sister, was originally a wine drinker who soon made the switch to drinking distilled spirits. Kat had a preference for tequila but she wanted something smooth and simple with a fresh flavor that would make drinking the spirit as approachable as a glass of wine.  Morphing into a self-made mixologist, Kat created the first batch of 21Seeds in a filtered water pitcher and spent time perfecting the temperature, presentation and balance of flavors. Not long after, friends and family began asking for cocktail recipes and bottles of their own to have and serve.

21Seeds was born and the name consisted of “21” [“2” sisters and “1” friend] and “Seeds”, which represents the ingredients from the earth that go into each bottle of 21Seeds tequila. On this venture with 21Seeds, Nicole found her destiny by working with her sister and inspiring others to follow their dreams.

In her own words:
“I’ve always been an artist. Art, for me, has taken many forms from doodling the margins of my second-grade notebook to learning shape, shade and shadow in High school art class to drawing faces and nude bodies in college, sometimes modeling for my professors’ life drawing group. I’ve tried my hand at pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, and graphite. I was a sign artist for many years honing my skills in graphic design, hand lettering, gold leaf and airbrush. T-shirt Art was fun designing merch for country music artists and football teams.  I took a 30-year detour away from artsy things to become a massage therapist but after retirement I am again fascinated with art, this time painting out loud in living color with acrylics, watercolor and ink. Shapes became more abstract, bodies and faces gave way to movement and vivid color.  Where next? Time will tell.”

With roots tracing back to a humble tea shop in London, England in 1872, Hale Tea Co. was brought to Savannah, Georgia in 1989 by the Hale family. Today, Hale Tea Co. is woman-owned and operated by a local Savannah College of Art and Design graduate, Megan Miller.  Megan has over 8 years of experience in Marketing and Event Planning before acquiring the company.  Her focus has always been on the food and beverage industry and her passion for tea made her owning and operating Hale Tea Co. the perfect fit.

Hale Tea Co. is proud to have brought a variety of tea blends into the hands of locals by partnering with over 40 retail partners in the Savannah, Bluffton and Hilton Head areas. Inspired by the beautiful Lowcountry, Megan and her all women team strive to make pieces that are not only enjoyable to drink with the highest quality ingredients, but are displayed to highlight the beauty and rich history of the region. Megan also puts a huge emphasis on community by sitting on several non-profit boards as well as supporting local charities.