Lake Missoula Tea Company

What Lake Missoula Tea Company does

Lake Missoula Tea Company is a privately held, small-batch loose leaf tea retailer and blender headquartered at 136 E Broadway St in Missoula, Montana. The company curates and sells more than 200 tea varieties — spanning black, green, white, oolong, puerh, rooibos, chai, matcha, botanical, mushroom, yerba mate, jasmine, purple, Earl Grey, and powder formats — through a Shopify-based direct-to-consumer storefront, a Monthly Tea Explorers Club subscription, a physical tea bar and showroom in Missoula that supports in-person tasting and local pickup, and a regional wholesale program serving Montana co-ops, health food stores, and specialty retailers.

The underlying operation is artisanal sourcing and blending from global farm partners, with proprietary blends (e.g., Earl Grey Blue de la Crème, Evening in Missoula, High Country Huckleberry, Lake Missoula Breakfast) and Montana-themed positioning forming the core of the catalog. The product set has been extended into functional and wellness formats — including the Mushies' Instant Cup mushroom-based instant tea, Golden Milk powder, and Stress Less botanical blend — and supplemented with curated teaware from Fellow, Hario, For Life, and OTOTO, plus branded merchandise.

The company monetizes through four primary streams: one-time direct tea sales (loose leaf and powders priced from roughly $4.00 to $67.85 depending on SKU and size), the monthly Tea Explorers Club subscription, teaware and accessories ($6.85–$197.85), and wholesale distribution to regional retail partners. Go-to-market combines organic content (blog, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, SEO) and email with the physical showroom experience and wholesale shelf presence; free shipping is offered on orders over $99. No funding rounds, parent entities, leadership team disclosures, or revenue figures are documented in the available source material.

Name

Lake Missoula Tea Company

Website

https://lakemissoulatea.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lake Missoula Tea Company is a privately held small-batch loose leaf tea retailer and blender based in Missoula, MT. It sells 200+ tea varieties and teaware via Shopify e-commerce, a monthly subscription, a flagship tea bar, and regional wholesale across Montana natural food and co-op retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Loose Leaf Tea

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG)

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), Tea Rooms & Tea Cafes (THAFADAF)

Keywords

• Loose leaf tea
• Specialty tea blends
• Tea subscription service
• Tea accessories
• Small-batch tea

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

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, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Tea Sales: One-time purchase model for loose leaf teas, powders, and botanical blends sold through e-commerce and physical retail. Products range from single-origin teas to proprietary blends.
2. Monthly Tea Explorers Club Subscription: Recurring subscription delivering new tea every month, providing predictable recurring revenue and customer retention.
3. Teaware and Accessories: Sale of tea brewing equipment including kettles, mugs, infusers, gaiwans, and travel products from brands like Fellow and Hario.
4. Wholesale Distribution: B2B sales to retail partners including co-ops, health food stores, and specialty retailers through wholesale program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lake Missoula Tea Company curates and sells small-batch loose leaf teas in multiple formats (loose leaf, matcha powder, instant cups) through a Shopify e-commerce storefront, a flagship tea bar/showroom in Missoula, MT, and regional wholesale distribution. The portfolio spans 200+ varieties across black, green, white, oolong, puerh, rooibos, chai, matcha, botanical, mushroom, and Earl Grey categories, with proprietary blends and Montana-themed offerings. The company also runs the Monthly Tea Explorers Club subscription and retells premium teaware from Fellow, Hario, and For Life.

Product overview

Lake Missoula Tea Company is a small-batch loose leaf tea retailer offering a diverse portfolio of tea products and teaware. The core offering consists of specialty teas across multiple categories (Black, Green, White, Oolong, Puerh, Rooibos, Chai, Matcha, Botanical, Mushroom, Yerba Mate, Jasmine, Purple, Earl Grey, and Powder) sold as loose leaf products in various sizes. The company also operates a Monthly Tea Explorers Club subscription service for tea discovery. Supporting the tea products is a curated selection of teaware including traditional items (Gaiwan, Cha Dao sets, ceramic teapots) and modern equipment from Fellow (electric kettles, travel mugs), plus branded merchandise. The company maintains a physical tea bar/showroom in Missoula, Montana where customers can sample over 200 teas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Earl Grey Blue (de la Crème) Proprietary black and Earl Grey tea blend with vanilla, sweet, and woody notes finishing on a crisp Earl Grey note. Available in 40g, 200g, and 500g sizes.
• Mammoth Matcha Single origin organic green matcha powder with savory, fruity, and tart flavor profile, sold in tin format.
• Evening Chai Rooibos-based chai and botanical blend with sweet and spicy notes; caffeine-free herbal option.
• Mushies' Instant Cup Mushroom-based functional instant tea powder in single-serve format with chocolate, herby, and earthy flavor.
• Hand Rolled Purple Single origin hand-rolled purple tea with herby, minty, and floral notes.
• Evening in Missoula Botanical herbal tea blend with minty, floral, and fruity notes, themed around Missoula.
• Heritage Green Green tea with sweet, earthy, and herby flavor profile.
• Bodacious Blue Tea Black tea with fruity, minty, and citrus flavor notes.
• Lake Missoula Breakfast Black and Puerh tea blend with smoke, chocolate, and earthy notes, breakfast-themed.
• Golden Milk Chai-based herbal tea in powder format with spice and sweet notes.
• Sun-Kissed Huckleberry Tea blend featuring Montana huckleberry flavor with malty, citrus, and fruity notes.
• Stress Less Functional botanical herbal tea designed to promote calmness, with bold, malty, and earthy flavors.
• Monthly Tea Explorers Club Monthly subscription service delivering a new curated tea to subscribers each month, allowing customers to sample across the 200+ tea varieties.
• Fellow Carter Move Mug Travel mug for hot beverages in Fellow's signature design, sold at the Lake Missoula Tea Company storefront.
• Fellow Clyde Electric Kettle Electric kettle with precise temperature control designed for tea brewing.
• Fellow Corvo Electric Kettle Electric water heater kettle with digital controls for tea preparation.
• Blue Ceramic Gaiwan - Gong Fu Cha Traditional Chinese tea brewing vessel with blue crackle glaze, used for Gong Fu Cha style tea preparation.
• Cha Dao Tea Tool Set Complete traditional Chinese tea brewing set including teapot, cups, and tray for tea ceremony preparation.
• EZ Brew Gravity Steeper Loose leaf tea steeper with gravity-fed design and clear glass construction.
• For Life Dew Brew-in-Mug Ceramic mug with built-in tea brewing system for convenient loose leaf tea preparation.
• For Life Dew Ceramic Teapot Ceramic teapot with smooth glossy finish, part of the For Life Dew collection.
• LMTC Merch Branded merchandise including hats, t-shirts, and bags featuring Lake Missoula Tea Company branding.

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FellowcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFellow is a premium teaware brand whose products (travel mugs, kettles, temperature-controlled brewers) are sold through Lake Missoula Tea Company's retail and e-commerce channels. Products include Fellow Carter Move Mug, Fellow Clyde Electric Kettle, and Fellow Corvo Electric Kettle.
• HariocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese glassware and tea brewing equipment brand. Lake Missoula Tea Company resells Hario products including Buono Kettle, Ka-Ku Cold Brew Bottle, and other tea accessories.
• For LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTeaware brand specializing in ceramic tea brewing products. Products sold include For Life Dew Brew-in-Mug and For Life Dew Ceramic Teapot.
• Good Food StorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional natural foods retailer carrying Lake Missoula Tea Company products as part of their tea selection.
• Bozeman Co-OpcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember-owned cooperative grocery store in Bozeman, MT featuring Lake Missoula Tea Company products.
• OTOTOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPlayful teaware brand. Lake Missoula Tea Company resells OTOTO Baby Nessie Tea Infuser.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Teapigs: Premium whole leaf tea brand with strong DTC and grocery/wholesale presence. Comparable in premium tea positioning, though with broader UK and international distribution compared to LMTC's regional focus.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: Large-scale natural and organic grocery retailer that stocks specialty loose leaf teas, including regional small-batch brands. Comparable as a wholesale channel customer for LMTC and a benchmark for distribution scale in the specialty food retail category.

Direct peers

• Bird & Blend Tea Co. Specialty tea company with proprietary blends, a tea subscription club, and physical tea bars. Directly comparable to LMTC in blending-led product strategy, monthly subscription model, and physical tea bar experience.
• The Republic of Tea: Specialty tea brand offering curated loose leaf, bagged, and functional teas through DTC and wholesale channels. Comparable in product mix, premium positioning, subscription offerings, and broad specialty retail distribution.
• Tea Forte: Premium tea brand selling loose leaf, sachets, and gift-focused assortments through DTC, hospitality, and specialty retail. Comparable in premium pricing strategy, curated product line, and wholesale presence in upscale retailers.
• Davidson's Organics: Organic and fair-trade tea company selling loose leaf and packaged teas through DTC, wholesale, and foodservice. Comparable in product mix, organic/sourcing story, and multi-channel distribution.
• Adagio Teas: Online-first specialty tea retailer with a wide catalog of loose leaf teas, custom blending tools, and a tea club subscription. Directly comparable to LMTC in DTC-led distribution, broad SKU assortment, and subscription-driven customer engagement.
• Smith Teamaker: Portland-based small-batch tea company offering loose leaf teas, blends, and a tea bar experience. Closely comparable to LMTC in small-batch artisanal positioning, tea bar retail, and DTC e-commerce.
• Harney & Sons: Family-owned specialty tea company offering premium loose leaf teas, blends, and teaware through DTC e-commerce, wholesale, and a flagship tea room. Directly comparable to Lake Missoula Tea Company in product category, customer base (tea enthusiasts), and DTC-plus-physical-retail business model.

Others

• Fellow: Premium teaware and coffee equipment brand sold through LMTC's e-commerce and retail channels. Comparable as a strategic supplier and brand partner whose products materially shape LMTC's accessory revenue mix and customer experience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSJW5B6ROSK3_b24rRo52iA
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeMissoulaTea
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakemissoulateaco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-missoula-tea-company

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 Lake Missoula Tea Company