Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

What Elmwood Inn Fine Teas does

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas is a privately held, family-owned specialty tea company founded in 1990 in Perryville, Kentucky, and now headquartered at 135 N 2nd St in Danville, Kentucky, where it operates a retail showroom, tasting bar, and shipping facility. The company imports, blends, and packages teas — including black, green, oolong, white/yellow, dark/puerh, matcha, herbal, rooibos, wellness, and iced varieties — and distributes them through a dedicated wholesale portal to retailers, gourmet grocers, restaurants, tea bars, coffee bars, hotels, and museums across North America, alongside direct-to-consumer e-commerce shipping to the U.S., Canada, and Singapore. The core technology is small-batch artisanal blending of single-estate and proprietary flavor profiles, supplemented by a private-label packaging capability and a biodegradable pyramid-sachet format.

The business operates on a multi-channel revenue model combining one-time retail tea and accessory sales (typical unit pricing $9-20 for tea, with ranges from $1 close-outs to $595 specialty publications), a recurring subscription tier offering a 5% discount across monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly delivery, and B2B wholesale and private-label transactions. The company serves three primary customer segments — individual tea enthusiasts purchasing for personal consumption or gifting, B2B wholesale accounts across foodservice and hospitality, and cultural institutions seeking signature commemorative blends — with notable museum commissions including the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum (since 2011), Yale Center for British Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and Cincinnati Museum of Art.

Name

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas

Legal name

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas LLC

Website

https://elmwoodinn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas is a family-owned specialty tea importer, blender, and packager founded in 1990 in Danville, Kentucky, supplying loose-leaf teas, pyramid sachets, and accessories to individual consumers via e-commerce and to retailers, restaurants, hotels, and museums across North America via wholesale and private-label channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Loose Leaf Tea

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Loose leaf tea
• Small-batch tea blending
• Wholesale tea supply
• Specialty tea retail
• Tea accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Danville

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, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Tea Products: Direct sales of loose leaf teas, pyramid sachets, and specialty blends to consumers through e-commerce and retail store
2. Subscription: Monthly, bi-monthly, and quarterly subscription options with 5% discount for recurring delivery of teas
3. Wholesale Distribution: B2B supply to retailers, gourmet grocers, restaurants, tea bars, hotels, and museums across North America
4. Tea Wares and Accessories: Sale of teapots, mugs, infusers, kettles, and tea-related accessories
5. Publications: Sale of tea books, cookbooks, and TeaTime magazine publications authored/edited by founders
6. Educational Content: Online video courses on tea education including '5 Great Teas' series covering various tea regions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas imports, blends, and packages loose-leaf teas, pyramid sachets, and tea-related accessories under its own brand. The company sells directly to consumers through its website and a physical retail showroom with a tasting bar in Danville, Kentucky, and supplies its blends on a wholesale basis to retailers, restaurants, hotels, and museums across North America, including private-label services.

Product overview

Elmwood Inn Fine Teas operates as one of America's oldest small-batch tea blenders, offering a diversified product portfolio centered around loose leaf teas and pyramid sachets across multiple categories: Black Teas (including signature Kentucky Blend and Bourbon Black), Green Teas (Sencha, Gunpowder, Matcha, Jasmine Pearls), Oolong Teas (Taiwan varieties, Ti Kwan Yin), White/Yellow Teas, Herbal/Fruit/Rooibos, Caffeine-Free, Dark/Puerh, Matcha, Breakfast Teas, Iced Teas, and Wellness Teas. The company also offers complementary products including Tea Wares (teapots, mugs, infusers), Tea Foods (cookies, curds, honey), Books/Magazines on tea culture, and curated Gift Sets. The core offering is supported by a wholesale division serving retailers, restaurants, hotels, and museums, plus private label capabilities and a physical retail store with tasting bar in Danville, Kentucky.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Black Teas Single-garden and custom blended black teas including signature Kentucky Blend, Bourbon Black, and five varieties of Earl Grey, available in loose-leaf or pyramid sachets. Targeted at tea enthusiasts and wholesale buyers.
• Green Teas Japanese and Chinese green teas including Sencha, Gunpowder, Matcha, Jasmine Pearls, and Genmaicha in loose leaf and pyramid sachets.
• Oolong Teas Loose leaf Oolong teas including Black Dragon, Ti Kwan Yin, and premium varieties from Taiwan that benefit from multiple infusions.
• White / Yellow Teas Delicate white and yellow teas including Silver Needles, Bai Mudan, and specialty varieties.
• Herbal / Fruit / Rooibos Teas Herbals, fruit infusions, and rooibos teas including Ayurvedic blends, available in loose leaf and pyramid sachets.
• Caffeine-Free Teas Caffeine-free and decaffeinated teas and infusions including Blueberry Fruit Infusion and Tangy Turmeric Ginger.
• Dark / Puerh Teas Fermented dark teas and Puerh varieties offering complex flavors distinct from black teas.
• Matcha Japanese matcha green tea products including organic premium grade matcha and matcha-making accessories.
• Breakfast Teas Bold, rich black teas perfect for morning consumption including English Breakfast and Kentucky Blend.
• Iced Teas Tea blends designed for cold brewing and iced tea preparation.
• Wellness Teas Ayurvedic teas and herbal blends designed to promote health and wellness, rich in flavor with health benefits.
• Organic Teas High-quality organic teas including black and green loose leaf teas and turmeric blends.
• Pyramid Tea Bags (Plastic-free Sachets) Biodegradable triangle tea sachets made from corn starch and polylactic acid mesh filter that brew two cups per sachet.
• Tea Samplers Curated sample sets including tasting kits for different regions (India, Japan, Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka) and themed collections.
• Tea Books Books on tea history, recipes, etiquette, and culture including The Book of Tea, The New Tea Companion, and A Social History of Tea, authored or co-authored by Bruce and Shelley Richardson.
• TeaTime Magazine Magazine covering tearooms, recipes, and tea culture, sold via subscriptions and back issues through the Elmwood Inn storefront.
• Tea Wares and Accessories Teapots, mugs, cups, water heaters, infusers, tea spoons, and on-the-go accessories including artisan collections featuring famous artwork designs.
• Tea Foods Tea accompaniments including Shortbread House of Edinburgh cookies, lemon curd, raspberry curd, honey, Belgian rock sugar, and scone mix.
• Tea Gifts Gift boxes and sets featuring various tea combinations, tea wares, and samplers for all occasions, including gift certificates.
• Wholesale Distribution B2B supply of Elmwood Inn teas to retailers, gourmet grocers, restaurants, tea bars, coffee bars, hotels, and museums across North America, with volume-based pricing and a dedicated wholesale portal.
• Private Label Tea Service Custom private label tea services that allow organizations and businesses to sell Elmwood Inn teas under their own brand.
• Retail Store and Tasting Bar Physical retail location at the Danville, Kentucky headquarters offering over 150 single-estate and blended teas with a tasting bar open Monday through Saturday.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boston Tea Party Ships & MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Bruce Richardson named Tea Master in 2011, helping define tea's historical role in the iconic 1773 event. Designs commemorative teas including the 250th anniversary blend released in 2023. Packages official Congou and Bohea teas for the museum gift shop.
• TeaTime MagazinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBruce Richardson serves as Contributing Editor since 2009. Company sells TeaTime magazine subscriptions and back issues. Partnership provides editorial credibility and access to tea enthusiast readership.
• Yale Center for British ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Bruce Richardson to design a signature tea line for the museum gift shop, showcasing art-themed tea products.
• Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Bruce Richardson to design a signature tea line for the museum gift shop.
• Peabody Essex MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Bruce Richardson to design a signature tea line for the museum gift shop.
• Georgia O'Keeffe MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Bruce Richardson to design a signature tea line for the museum gift shop.
• Cincinnati Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned Bruce Richardson to design a signature tea line for the museum gift shop.
• Benjamin PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublishing partnership producing tea books including The New Tea Companion (with Jane Pettigrew), A Social History of Tea, and expanded edition of Okakura Kakuzo's Book of Tea. Books translated into Chinese for international distribution.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Adagio Teas: Online specialty tea retailer offering a large catalog of loose-leaf teas and blends with strong DTC e-commerce and subscription model. Comparable to Elmwood Inn on tea-blending focus and DTC subscription revenue stream.
• DAVIDsTEA: Specialty tea retailer offering loose-leaf teas, sachets, and tea accessories via DTC and retail stores with broad product breadth. Comparable to Elmwood Inn on premium loose-leaf assortment and tea-wares cross-sell, though larger-scale with retail footprint.
• Steven Smith Teamaker: Small-batch premium specialty tea blender founded by a renowned tea authority, offering loose-leaf teas, sachets, and DTC plus wholesale distribution. Directly comparable to Elmwood Inn in artisanal blending, premium positioning, and authoritative founder-led brand.
• Art of Tea: Specialty tea company offering loose-leaf teas, blends, custom private label, and wholesale B2B supply to hotels, restaurants, and retailers. Comparable to Elmwood Inn across product breadth, private-label capability, and wholesale channel focus.
• Republic of Tea: Premium specialty tea company offering loose-leaf and bagged teas, subscription programs, and B2B wholesale to retailers, restaurants, and hospitality. Comparable to Elmwood Inn across DTC, subscription, and wholesale channels serving the same customer types.
• Stash Tea: Family-owned specialty tea company offering bagged and loose-leaf teas across multiple categories with broad retail and wholesale distribution. Comparable to Elmwood Inn as a multi-category specialty tea blender serving both retail and wholesale channels in North America.
• Harney & Sons: Family-operated American specialty tea blender founded in 1983, offering loose-leaf teas, sachets, and wholesale B2B distribution. Closest direct peer to Elmwood Inn in scale, family ownership, blending focus, and museum-quality positioning.
• Rishi Tea & Botanicals: Direct-to-consumer and wholesale specialty tea importer and blender offering loose-leaf teas, sachets, and botanicals with strong B2B foodservice presence. Comparable to Elmwood Inn in premium loose-leaf blending and wholesale-to-retailer distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• ITO EN (North America): Large Japanese tea company producing specialty loose-leaf teas, matcha, and bottled tea products with distribution across the US. Broader incumbent with overlapping product categories (matcha, green teas, loose-leaf) and foodservice channel but much larger scale than Elmwood Inn.
• Twinings: Global heritage tea brand offering blended black, green, and herbal teas across grocery retail and foodservice. A broad incumbent serving overlapping tea categories and the same B2B foodservice and hospitality channels as Elmwood Inn, but at significantly greater scale and brand recognition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ElmwoodFineTeas
• Facebookfacebook.com/elmwoodinnfineteas
• Instagraminstagram.com/elmwoodinnfineteas
• Pinterestpinterest.com/teamaestro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elmwood-inn-fine-teas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Elmwood Inn Fine Teas