Tea industry veterans will clearly remember the tea landscape prior to Teavana populating malls throughout the US. It took a lot of preaching, teaching and convincing to get consumers to let go of their precious beany beverage and try something outside of a cup of coffee. It was serious work with a lot of repetition to continuously beat the drum of leafy goodness, but work not eschewed by the impassioned tea purveyor.

Then along came Teavana. While a bit heavy-handed in the sales tactics area, and fairly liberal in using health benefits as a selling tool, they assisted in getting the word of better quality tea out to the masses. Mall shopper would learn that better quality tea existed compared to what US consumers were acquiescing to for decades. Their ubitquitousness, and eventual Starbucks-backed marketing cast a wide net: the message was that tea was good, good for you and that everyone should be drinking it.

Those in the tea industry currently have all benefited from Teavana’s presence and will continue to for years to come. But their time has passed. The culture has changed, solidly taken root and has grown sturdy. Perhaps we no longer need Teavana. Local independent tea shops will see an influx of tea refugees who don’t know the tea world beyond Teavana. Welcome them with similar blends to establish trust and then ease them gently into the broader options of your tea offering.

We welcome you to employ the Teavana inspired blends that we have created and hope they serve you and all former Teavana customers well. The future awaits!