What Tazo does

Tazo is a packaged tea brand founded in 1994 by Steven Smith in Portland, Oregon, currently operating as a brand under Lipton Teas and Infusions. The company manufactures and distributes tea and herbal tea products including tea bags, single-serve K-Cup pods, liquid latte concentrates, matcha latte powders, chai teas, and iced tea concentrates. Products are sold primarily through major U.S. grocery and mass retailers and via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce site at tazo.com, with the brand also serving Canadian consumers. The product portfolio spans black, green, herbal, and chai categories, with functional sub-lines (wellness, energy, relaxation, sleep) and certifications including USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, and Rainforest Alliance.

Tazo's underlying "technology" is tea blending and flavor formulation — proprietary blend recipes developed by the founder drawing on global tea traditions, executed through a consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturing and distribution model rather than any software, digital platform, or proprietary processing technology. The company does not maintain a mobile app, API, or software integrations, and there is no evidence of in-house technology development beyond formulation. The brand operates a bilingual (English/Spanish) website with content marketing, recipes, an email newsletter, an affiliate program via Upfluence, and active social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Pinterest.

The business model is one-time unit sale of packaged CPG tea products through two primary channels: retail/grocery distribution (mass-market shelf placement) and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. The target customer is the individual health-conscious consumer seeking bold, organic, or specialty tea experiences; secondary demand comes from retail buyers stocking differentiated tea brands. No pricing model, revenue figures, or subscription mechanics are publicly disclosed. The company has 51–100 employees and is actively operating as a subsidiary brand.

Name

Tazo

Legal name

Tazo (Brand of Lipton Teas and Infusions)

Website

https://tazo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tazo is a U.S. tea brand founded in 1994, now owned by Lipton Teas and Infusions, selling packaged teas, K-Cup pods, and latte concentrates via grocery retail and DTC e-commerce to health-conscious consumers in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaged Tea

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (31193)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee & Tea Concentrates, Syrups & Extracts (CRADAHAI), Botanical/Herbal & Adaptogen Functional Beverage Production (AFAFAFAF), Instant Tea, Tea Extracts & Concentrates Manufacturing (AFAFADAH)

Keywords

• Packaged tea products
• Herbal tea blends
• Tea latte concentrates
• Single-serve k-cup pods
• Iced tea beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Packaged Goods Tea Sales: Tazo generates revenue through the sale of packaged tea products including tea bags, latte concentrates, and K-Cup pods through retail distribution channels and direct e-commerce sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tazo manufactures and distributes a diverse portfolio of packaged tea products including tea bags, single-serve K-Cup pods, liquid tea concentrates and latte mixes, matcha latte powders, and iced tea concentrates. Products are sold through major U.S. grocery retailers, specialty food stores, and the company's own direct-to-consumer e-commerce website. The brand emphasizes bold, globally-inspired flavor combinations, organic and Rainforest Alliance certified sourcing, and at-home café-quality beverage experiences.

Product overview

Tazo is a tea company owned by Lipton Teas and Infusions, offering a diverse portfolio of tea products across multiple formats including tea bags, K-Cup pods, liquid concentrates/latte mixes, latte powders, and iced tea beverages. The product line spans black teas, green teas, herbal teas, and chai blends with distinctive flavor profiles. Core product categories include: Tea Bags (single-serve filterbag teas in various flavors), K-CUP PODS (single-serve brewing format), Tea Concentrates/Latte Mixes (liquid concentrates mixed with milk for hot/iced lattes), Latte Powders (matcha-based powder mixes), Wellness Tea Bags (functional herbal blends for sleep/relaxation), Chai Teas (spiced tea products), and Iced Tea Concentrates (ready-to-dilute iced beverage bases). The company emphasizes bold, unexpected flavor combinations and organic/sustainable sourcing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tea Bags Packaged tea bags in multiple varieties including black, green, herbal, chai, and specialty blends such as Wild Sweet Orange, Passion, Glazed Lemon Loaf, Vanilla Caramel Chai, Vanilla Bean Macaron, Organic Zen, Organic Refresh Mint, Organic Calm Chamomile, Organic Dream, Organic Awake English Breakfast, Organic Earl Grey, and Organic Chai. Designed for individual retail consumers seeking at-home daily tea consumption.
• K-Cup Pods

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rainforest AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTazo sources ingredients that are Rainforest Alliance certified, indicating a partnership for sustainable and responsibly sourced tea ingredients. This certification supports environmental sustainability in tea sourcing.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Davidson's Organics: Davidson's Organics is an organic tea company selling bagged teas, loose-leaf teas, and tea concentrates. It competes with Tazo in organic certified teas and similar format diversification including concentrate/latte offerings.
• Yogi Tea: Yogi Tea produces functional bagged teas with Ayurvedic-inspired wellness positioning and broad grocery distribution. It competes directly with Tazo's wellness tea line in functional tea benefits and similar flavor profiles such as chai.
• Stash Tea: Stash Tea is a specialty packaged tea brand with U.S. grocery distribution and a portfolio spanning black, green, herbal, and flavored teas. It is comparable to Tazo in product format, retail channels, and flavor-forward positioning.
• Celestial Seasonings: Celestial Seasonings is a packaged herbal and specialty tea brand owned by Hain Celestial. It directly competes with Tazo in bagged tea, wellness/herbal blends, and grocery retail distribution, with overlapping flavor positioning and similar product formats.
• The Republic of Tea: The Republic of Tea is a specialty tea company offering bagged teas, teas, and teas across wellness and indulgent flavors. It competes with Tazo in the specialty/premium bagged tea segment and shares similar product breadth and direct-to-consumer distribution.
• Teavana: Teavana is a premium tea brand owned by Starbucks that sells bagged and loose-leaf teas through grocery and former retail channels. It competes with Tazo in premium positioning, bold flavor profiles, and at-home café-quality tea occasions.
• Bigelow Tea: Bigelow Tea is a family-owned packaged tea manufacturer with broad grocery distribution across black, green, herbal, and specialty teas. It competes directly with Tazo in bagged tea and shares similar retail channels and consumer target segments.
• Twinings: Twinings is a premium packaged tea brand owned by Associated British Foods with extensive U.S. grocery distribution. It competes with Tazo in black, green, and herbal teas and shares positioning around quality, heritage, and flavor variety.
• Numi Organic Tea: Numi Organic Tea is a premium organic and Fair Trade certified tea brand offering bagged teas, blooming teas, and latte mixes. It is directly comparable to Tazo in organic certification, premium positioning, and expansion into latte/concentrate formats.
• Traditional Medicinals: Traditional Medicinals is a wellness-focused herbal tea company selling bagged teas targeting specific functional benefits (digestion, sleep, stress). It is directly comparable to Tazo's wellness tea line in both product positioning and target consumer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Tazo
• Facebookfacebook.com/tazo
• Instagraminstagram.com/tazo/?hl=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/tazotea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/528163

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tazo