Samovar Tea

What Samovar Tea does

Samovar Tea is a San Francisco-based, founder-owned retailer and wholesaler of organic loose leaf tea, chai, matcha, and complementary teaware, operating across 200+ SKUs that span black, green, oolong, pu-erh, white, and herbal categories. The company sources almost entirely organic product from artisan tea farmers in China, India, Japan, and Hawaii, with flagship proprietary blends such as Masala Chai hand-blended in small batches and cured for a minimum of two months to develop flavor complexity.

The business runs an omnichannel model: direct-to-consumer e-commerce at samovartea.com with nationwide and worldwide shipping, a subscription program offering 10% savings on regular deliveries, multiple company-owned retail tea houses and lounges in San Francisco that serve beverages and food alongside retail product, a B2B wholesale channel supplying chai and tea to hundreds of cafes and restaurants across the United States, and retail distribution partnerships including Erewhon and on-demand delivery via DoorDash. The product catalog spans individual teas (4 oz to 1 lb, $19–$86 typical, with premium Japanese matcha up to $165), teaware (matcha bowls, gaiwans, electric kettles, measuring tools), and 12+ curated gift sets priced $70–$122.

Founded by Jesse Jacobs (the company history references an approximate 2010 founding, with firmographic data citing 2002), Samovar has operated for 15+ years without subsequent institutional funding beyond a 2014 round with Audrey Capital, suggesting a bootstrapped, founder-controlled operating model. The company is private, employs 51–100 people, has accumulated 5,000+ 5-star reviews on its DTC platform, and has been featured in Forbes, CNN, The New York Times, Wired, and Bon Appétit. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, or regulated certifications are disclosed in the source data.

Name

Samovar Tea

Legal name

Samovar Tea

Website

https://samovartea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Samovar Tea is a San Francisco-based, founder-owned retailer and wholesaler of 200+ organic loose leaf teas, chai, matcha, and teaware, selling via DTC e-commerce, company-owned SF tea houses, B2B wholesale to cafes and restaurants, and retail partners like Erewhon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Tea & Beverages

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Beverage Manufacturing (3121)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Rooms & Tea Cafes (THAFADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea (Single-Origin, Micro-lot, Premium) Processing (AFAFADAJ)

Keywords

• Organic loose leaf tea
• Chai blends
• Matcha green tea
• Tea gift sets
• Tea house retail

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Tea Product Sales: E-commerce and retail sales of organic loose leaf teas, chai blends, matcha, and tea accessories. One-time purchases and subscription options available. Products range from $5 measuring spoons to $165 premium matcha.
2. Wholesale to Cafes and Restaurants: Supplying chai and tea products to cafes, restaurants, and other food service businesses nationwide. B2B bulk orders through wholesale portal.
3. Retail Tea House Operations: Company-owned tea lounges in San Francisco serving tea beverages, food, and providing experiential retail. Locations include Tea Bar at Fillmore St.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Samovar Tea sources, blends, and sells a curated portfolio of organic loose leaf teas (200+ varieties), chai blends, matcha, herbal infusions, and teaware through direct e-commerce, company-owned tea house locations in San Francisco, and a B2B wholesale program supplying cafes, restaurants, and specialty retailers nationwide.

Product overview

Samovar Tea is an organic loose leaf tea company offering a curated portfolio of over 200 teas across multiple categories: Black Tea (including Masala Chai, English Breakfast, Earl Grey), Green Tea (including Matcha varieties, Sencha, Jasmine), Oolong Tea, Pu-erh Tea, White Tea, and Herbal Infusions (caffeine-free blends). The company operates both as an e-commerce retail platform and as a multi-location tea house operator in San Francisco. Their product portfolio includes individual teas sold in various sizes (4 oz to 1 lb) with subscription options, tea sets and gift boxes that bundle multiple teas with teaware (Vivid Glass Teapots, Gaiwan), and standalone teaware items (kettles, measuring spoons, whisks). The company emphasizes organic sourcing, artisan partnerships with tea farmers worldwide, and small-batch hand blending. They source primarily from China, India, Japan, and Hawaii.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Masala Chai

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ 5-star reviews on the platform
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ErewhoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSamovar Tea products are now available at Erewhon premium grocery stores, expanding retail distribution beyond company-owned locations. This partnership brings the tea house experience to the grocery channel.
• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDoorDash delivery partnership for retail product delivery, enabling quick delivery of tea products to customers near retail locations.
• Various cafes and restaurants nationwidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale supply partnerships with cafes, restaurants, and other food service businesses across the country. The company has provided hundreds of cafes access to their tea and chai supply.
• Artisan Tea Farmers (China, India, Japan, Hawaii)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term relationships with artisan tea farmers in China, India, Japan, and Hawaii who are committed to preserving tea craftsmanship and sustainable farming practices. These partnerships ensure premium organic sourcing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Republic of Tea: Republic of Tea is a direct specialty tea peer — premium loose-leaf and bagged teas, herbal infusions, chai, and tea accessories sold DTC with strong subscription and gifting programs. Highly comparable in catalog breadth, organic positioning, and target health-conscious consumer as Samovar.
• Harney & Sons: Harney & Sons is a family-run specialty tea company selling premium loose-leaf teas, sachets, and gifts via DTC, wholesale to foodservice, and physical tea shops. Comparable to Samovar in tea variety, wholesale-to-cafe channel, gift-set merchandising, and premium price positioning.
• Adagio Teas: Adagio Teas is a DTC-first specialty tea retailer offering hundreds of loose-leaf varieties, custom blends, and accessories with subscription options. Closely comparable to Samovar in e-commerce catalog breadth, blend customization, and direct-to-consumer tea enthusiast targeting.
• Rishi Tea & Botanicals: Rishi Tea is a specialty tea and botanicals brand focused on direct-trade sourcing, organic and fair-trade certification, with strong specialty grocery and foodservice distribution. Highly comparable to Samovar on premium organic sourcing, chai/blend curation, and wholesale-to-cafe channel.
• Art of Tea: Art of Tea is a wholesale-oriented specialty tea company supplying cafes, restaurants, and hotels with organic loose-leaf teas, custom blends, and chai. Comparable to Samovar's wholesale division in target customer (B2B foodservice) and artisan blended chai.
• Tea Forte: Tea Forte is a premium tea brand known for pyramid sachets, gift sets, and luxury presentation sold through DTC, hotels, spas, and high-end retail. Comparable to Samovar in premium pricing, gifting/occasion positioning, and curated loose-leaf/leaf-sachet hybrid format.
• Smith Teamaker: Smith Teamaker is a Portland-based specialty tea brand selling hand-blended teas, chai, and herbal infusions via DTC, wholesale, and a small number of tea houses. Comparable to Samovar in artisan blending, chai focus, foodservice wholesale, and tea-house-meets-DTC retail model.
• Davidson's Teas: Davidson's Tea operates a DTC specialty tea retailer with hundreds of SKUs, gift sets, subscription, and previously a national retail tea-bar footprint. Comparable to Samovar in catalog breadth, subscription mechanic, and tea-bar experiential retail.

Broad incumbents

• Teavana (within Starbucks): Teavana, now part of Starbucks, pioneered the premium tea retail and tea bar concept before being absorbed into the broader Starbucks portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent in specialty tea retail with massive scale, but with overlapping premium loose-leaf offerings and former tea-bar model similar to Samovar's lounges.

Emerging players

• Capital City Tea Company: Capital City Tea is an emerging specialty tea company focused on organic, fair-trade teas, chai, and matcha via DTC and select foodservice placements. Comparable to Samovar in smaller-scale artisan chai/matcha/masala chai positioning and health-conscious DTC consumer overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/samovarlife
• Facebookfacebook.com/samovarlife

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Samovar Tea