Over the last 15 years, the tea culture in the United States and Canada has not only managed to thrive, but has also grown to have a global reach thanks to those with a strong interest in it. In honor of this publication’s 15th anniversary, TeaTime 15 is a yearlong series that will focus on various aspects of the tea industry, featuring key people, places, and things. This first installment spotlights a group of need-to-know people in the world of tea, their careers, and their contributions to the production, consumption, and overall enjoyment of this ever-popular beverage. While each has a different background and area of expertise, they all have one commonality—their passion for one of the most popular beverages across the globe.
midwestteafest.com
Twelve years ago, Nicole Burriss was introduced to real, quality tea at a Christmas afternoon tea at the Dallas Arboretum. The tradition inspired her to continue hosting afternoon tea for friends, coworkers, and family. In 2014, Nicole saw a listing for Seattle’s Northwest Tea Festival in TeaTime magazine and was immediately intrigued by the thought of tea lovers and novices gathering in one place to sample so many different teas, shop for products, and learn about the beloved beverage. When she searched for an open-to-the-public tea festival near her, she was shocked to discover one did not exist, spurring her to create one. Since the inaugural Midwest Tea Festival in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2015, the festival has grown beyond what Nicole ever imagined. What was initially a one-day event has expanded to a two-day experience with involvement from well-known tea educators, along with local and national tea merchants.
laurachilds.com
Tea Shop Mysteries author Laura Childs always knew she wanted to be a writer. With an impressive résumé that included writing for TV and radio and opening her own ad agency, she decided to try writing fiction in the evenings and on weekends. After publishers rejected previous novels, she decided to take one more crack at it and wrote the first chapter and an outline for what would be her first Tea Shop Mystery, Death by Darjeeling. Laura felt that tea was not only timely, but had a warm, cozy feel that readers could appreciate. Her beloved character, the crime-solving Theodosia who owns a Charleston, South Carolina, tea shop, helped pave the way for more novels with tea as a recurring theme. The New York Times best-selling author has since written more than 40 novels, including 18 installments in the Tea Shop Mysteries. Her newest in that series, Plum Tea Crazy, will be released in March.
babettedonaldson.com
Tea writer and educator Babette Donaldson’s experience with tea started before she really recognized it—from enjoying tea while baking and sewing with her grandmother to earning her arts and ceramics sculpture degree, which required her to study teaware and tea drinking. Her first bout of writing to incorporate tea came in the form of Emma Lea, a character in Babette’s series of tea-themed picture books. The Emma Lea books allowed her to educate new tea drinkers on its importance, the beauty of the leaves, the craft of the growers, and the richness of the worldwide cultures. Eventually, she was approached to write The Everything Healthy Tea Book, which introduces readers to the many health benefits of the beverage in an easy-to-read format. In addition to her work as a writer and educator, Babette created the International Tea Sippers Society to welcome tea drinking novices to the full, great experience of enjoying and savoring tea.
worldteaacademy.com
When Donna Fellman decided to turn her passion for tea into a profession, she never imagined she would eventually become Program Director and Online Education Director of the World Tea Academy. Her passion drove her to spend a decade educating herself on tea leaves, including traveling to India for three months to experience the culture and to learn about the origins of tea. For several years, Donna built her expertise by managing various teahouses and working as a tea and teaware buyer. Having discovered her love for teaching, Donna founded the Tea Education Alliance, a group that specialized in staff and management training, in 2003. A few years later, she accepted a position to teach and write programs with the Specialty Tea Institute. Now with the World Tea Academy, she teaches in-depth online courses to those desiring to have an acute understanding of tea and the foundational skills for success in the industry.
queenmarytea.com
The term “tea entrepreneur” definitely applies to tearoom owner Mary Greengo, affectionately known as Queen Mary among patrons and employees. After earning both a culinary degree and a baking and specialty pastry degree, the Seattle, Washington, native decided to open the Queen Mary Tea Room & Restaurant in her hometown 30 years ago. The venue remains one of the oldest tearooms in the United States that has not changed ownership since its inception. In 2011, the business expanded with the Queen Mary Emporium just a block away from the restaurant. In both locations, visitors can purchase the signature line of teas and blends Mary creates. In addition to her tearoom and emporium, Mary is the founder of Tea Queens, a business that offers people the opportunity to work as a tea consultant, selling teas and tea wares and hosting tea tastings from home.
harney.com
John Harney (1930–2014) wanted to make tea an everyday luxury, and that continues to be Harney & Sons Fine Teas’ mission since the company’s inception more than 30 years ago. Family owned and operated, the company continues John’s tradition of tea through his family. Not only do his sons Michael and Paul and daughter-in-law Brigitte do their designated part to keep John’s work alive, so do his grandchildren. From Harney & Sons’ humble beginnings in Salisbury, Connecticut—where John developed his passion for quality teas and learned the art of blending teas—the company has expanded from their six original teas to more than 300 with the commitment to provide customers with the finest tea possible. Now headquartered in Millerton, New York, with a tasting room, a boutique, and a café, as well as a shop in New York City’s SoHo district, three generations of Harneys ensure that the world-renowned tea blending company thrives.
dorotheajohnson.com
As founder of The Protocol School of Washington, Dorothea Johnson is acknowledged as an authority on etiquette and protocol. Growing up enjoying afternoon tea with her family in North Carolina, she recognized years later that teatime affords the perfect setting for teaching both dining and social skills. For many years, she authored a “Tea & Etiquette” column for TeaTime magazine. Working with renowned tea educator Bruce Richardson, she co-authored Tea & Etiquette: Taking Tea for Business and Pleasure, which serves as a step-by-step guide on the proper protocol for the time-honored tradition of afternoon tea. Her other books include Children’s Tea & Etiquette and Modern Manners, written with her granddaughter actress Liv Tyler. She also created the Tea & Etiquette certification program to educate tea professionals on how to teach those skills to students of tea across the globe. While Dorothea sold Tea & Etiquette to Bruce Richardson in 2006, she continues to be a paradigm for propriety among the tea community.
janepettigrew.com
For more than 30 years, Jane Pettigrew’s work to share her knowledge of the fascinating world of tea has shaped her to be one of the top tea educators in the industry. With 15 books on the various elements of tea, including A Social History of Tea: Tea’s Influence on Commerce, Culture & Community, Jane also serves as a contributing editor for TeaTime magazine, writing numerous articles on the beverage and tearooms in the United Kingdom and Europe. Her newest book, Jane Pettigrew’s World of Tea, will be released in summer 2018. As an educator, Jane teaches tea master classes, conducts tea tastings, and acts as Director of Studies for the UK Tea Academy. She also serves as a consultant to luxury hotels, tearooms, tea companies, and other organizations. She has earned several awards for her dedication to tea—Best Tea Educator, Best Tea Personality, and Best Tea Health Advocate at the World Tea Awards and the British Empire Medal for Services to Tea Production and Tea History.
jamesnorwoodpratt.com
James Norwood Pratt is quite possibly the world’s most widely read authority on tea and tea lore thanks to books translated into multiple languages and numerous columns, articles, videos, and print and TV interviews in the U.S. and overseas media. Since the first edition of his classic Tea Lover’s Treasury appeared 35 years ago, he has been an inspiring presence on the international tea scene. He has served as Honorary Director of America’s first traditional tea house and as International Juror of India’s first-ever tea competition. He is the author of James Norwood Pratt’s Tea Dictionary, the worldwide tea trade’s standard reference work, and has become America’s acknowledged Tea Sage. In 2015, he received the John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a contributing editor for TeaTime and lives with his wife Valerie Turner Pratt in San Francisco.
elmwoodinn.com
Educator, writer, tea blender, and speaker Bruce Richardson has an outstanding report in the tea world. Along with writing 14 books on the subject, Bruce is a contributing editor for multiple publications, including TeaTime; the Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum; and the co-owner with his wife, Shelley, of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press. Prior to transitioning to become a wholesale tea and publishing business, Elmwood Inn was an award-winning tearoom the couple ran for 14 years in Kentucky. For almost 20 years, Bruce and Shelley have taught and guided aspiring tea entrepreneurs on America’s tea renaissance and the ways of tea in their annual Tea MasterClass. In 2006, Bruce acquired and expanded the Tea and Etiquette Certification program, which etiquette expert Dorothea Johnson founded. Bruce’s seminars, along with his numerous written works, continue to inspire professionals in the tea industry around the globe.
robertsontea.com
Dan Robertson’s role as a filmmaker first took him to the tea fields of China in 1989. As a result of his research and travels, he developed a passion for fine tea and founded The Tea House (a group of tea importers, blenders, and purveyors based out of Naperville, Illinois). Shortly thereafter he founded World Tea Tours, which offers tea lovers a variety of unique, hands-on experiences with tea in its native environments. Dan writes for tea publications, lectures around the world, conducts tea-tasting courses, and gives tea-ceremony demonstrations. He is also the director of the International Tea Cuppers Club, a worldwide community where tea people of all levels connect, share knowledge, evaluate tea samples, and provide feedback to the producers. Through these links between tea farmers, retailers, and consumers, Dan hopes to promote a greater appreciation for tea. He recently launched robertsontea.com, his own collection of rare and limited-edition teas intended to inspire discerning tea lovers.
nwteafestival.com
What was intended to be a one-time celebration of the 400th anniversary of tea in Europe has transformed into one of the North American West Coast’s most notable annual tea festivals. Inspired by a challenge from James Norwood Pratt for someone to put together a celebration of arrival of tea in Amsterdam, Julee Rosanoff and a group of four others founded the Northwest Tea Festival in Seattle in 2007. Over the years, the event grew and evolved from its initial setup to the two-day festival with up to 45 vendors, notable guest speakers, tea tastings, and workshops, continuing to draw attendees annually from all spheres of the tea industry to the “biggest tea party on the West Coast.” However, the tea festival was not Julee’s first experience working in the tea industry. From 1990 until her retirement in 2017, she served tea to the Seattle community through the tearoom she co-owned, the Perennial Tea Room, in Pike Place Market.
chadotearoom.com I devanshahteafest.com
While Reena Shah grew up drinking chai prepared by her mother, her life in the business of tea began in 1991 when she and her late husband—notable tea industry figure Devan Shah (1962–2016)—were selling tea out of her parents’ garage. Reena and Devan worked together to open the first of the Chado tearooms in Los Angeles. Her work at the award-winning Chado, which stocks more than 300 premium loose-leaf teas, revolutionized the city’s tea culture. Reena has since expanded the business her business partner, Tek Mehreteab, adding locations in Hollywood, Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Torrance, California, and in India. Along with her role at Chado, Reena continues her husband’s legacy in the tea industry through International Tea Importers, which sells more than 600 kinds of teas, and the Los Angeles International Tea Festival, now known as the Devan Shah Tea Festival, renamed in his memory.
itoen.com
After a brief career in hotel and retail management, Rona Tison transitioned to the world of tea, where she made her mark not only as an innovator, but also as an inspiration to women, having achieved success in a prominent position in the corporate sector. Half-Japanese, Rona was born and raised in Japan until the age of 13, where she learned the nation’s culture and language, which unknowingly prepared her for a career in tea. As executive vice president of ITO EN (North America) Inc.—a beverage company known for its line of green tea products—she played an important part in creating and marketing award-winning tea lines, such as Matcha Love, Teas’ Tea Organic, and Oi Ocha (Japan’s no. 1 green tea). Together, these brands have evolved the now-popular matcha and green tea trend nationwide. In 2017, Rona earned the John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Tea Expo, making her the first and only woman to date to receive the honor.
metrotea.com
Tea is not merely Gerry Vandergrift’s business—it’s his passion. Gerry’s ever-growing knowledge of the business and the industry has helped The Metropolitan Tea Company become a premiere wholesaler of fine-quality teas and tea wares. A Tea Master, Level 5, Gerry started in the industry approximately 40 years ago and founded The Metropolitan Tea Company in Toronto, Canada, 1991, and now has distribution centers in New York and the United Kingdom. He works with multiple tea estates across the globe, most of which he has personally visited. What began as a wholesale business for the U.S. and Canada has broadened to an international wholesale enterprise, working to bring luxury tea products to tearooms, hotels, and businesses. Gerry’s work not only seeks to increase the consumption of tea, but he also strives to increase awareness of the beverage’s positive socioeconomic impact, and to promote ethical environmental practices on the farms from which the company purchases its products.
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