Cuples Tea House

What Cuples Tea House does

Cuples Tea House is a Baltimore-based, founder-owned specialty tea retailer founded in 2021 by husband-and-wife duo Lynnette and Eric Dodson. The company sells a curated catalog of over 50 loose-leaf teas — black, green, white, oolong, herbal, and specialty blends — alongside tea accessories (cast iron and glass teapots, infusers, cups, honey dippers) priced from $9 to $94, gift cards in $10–$100 denominations, and custom corporate gift packages with a 20-gift minimum order. Distribution combines a primary retail showroom at 301 Light Street in the Light Street Pavilion at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, a Shopify-powered DTC e-commerce site shipping within the US via USPS, UPS, and FedEx, a pop-up event calendar, in-store pickup, and a ticketed experiential offering (the Elevated Tea Experience on Eventbrite). The Dodsons also operate Vinyl and Pages (VNP), a co-located vinyl record and book store, under the same ownership umbrella; in 2024 the businesses opened a combined BOOST Baltimore Boutique at Harborplace as part of a minority-business tenancy program. Revenue mechanics are essentially one-time transactional sales with no subscription or licensing layer, supplemented by event ticketing and corporate gifting; the only external capital on record is a $20,000 BGE Smart Energy Business Grant received in November 2023 earmarked for a planned second store and mobile tea truck. The company has been featured in Forbes, NY Times, Essence, Baltimore Sun, CBS Baltimore, and other regional outlets, and was included in the Forbes 2024 Holiday Gift Guide for Black Women-Owned Food Brands.

Name

Cuples Tea House

Legal name

Cuples Tea House, LLC

Website

https://cuplesteahouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cuples Tea House is a Baltimore-based, founder-owned premium loose-leaf tea retailer offering 50+ curated teas, accessories, and tasting experiences to urban wellness consumers through DTC e-commerce, a Light Street Pavilion retail showroom, corporate gifting, and pop-up events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea Retail

NAICS

Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529), Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD), Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

Keywords

• Premium loose leaf tea
• Tea accessories retail
• Tea tasting experiences
• Corporate gifting services
• Specialty tea house

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tea Products: Sale of loose-leaf tea, tea sachets, and gallon iced tea pouches across 44+ products. Products sold in various sizes (4oz, 1lb) and formats (loose leaf, tea bags, pyramid sachets).
2. Tea Accessories: Sale of tea ware including cast iron teapots, glass tea pots, tea infusers, tea cups, and honey dippers. Premium accessories priced $8.50-$94.
3. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations of $10, $25, $50, $75, and $100. Gift cards valid for website purchases only.
4. Corporate and Custom Gifting: Custom gift curation for businesses with minimum 20-gift orders. Corporate gifts for holidays, client gifts, and events. Gifts can be shipped to corporate office or directly to clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cuples Tea House sells a curated collection of 50+ premium loose-leaf teas (black, green, white, oolong, herbal, and specialty blends) along with tea accessories (teapots, infusers, cups), gift cards, and custom/corporate gifting. The company operates a physical tea bar and retail store at Light Street Pavilion in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, co-located with the Vinyl and Pages bookstore, and sells online through a Shopify-powered e-commerce site with US shipping. It also runs tea tasting experiences, community events, and a pop-up shop program supporting other Black-owned businesses.

Product overview

Cuples Tea House is an urban tea house offering a curated tea collection of over 50 premium loose leaf teas (including black, green, white, herbal, oolong, and mate varieties) alongside tea accessories and gift products. The core Tea Collection and Tea Ware accessories form the main product lines, supplemented by Gift Cards and custom/corporate gifting services. The business also operates Vinyl and Pages, a combined vinyl record and book store, at its Baltimore Inner Harbor location. Tea tasting experiences and a pop-up shop program provide experiential retail components. Products are sold through their Shopify e-commerce platform and at their physical retail locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vinyl and Pages: A vinyl record and book store operated alongside Cuples Tea House at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, creating a fusion of tea, music, and literature.

Products and services

• Tea Collection

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ tea varieties available for customers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BOOST Baltimore BoutiquecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Program supporting growth of minority-owned businesses. Seven new Black-owned businesses including Cuples Tea House moved into Harborplace as part of BOOST program to revitalize the area and support minority business owners.
• Vinyl and Pages (VNP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located bookstore and vinyl record shop operated by the same owners (Lynnette and Eric Dodson) at Light Street Pavilion. Creates unique cultural hub combining tea, music, and books under one roof.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smith Teamaker: Premium loose-leaf tea brand offering small-batch, hand-blended teas through DTC and select retail. Comparable in product positioning, curation model, and DTC focus.
• DAVIDsTEA: Specialty tea retailer offering loose-leaf tea, accessories, and gift sets through e-commerce and physical stores. Comparable in product mix, DTC + retail omnichannel model, and customer demographic.
• Harney & Sons: Premium loose-leaf tea company selling curated black, green, herbal, and specialty blends online and through retail partners. Directly comparable as a premium loose-leaf tea brand with similar product catalog depth and DTC e-commerce motion.
• Argo Tea: Specialty tea cafe chain offering premium loose-leaf teas with tea bar experiences. Comparable as a tea retailer with experiential tea bar component and curated loose-leaf tea menu.
• The Republic of Tea: Premium tea brand offering curated loose-leaf teas, blends, and accessories with a strong direct-to-consumer and gift-oriented business. Comparable in product positioning and premium gifting focus.
• The Spice & Tea Exchange: Specialty retailer of loose-leaf teas, herbs, spices, and accessories with both retail storefronts and e-commerce. Comparable product mix and brick-and-mortar + online omnichannel model.
• Adagio Teas: Online-first specialty tea retailer offering a wide catalog of loose-leaf teas, custom blending, and accessories. Comparable as a curated loose-leaf tea retailer with e-commerce as primary channel.

Others

• Eventbrite: Ticketed event platform used by Cuples to sell Elevated Tea Experience events. Related as an enabling/distribution partner for the experiential component of Cuples' GTM.

Emerging players

• Teaspressa: Specialty tea company offering loose-leaf teas, tea lattes, and tea-infused products with both retail and e-commerce presence. Comparable as a smaller, premium-positioned tea brand.

Broad incumbents

• Teavana (Starbucks): Specialty tea brand offering loose-leaf teas and tea accessories, owned by Starbucks. Comparable product catalog but operates at much larger scale with broader retail distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/login
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWt-TCH7rycPTd90FzDcrlw
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbanteaexperience/?ref=hl
• Instagraminstagram.com/cuplestea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cuples-tea-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cuples Tea House