Lori Bigelow, a third-generation executive at Fairfield”™s family-owned Bigelow Tea, passed away on Feb. 24 at her home in Wilton at the age of 66.
Bigelow was raised in Westport and graduated from Keene State University with the original career goal of becoming a physical education teacher. However, she joined the business created by her grandmother Ruth Campbell Bigelow in 1945. While her sister Cindi took on the sales and marketing aspects of the company, Lori Bigelow concentrated on creating new flavors and blends to expand the product line. She was instrumental in securing the company”™s acquisition of South Carolina”™s Charleston Tea Garden in 2003, later overseeing its operations.
In an interview for Rita Papazian”™s 2007 book “Remembering Fairfield Connecticut,” her father, David Bigelow, praised her for having “incredible taste buds” and being “one of the premier flavoring people in the world in terms of her knowledge and her skills and her ability take a product like tea and really create new and interesting ideas.”
When asked about her favorite tea, Bigelow replied that it was “usually the one I am working on now, but if I had a choice of them all, it would be red raspberry.”
The Bigelow sisters would hold co-president titles, but Lori Bigelow stepped down in 2006 and remained with the company as a consultant. She would also serve on the board of directors at the American Tea Association and was a member of the Canadian Tea Association.
Bigelow”™s cause of death was not disclosed. In addition to her sister, she is survived by her parents Eunice and David Bigelow, who are co-chairmen of the company, and her partner, David McDonald.
