Art of Tea

What Art of Tea does

Art of Tea is a California-based specialty tea company founded by Steve Schwartz that sells organic, hand-blended loose leaf teas, packaged teas, teaware, and curated gift sets through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (artoftea.com), native iOS/Android mobile apps, and a dedicated B2B wholesale portal. The company sources from what it describes as the top 2% of teas produced globally across Asia, Africa, India, and Europe, holds organic and kosher certifications, and packages select products in plant-based PLA pyramid sachets; its catalog spans 316 SKUs across loose leaf, packaged teas, matcha, iced tea concentrates, functional wellness blends (Sleep, Digestion, Immunity, Detox), teaware, and gift collections.

The company operates four revenue streams: one-time DTC e-commerce purchases, a prepaid Tea Club subscription (3, 6, and 12-month terms priced at $81, $133, and $254 respectively), a wholesale/B2B program serving hospitality and corporate clients, and a private-label/licensing business that develops exclusive custom blends for partner brands (e.g., Dutch Tea Time for Holland America Line; Chocolat Darjeeling and Rooibos Chai for Le Royage, using a proprietary RMT% labeling system). Named enterprise customers include Aria Resort and Casino, Beverly Hills Hotel, Caesars Palace, Disney, Tesla, Google, Wolfgang Puck, InterContinental, Holland America Line, and Carnival.

Art of Tea is privately held, bootstrapped, and founder-led, with a reported headcount of 11–50 employees. Its go-to-market combines product-led growth (tea quiz, mobile apps, subscriptions) with a channel-partner motion via its wholesale portal. The company has been recognized as a 2x Food & Wine Best Tea Subscription and has earned coverage in Forbes, HuffPost, and Bon Appetit, while pursuing partnerships such as the USC Marshall 'Supply Chain Demystified' docuseries for supply chain storytelling. No external institutional investment, M&A activity, or public offering has been disclosed.

Name

Art of Tea

Legal name

Art of Tea

Website

https://artoftea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

Keywords

• Specialty loose leaf tea
• Tea subscription service
• Wholesale tea supply
• Organic tea blends
• Tea accessories retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Monterey Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: One-time purchase model for loose leaf teas, tea bags, accessories, and gift sets through artsoftea.com. Products sold in various formats including 4oz pouches, 1lb pouches, teabag boxes, and bulk options.
2. Subscription (Tea of the Month Club): Monthly tea subscription service with prepaid terms of 3, 6, or 12 months. Delivers 2-4oz of curated teas monthly. Options include Single Origin, Pyramid Teabags, Classics, Caffeine Free, Explore, and Wellness categories.
3. Wholesale/B2B: B2B wholesale program supplying hospitality partners including hotels, cruise lines, casinos, and restaurants. Custom blend development for enterprise clients.
4. Private Label/Licensing: Supplying exclusive tea blend formulations to partner brands such as Le Royage dessert brand (Chocolat Darjeeling, Rooibos Chai) and Holland America Line (Dutch Tea Time).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Art of Tea is a California-based specialty tea company that hand-blends organic loose leaf teas, packaged pyramid teabag sachets, filter bags, iced tea concentrates, matcha, and curated teaware for direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a prepaid monthly Tea Club subscription, and a wholesale program serving hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, and casinos. The company also develops custom private-label blends for partner brands such as Le Royage and Holland America Line.

Product overview

Art of Tea is a specialty tea company offering a diversified portfolio centered on premium organic loose leaf teas and packaged tea products. The core offerings include hand-blended organic loose leaf teas sourced from the top 2% of teas worldwide, eco-pyramid teabag sachets made from plant-based PLA, and biodegradable filter bags for on-the-go brewing. The company operates a Tea Club subscription service delivering monthly curated teas across six categories (Single Origin, Pyramid Teabags, Classics, Caffeine Free, Explore, and Wellness). Their product line extends to functional wellness collections (Calm & Sleep, Digestion, Immunity, Detox), an iced tea concentrate collection, ceremonial and culinary matcha products, curated teaware accessories, and collaboration products such as the Dutch Tea Time Blend with Holland America Line. The portfolio also includes edible products like Manuka honey and branded merchandise. The company serves both direct-to-consumer and wholesale B2B markets including luxury hotels, cruise lines, and restaurants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Art of Tea: Primary brand for organic loose leaf teas, tea bags, and tea gifts
• Tea of the Month Club
• Dutch Tea Time Blend
• Illuminate
• Ritual
• LoyalTEA Rewards Program

Products and services

• Organic Loose Leaf Teas

Quantifiable outcome

• 316 artisanal tea products in catalog
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Le RoyagecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 2 July 2026Le Royage, a new royal milk tea dessert brand under Broad Edge Advisors, uses original tea blends from California-based Art of Tea. Exclusive blends include Chocolat Darjeeling and Rooibos Chai. The brand features an RMT% labeling system developed in partnership.
• Holland America LineflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive partnership creating Dutch Tea Time blend - a custom crafted signature tea for the cruise line. Bright citrus, florals, and orange notes in a curated sampler with Earl Grey Crème and Pacific Coast Mint. Available on Holland America ships.
• USC Marshall Randall R. Kendrick Global Supply Chain InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured in Supply Chain Demystified docuseries pilot episode 'From Leaf to Cup with Art of Tea.' Founder Steve Schwartz recounts journey building partnerships across Asia, Africa, India, and Europe. Docuseries available on institute's YouTube channel.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Steven Smith Teamaker: Premium small-batch specialty tea company with strong DTC and foodservice presence. Comparable in premium positioning, founder-led brand, and hospitality partnerships.
• Palais des Thés: French premium specialty tea retailer with strong education content, single-origin offerings, and curated collections. Comparable in premium positioning and tea education focus.
• Stash Tea: Specialty tea brand offering loose-leaf, bagged, and iced teas through grocery and DTC channels. Comparable in product breadth and packaged-tea formats.
• Adagio Teas: Online-first specialty tea retailer with broad catalog, custom blending tools, and subscription offerings. Comparable in DTC e-commerce model and SKU breadth.
• Tea Forte: Premium tea brand with strong presence in luxury hotels and hospitality, pyramid sachets, and gift sets. Comparable in B2B hospitality clients and premium pyramid-sachet format.
• Harney & Sons: Family-owned premium specialty tea company with a similar blend of DTC e-commerce, wholesale hospitality supply, and curated loose-leaf offerings. Closest comparable in positioning, customer mix, and product depth.
• Republic of Tea: Specialty tea brand offering premium loose-leaf teas, teas of the month subscription, and curated collections. Direct overlap in DTC, subscription, and gift-set revenue streams.
• DavidsTea: Specialty tea retailer with a broad catalog, subscription programs, and tea education. Comparable in DTC and subscription model, though scaled to retail stores.

Broad incumbents

• Bigelow Tea: Family-owned broad-line tea company with deep grocery and hospitality distribution. Comparable as a tea category competitor at a mainstream price tier with significantly larger scale.
• Twinings: Mass-market tea brand owned by Associated British Foods with broad grocery and foodservice distribution. Comparable as a tea category competitor but at a much larger, mainstream scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artoftea
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheArtOfTea

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Art of Tea