News

As Independence Day approaches, we find ourselves at the crossroads of a new kind of revolution where we are reinventing what it means to be "American." Equality, oppression, the pursuit of happiness and liberty, all remain central themes as they were at the onset of the American Experiment. But it is not so well known that tea played a key role in kicking off the American Revolution; moreover taxes on tea. Remember hearing "taxation without representation?" Part of that is rooted in the Tea Act, which was passed by the British Parliament on May 10th, 1773. 

Yaupon tea was once worshipped as a sacred gift from the god of purity, used as a daily drink, leveraged as the go-to medicinal plant, and carried for hundreds of miles in a vast trade network by Native Americans throughout the United States. Yaupon tea has since been trashed and forgotten in the modern world, but it was not an accident (dun dun DUNN! The plot thickens)... the demise of American tea was planned and orchestrated in England in 1789. I’m not a historian by training, but I would argue that killing Yaupon (commercially) changed the course of the British...

While we market our organic Yaupon Holly as a tea, it is not actually tea. The tea plant, (Camellia sinensis), is a separate plant species that originated in China. Tea is now grown all over the world, but it is difficult or impossible to grow in most parts of the United States.  Yaupon, on the other hand, is native to the United States from Texas to Florida and on to Virginia. Like the tea plant, Yaupon naturally contains caffeine in its leaves. It is the only caffeinated plant species native to the United States. Yaupon has been consumed as a food, medicine,...

Since day one, it has been an important part of our mission to help people who needed help, to pick people up when they are down, and speak up for those who don't have a voice. Whether it has been farmers impacted by environmental or economic catastrophe or indigenous people working to increase agency and awareness, we've always stood in solidarity with ALL the folks in our community. Why should this be any different?