The Specialty Food Association has chosen the winners of the 2021 Leadership Awards, which honor influential and innovative entrepreneurs who are transforming the specialty food industry. The awards are presented in three categories: Business Leadership, Citizenship, and Vision. Bryon White from Yaupon Brothers American Tea Company is the winner for outstanding Citizenship... read more about his story!
Yaupon — an academics discovery of reverence and altruism in a tea company. Dr. David Brock As someone that has spent most of their adult life in the health and wellness area as a professor, scientist and clinician, it is rare for me to encounter a product, particularly a consumable, that lives up to the hype. As the Director of a major physical activity and nutrition research facility at the University of Vermont for 10 years, we received requests all the time to “validate” products, which more often than not serve as a quid-pro-quo for academic researchers to receive grant...
Yaupon Brothers has helped people see that great products can be made from indigenous plants and ingredients, which can reduce the negative impacts of food production. Consumers aren’t required to stop enjoying what they buy, and businesses shouldn’t assume that creating economic opportunities and supporting conservation are mutually exclusive. We can have our tea and drink it, too.