Jinx Tea
Jinx Tea produces and sells premium cold-brewed sparkling teas brewed from hand-harvested loose-leaf tea sourced from named heritage farms in China, selling direct-to-consumer online and through Twin Cities grocery and foodservice partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Jinx Tea does
Jinx Tea is a Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota-based craft beverage company that produces and sells premium cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink teas. Founded by Chris Eilers (former CEO of Dunn Bros., who exited in March 2017) and operating under the Jinx Tea brand, the company produces three core SKUs — Raspberry Lemonade, Tropic Fusion, and Ruby Punch — brewed from real loose-leaf tea rather than concentrates or flavorings. The teas are cold-brewed and combined with artisan aromatics, real fruit, and pure cane sugar, with no artificial sweeteners. The central technical differentiator is the supply chain: Jinx sources hand-harvested heritage teas through Verdant Tea from named small family farms in China, including the Qianjiazhai Cooperative in Yunnan (ancient 600-1,500-year-old trees), the He Family in Laoshan (Shandong), and Master Zhang in Daping Village (Anxi, Fujian). Production is planned against single annual harvest windows for wild-sourced regions, which constrains scalability but anchors authenticity and provenance storytelling.
The business model operates across three channels. Direct-to-consumer e-commerce through jinxtea.com ships via USPS or UPS with a $6 per-case customer shipping fee and the company absorbing the remainder of fulfillment cost. Wholesale retail distribution places product in regional Twin Cities grocers including Lunds and Byerlys, Kowalskis, and Minnesota Co-ops. A foodservice and on-premise channel serves restaurants, cafes, taprooms, coffee shops, and bakeries (e.g., Spyhouse, FRGMNT Coffee, Rustica Bakery, Pryes Brewing), with the product positioned both as a soda alternative and as a mocktail/cocktail ingredient. Marketing is built on content (Tea Notes blog), email, Instagram (@jinx.tea), and earned media in Minnesota publications (Star Tribune, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, Kare 11, WCCO).
The company is privately held, founder-led, and operates with a small team of 1-10 employees. No institutional funding rounds, M&A activity, patents, or regulatory actions are disclosed. Geographic reach is concentrated in the Twin Cities / Minnesota market with stated intent to expand further, and the company is a self-described small operation focused on fulfilling orders rather than pursuing rapid national scaling.
Jinx Tea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Jinx Tea
- Legal name
- Jinx Tea
- Website
- https://jinxtea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Jinx Tea produces and sells premium cold-brewed sparkling teas brewed from hand-harvested loose-leaf tea sourced from named heritage farms in China, selling direct-to-consumer online and through Twin Cities grocery and foodservice partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Jinx Tea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Premium Sparkling Tea Beverages
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Soft Drink and Ice Manufacturing (31211)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea (CRADAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- RTD Iced Tea Production (AFAFABAD), Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea Manufacturing (AFAFADAI), Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Non-Carbonated Soft Drinks (Juice Drinks, Lemonades, Fruit Drinks) (CRADAHAB)
Keywords
Where Jinx Tea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Jinx Tea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Direct-to-Consumer Online Sales: E-commerce sales through the company website with shipping to customers' doors. Customers pay $6 per case for shipping with the company covering the remainder.
- Retail Distribution: Wholesale distribution to grocery retailers including Lunds and Byerlys, Kowalskis, and Minnesota Co-ops, as well as specialty retailers.
- Foodservice/Hospitality Sales: Wholesale to restaurants, bars, taprooms, coffee shops, and cafes for on-premise consumption.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Online case purchase with customer shipping |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Jinx Tea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Jinx Tea produces and sells premium cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink teas made with hand-harvested heritage loose-leaf tea, real fruit, artisan aromatics, and pure cane sugar. The company offers three canned flavors—Raspberry Lemonade, Tropic Fusion, and Ruby Punch—alongside aromatic herbal teas, botanicals, cane sugar, and hand-harvested teas, sold via its own e-commerce shop and regional retail/foodservice partners.
Product overview
Jinx Tea is a premium sparkling ready-to-drink (RTD) tea brand offering cold-brewed craft sparkling teas in bold, unexpected flavors. The product line includes three distinct flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Tropic Fusion, and Ruby Punch. All products are made with hand-harvested heritage teas sourced from small family farms in China, real fruit, and pure cane sugar. The beverages feature layered, culinary-driven flavor profiles with bright acidity and clean finish. Jinx Tea positions itself as a soda alternative, targeting consumers seeking bold flavor without artificial sweeteners or excess sweetness.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Raspberry Lemonade Cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink tea with raspberry and lemon flavors, lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar. Contains approximately 30-50mg caffeine per serving. Targeted at consumers seeking a soda alternative.
- Tropic Fusion Cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink tea with tropical fruit flavor profile, brewed from heritage loose-leaf tea. Contains approximately 20-40mg caffeine per serving.
- Ruby Punch Cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink tea made with organic hibiscus, naturally caffeine-free. Features floral and fruity notes with bright acidity.
- Hand-Harvested Heritage Loose-Leaf Tea Loose-leaf teas sourced directly from small family farms in China, including the Qianjiazhai Dongsa Cooperative (Yunnan), the He Family (Laoshan, Shandong), and Master Zhang (Anxi, Fujian). Production is planned around single annual harvest windows.
- Aromatic Herbal Teas and Botanicals Aromatic herbal teas and botanicals sold alongside the company's sparkling RTD line, complementing the cane sugar and hand-harvested tea offerings.
- Pure Cane Sugar Pure cane sugar used in sparkling tea formulations and offered as part of the company's broader product assortment, replacing artificial sweeteners.
Quantifiable outcome
- Contains about half the sugar of typical sodas
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Jinx Tea
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Jinx Tea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Jinx Tea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Verdant TeacoreVerdant Tea is Jinx Tea's importing partner, founded on personal friendships made through travel and education in China. They have built long-standing relationships with small family farms since 2011. Verdant handles direct partnerships with tea farmers in China, exports tea under the farmers' own labels, and provides the supply chain for Jinx's heritage tea sourcing.
- Dongsa Farmers Co-op (Qianjiazhai)coreThe Qianjiazhai Dongsa Cooperative in Zhenyuan, Yunnan manages the oldest tea forest in the world. Tea is finished using hand processing and stone-pressing techniques. The cooperative protects ancient trees (many 600-1500 years old) in protected national forest and funds community needs like mountain roads and school access.
- The He Family (Laoshan Village)coreThe He Family in Laoshan Village, Shandong are pioneers who were among the first to plant tea on the misty ocean-facing slopes of Mount Taoist Holy Mountain. They employ meticulous cold-winter protection, hand-picking, and small-batch finishing. He Family black tea anchors Jinx's chai profile.
- Master Zhang (Daping Village)coreMaster Zhang's family has tended the Tieguanyin of Daping Village in Anxi, Fujian for generations. His tea is fed by sweet mountain springs and grows on cloud-enveloped peaks. He is a researcher-farmer restoring nearly lost oolong techniques and leading a zero-impact agriculture vision for his mountain village.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Jinx Tea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AriZona Iced Tea: Mass-market RTD iced tea incumbent with extensive grocery and foodservice distribution. Comparable as the dominant category benchmark Jinx competes against in canned RTD tea, though at a much larger scale and lower price point.
- Guayaki: Larger established RTD tea (yerba mate) brand with broad national distribution and a regenerative/organic sourcing story. Comparable on canned RTD tea format, ingredient provenance storytelling, and natural-channel retail.
Direct peers
- Health-Ade Kombucha: Premium, better-for-you sparkling beverage brand sold through DTC and grocery. Highly comparable on premium positioning, ingredient-led marketing, and the soda-alternative shopper that Jinx targets.
- Töst: Premium sparkling non-alcoholic beverage positioned for hospitality and NA cocktail use. Comparable to Jinx on the on-premise mixability use case and sophisticated NA consumer.
- Halfday: RTD iced tea brand positioning as a lower-sugar, functional alternative to soda. Closely comparable to Jinx on flavor philosophy, can format, and better-for-you consumer target.
- Sound Sparkling Tea: Direct competitor in the premium sparkling RTD tea category. Sound offers a similar clean-label, lightly sweetened, real-brewed sparkling tea lineup sold through DTC and regional grocery, overlapping directly with Jinx on product format, target consumer, and channel mix.
- Brew Dr. (Townshend's): Premium RTD tea and kombucha brand sold in natural and mainstream grocery. Comparable to Jinx on positioning around real-brewed, clean-label, better-for-you tea-based beverages in cans.
- Olipop: Sparkling prebiotic soda alternative. Closely comparable as a premium canned beverage going after soda drinkers with cleaner, lower-sugar formulations sold in DTC and natural/regional grocery.
- Recess: Sparkling, adaptogen- and hemp-infused beverages positioned as a sophisticated non-alcoholic option for hospitality and retail. Comparable on premium sparkling format and NA cocktail/mocktail use case that Jinx actively courts.
- Rise Brewing Co. Premium canned RTD beverage brand (nitro cold brew, oat milk, lemonades) sold in DTC and grocery. Comparable on premium canned format, clean-label ethos, and foodservice/café distribution.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Jinx Tea social profiles
Digital presenceJinx Tea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Jinx Tea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Jinx Tea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Jinx Tea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Jinx Tea
What does Jinx Tea do?
Jinx Tea produces and sells premium cold-brewed sparkling ready-to-drink teas made with hand-harvested heritage loose-leaf tea, real fruit, artisan aromatics, and pure cane sugar. The company offers three canned flavors—Raspberry Lemonade, Tropic Fusion, and Ruby Punch—alongside aromatic herbal teas, botanicals, cane sugar, and hand-harvested teas, sold via its own e-commerce shop and regional retail/foodservice partners.
Is Jinx Tea a public or private company?
Jinx Tea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Jinx Tea founded?
Jinx Tea was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Jinx Tea based?
Jinx Tea is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Jinx Tea make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer Online Sales are the primary driver. The others are retail Distribution and foodservice/Hospitality Sales.
Who are Jinx Tea's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AriZona Iced Tea and Guayaki. Direct peers are Health-Ade Kombucha, Töst, Halfday, Sound Sparkling Tea, Brew Dr. (Townshend's), Olipop, Recess and Rise Brewing Co..
Does Jinx Tea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Jinx Tea.
What industry is Jinx Tea in?
Jinx Tea's product category is Premium Sparkling Tea Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAHAD, Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Tea, with a secondary code of AFAFABAD, RTD Iced Tea Production. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.