A Tealeaf’s Journey: Teatulia’s “Garden to Cup” Philosophy
A Tealeaf’s Journey: Teatulia’s “Garden to Cup” Philosophy Avoids Middlemen, Brings Freshest Premium Quality Organic Tea to Consumers
Contact:
Linda Appel Lipsius, Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980 x 102, linda@teatulia.com
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing, tel 303.807.1042, steve@compassnatural.com
Teatulia’s “garden to cup” philosophy brings pure whole leaf organic teas direct to customers from a single tea garden in Northern Bangladesh's Tetulia region—the only tea garden in Bangladesh to be USDA certified organic. Never blended, these teas are imported fresh, resulting in a refreshingly clean flavor.
Denver, CO (January 23, 2012) – By sourcing directly from its own 1,500-acre certified organic tea garden in Northern Bangladesh, Denver-based Teatulia is able to bring the very freshest, highest quality line of pure whole leaf organic teas to America and the United Kingdom.
With a primary connection to its production partners in Bangladesh, Teatulia imports its organic tea direct to America and the UK, avoiding middlemen and commodity warehouses, where mainstream-traded teas often sit for years before reaching the consumer market.
Additionally, “Teatulia’s farm-to-table teas are never bulk blended by third-party traders,” says Teatulia Director of Marketing Chris Olsen, whereas almost all commercial teas sold in the West are blends, he says. The aim of blending, where a commercial tea can contain up to 35 different types of tea, according to the U.K. Tea Council, is to maintain constant taste, despite the loss of one or other source due to adverse weather or high prices. Also, teas are often mixed to garner a higher price by blending higher quality tea in with lesser quality varieties.
As such, Teatulia is garnering recognition as a leader in pure, “single-garden direct” tea, bringing the freshest, premium quality whole leaf tea grown without the use of toxic, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers at a better price to organic consumers and discerning tea drinkers everywhere, he says.
“Too often, tea is treated as a commodity, controlled by a small handful of multinational tea packers and brokers, sometimes taking two years or more by the time it is harvested, stored at auctioneers warehouses, blended and packed before making it to store shelves,” says Teatulia co-founder and CEO Linda Appel Lipsius. “As a small producer, Teatulia imports its tea fresh and direct to the US, taking only a fraction of the time commodity teas take to reach the store shelf.”
Teatulia also is pioneering the establishment of Bangladesh as a leading producer of sustainably harvested, premium tea. Its tea garden is the first certified organic tea garden in Bangladesh. Working with the community in the Tetulia Upazila region—Teatulia’s namesake—sales of Teatulia products help support education and community development in Bangladesh. Through its commitment to people and sustainability in the region, Teatulia has helped to significantly restore the eco-system, create jobs, and serve the local community by establishing women’s cattle lending programs, building new school libraries and adult literacy programs, and improving access to health care.
About Teatulia
Teatulia, founded in 2009, is a woman and minority owned business with a mission to provide “100% organic teas with a purpose.” With its line of single-origin, premium certified organic teas, Teatulia’s work helps support local economies, education and sustainability initiatives in northern Bangladesh. The company also is committed to fully compostable and recyclable packaging, down to the biodegradable teabags. Teatulia teas are available online atwww.teatulia.com, and at leading natural, organic and specialty food stores and select restaurants, cafes and coffee houses in Colorado and throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom. For more information, contact Linda Appel Lipsius at Teatulia, tel 303.433.2980, linda@teatulia.com.