Drinking tea is a worldwide custom that goes as far back as you can remember. With many different types of flavors and characteristics that they possess, you are always doing your body justice when you take a sip. When you think of drinking tea, relaxation and calm nerves come to mind. Well one woman is putting a twist on how you look and feel about tea. Ivy’s Tea Co, is on pace to change the game.
Ivy’s Tea Co. is a pop culture and hip-hop inspired holistic health company based in Washington D.C. They specialize in handcrafted teas, herbal teas and herb infused sweeteners. The founder, Shanae Jones, grew up in a Jamaican household while her Mom was British so her love of tea was influenced at an early age. Spending quality time with her elders over a cup of tea was something she always cherished. The breakthrough came about two years ago when she started studying holistic health remedies and blending teas. Not long after she began an herbal apprenticeship to help increase her knowledge on the subject. Ivy’s Tea Co. was launched in November 2016.
“Ivy’s Tea Co. is more than an organic tea brand. Ivy’s Tea Co. is Black owned, it is woman owned, and it’s community-oriented. Every tea and every honey is handcrafted by an herbalist. The ingredients are locally sourced and always organic and fair trade,” said Jones.
Jones claims that Ivy’s Tea Co is more than your average tea brand and plans to help the community as much as possible.
The company has made valuable contributions to a number of organizations in the D.C. area. Her Philanthropy Friday Program gives a portion of the sales made every Friday to a charitable organization or community cause like LOM Help, Adeso Africa, and The Musicianship.
Seeing that young people are the future of this country, Ivy Tea Co uses pop and hip-hop music to help promote their brand. For example they have a music video with young people partying to hip-hop music while drinking tea.
As Ivy’s Tea Co. continues to grow, Jones does not see the company as a small business. She has very high expectations that will keep it around for a long time.
“The end goal is to make Ivy’s Tea Co. the number one Black owned Tea Company in America.
In 10 years, I expect to have several retail locations in predominantly Black cities, starting with Houston and then, Detroit, Atlanta, and St. Louis, where I sell fresh brewed tea as well as loose leaf tea. Think Teavana meets Starbucks or Sankofa Bookstore but waaaay more hip-hop,” said Jones.
To learn more about Ivy’s Tea Co. you can visit their website at ivystea.com, or on Twitter @ivysteaco, Instagram @ivysteaco, and Facebook @IvysTeaCo.
Black SOULutions 