Rishi Tea & Botanicals

What Rishi Tea & Botanicals does

Rishi Tea & Botanicals is an independently operated specialty tea importer and blender founded in 2001 and led by founder and CEO Joshua Kaiser. The company sources ingredients through direct-trade relationships with artisan growers in China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, with over 95% of ingredients certified organic. Its product portfolio spans loose leaf teas (including single-origin Garden Direct micro-lots), pyramid sachet tea bags, matcha and botanical powders, ready-to-use tea concentrates, sparkling botanical RTD beverages, and complementary teaware bundles and accessories. The assortment is organized across multiple merchandising axes - form, tea type, origin, taste profile, and mood - and features proprietary blends such as Turmeric Ginger, Masala Chai, Earl Grey Supreme, Schisandra Berry Sparkling, and London Fog Concentrate.

Rishi generates revenue through two parallel channels. The primary channel is direct-to-consumer e-commerce through its owned storefront at rishi-tea.com, with pricing ranging from approximately $10 for entry-level sachet boxes to $110 for premium single-origin Garden Direct loose leaf teas and $390 for limited-edition teaware sets. Concentrates and sparkling botanical RTDs are sold at $25.50 and $48 per unit respectively. The secondary channel is wholesale/B2B distribution to independent retailers, cafes, and restaurants, supported by a wholesale inquiry page and a public store locator directing consumers to physical retail partners. Customer service operates Monday through Friday, 9AM-5PM CST, consistent with US-based operations.

The company's go-to-market is anchored in content-led brand building, including the Rishi Journal blog covering tea education, recipes, origins and travel, and brewing guides; a Tea Finder Quiz; and an organic social presence on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, supplemented by earned media in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Real Simple, and PureWow. The company has reached over 175,000 tea consumers cumulatively, operates as a private, independent entity with no disclosed institutional backing or parent company, has no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed revenue, headcount, or funding figures.

Name

Rishi Tea & Botanicals

Legal name

Rishi Tea & Botanicals

Website

https://rishi-tea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rishi Tea & Botanicals is an independently operated, direct-trade specialty tea importer and blender founded in 2001, selling organic loose leaf teas, sachets, matcha, concentrates, sparkling botanicals, and teaware direct-to-consumer via rishi-tea.com and through independent retail and foodservice wholesale partners in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea and Botanical Beverages

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Botanical/Herbal & Adaptogen Functional Beverage Production (AFAFAFAF), Natural Extracts & Botanical Concentrates for Beverages (herbal, spice, aromatic extracts) (AFAFAGAJ), Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD)

Keywords

• Specialty tea products
• Organic loose leaf tea
• Matcha and powdered tea
• Ready to drink botanicals
• Direct trade tea sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Tea Sales: Rishi Tea & Botanicals generates revenue through direct-to-consumer online sales of its tea products via its e-commerce storefront. Products are sold in multiple formats (loose leaf, sachets, matcha powders, concentrates, sparkling botanicals) and across multiple price points, ranging from budget-friendly sachet options to premium garden-direct single-origin teas.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Rishi Tea & Botanicals supplies teas and botanicals to retail partners through a wholesale channel, allowing independent retailers and cafes to carry Rishi products. A wholesale inquiry page is available on their website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rishi Tea & Botanicals is a specialty tea importer and blender that curates, blends, and sells organic teas, matcha, botanical powders, tea concentrates, sparkling botanicals, and tea accessories. Products are sourced via direct-trade relationships with artisan growers and sold primarily through its own e-commerce storefront and a wholesale channel for retail and foodservice partners.

Product overview

Rishi Tea & Botanicals is a direct trade, organic tea company offering a diverse portfolio of tea products across multiple formats. The product line centers on loose leaf teas (including single-origin Garden Direct selections), sachet/pyramid tea bags, matcha and powdered teas, tea concentrates, and sparkling botanical beverages. Core offerings include black teas (Earl Grey Supreme, Golden Yunnan, China Breakfast), green teas (Jasmine, Sencha, Genmaicha, Jade Cloud), white teas, oolong teas, pu'er and dark teas, botanical/herbal blends (Turmeric Ginger, Chamomile Medley, Lavender Mint), and matcha varieties (Barista Matcha, Teahouse Ceremonial Matcha, Garden Direct micro-lot matchas). The company also offers complementary product bundles (starter bundles, sampler collections) and teaware accessories. All products emphasize organic certification and direct trade sourcing with over 95% certified organic ingredients. The portfolio is organized by tea type (black, green, oolong, white, pu'er, botanical, chai, matcha), format (loose leaf, sachets, powders, concentrates), taste profile, and mood/benefit.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Earl Grey Supreme

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tea Forte: Premium specialty tea brand offering artisanal blends, pyramid sachets, and ready-to-drink formats. Comparable in premium positioning, gift/bundle strategy, and hospitality/wholesale channel exposure.
• The Republic of Tea: Independent specialty tea brand offering premium loose leaf, sachet, and functional herbal teas through DTC e-commerce and wholesale. Directly comparable in target customer (health-conscious tea enthusiasts), product format breadth, and premium pricing.
• Ippodo Tea: Japanese specialty tea company offering premium matcha, sencha, and gyokuro through DTC channels globally. Comparable in Japan-sourced single-origin positioning, matcha category leadership, and premium pricing.
• Adagio Teas: Direct-to-consumer specialty tea retailer offering loose leaf, sachets, and custom blends with a focus on single-origin sourcing. Closely comparable in e-commerce-first go-to-market and single-origin/garden-direct product narrative.
• Harney & Sons: Family-owned specialty tea blender and retailer offering loose leaf, sachets, and iced teas with a similar DTC-plus-wholesale model. Comparable in artisanal positioning, premium price points, and breadth of tea types including botanical blends.
• T2 Tea: Specialty tea retailer (now under Unilever) offering loose leaf, sachets, and gift sets through DTC and retail stores. Comparable in curated botanical blends, design-led branding, and premium gifting positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Celestial Seasonings: Mass-market herbal and specialty tea brand owned by Hain Celestial. Comparable in herbal/botanical tea category leadership but operates at far greater scale with mainstream grocery distribution, contrasting with Rishi's premium DTC focus.
• Bigelow Tea: Family-owned incumbent tea company with broad mainstream distribution across grocery, hospitality, and food service. Comparable in herbal and flavored tea categories but at vastly different price points and scale.
• Twinings: Global legacy tea brand under Associated British Foods offering black, green, and herbal teas across grocery and foodservice. Comparable as a category reference point, but operates with far broader distribution and lower price points.

Emerging players

• MatchaBar (now Mteh Matcha): Specialty matcha-focused brand offering premium matcha products and RTD matcha beverages through DTC and retail. Comparable in the matcha category and premium positioning, particularly relevant for Rishi's matcha and concentrate lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/rishiteausa
• Facebookfacebook.com/rishitea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rishi-tea
• Instagraminstagram.com/rishitea
• Xx.com/rishitea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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 Rishi Tea & Botanicals