OUR UNBEELIEVABLE HISTORY THE BEE Tupelo Honey Teas is the dream child of Danielle Spinola. The name Tupelo Honey Teas comes from DanielleÔÇÖs nickname, ÔÇ£BeeÔÇØ. Given her name, it was fitting to pair a honey name with her business. Tupelo Honey had the perfect ring to it. Contrary to most peopleÔÇÖs initial thought, there is no honey in the tea itself, but adding it is highly encouraged. Always a tea drinker, never a coffee drinker, Danielle was ecstatic to visit Shanghai China in early 2002. Since that trip to the Far East, she dreamed of starting up an Asian inspired tea business. It wasnÔÇÖt until after the birth of her second child in 2007 that she was able to officially start the business. From a very young age, Danielle remembers being fascinated with the healing properties of herbs. Danielles mom, aunt, and grandmother serve as big inspirations to her. They all practice holistic healing when possible. DanielleÔÇÖs love of herbs and her new-found passion of bringing delicious, organic and fairly traded teas to Pittsburgh were the perfect marriage. Born from that marriage was the concept of Tupelo Honey Teas. THE BIZZZZZZZZ Tupelo Honey Teas is a mostly organic, fairly traded tea company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our goal is to obtain the best teas from organic sources. When organic is not available, we make sure the tea we are purchasing is at least fairly traded. We strive to bring the best-tasting teas to our customers by purchasing from multiple companies. This means our cost to operate is greater than most tea shops, but we feel providing a quality product is more important than a ÔÇ£bottom line.ÔÇØ In forming the identity of Tupelo Honey Teas, our original intention was to be different by focusing on Asian teas. Most tea houses are Victorian in nature offering ettiquite, white gloves, dainty cups and saucers, tiny sandwiches and so forth. We arenÔÇÖt fussy people and so this type of tea house did not fit our personality. We think tea should be something one enjoys however they feel most comfortable. However as we started doing more to set up the business, we realized all forms of tea should be appreciated. At that point we decided our identity should be the bee because of the owner DanielleÔÇÖs nickname and because bees are so important to plants. Also because honey is a delicious pairing to tea. After much soul searching, we decided Tupelo Honey Teas is more of a global company encompassing all forms of tea. As such, you will see that our company has teas from all over the world. We never stop searching for unknown teas that people in obscure places in the world use for health benefits. After all, herbs are the original medicine. THE BEEÔÇÖS MISSION To make all people tea people. RAISON DÔÇÖ BEE In almost every culture around the world, tea is an important part of society. It is used for medicine. It is the center of rituals. It is a sign of hospitality. It is used as a way to connect individuals. It is an extension of food, health, love and friendship. The United States is quite different. Most people in this country only drink tea when they are sick. Why? Because that is what their mom did. Tupelo Honey Teas is attempting to change this perception because tea should be a part of everyoneÔÇÖs day. We really want people to experience tea in all of itÔÇÖs glory. From the initial smell of the leaves to the meditative process of bringing the water to temperature to the point where you inhale the steam as you take your first sip. Tea is not only good for your body but also your soul. People always say, ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt like teaÔÇØ. But the truth is tea is unlike any other drink because of the wide range of leaves, roots, and fruits that can make a tea. What people discover when working with Danielle is that it isnÔÇÖt that they donÔÇÖt like tea, they just havenÔÇÖt had the right tea for their taste buds. Finding the right tea for your personality is so important in the quest for good tea. WHOLESALE BEES-NESS We accidentally started blending teas when a local coffee shop wanted tea from us. Danielle stayed up all evening before her big meeting with the owner trying to figure out how she could be unique. Offering custom blended teas was one way she could keep Tupelo Honey Teas competitive with big companies. Born from that one meeting was the custom blending side of the business, which is the most fun and exciting part of Tupelo Honey Teas. Since that first client, we have been blending for coffee shops, brides, baby showers, and more.