Sweetwater Tea Company

What Sweetwater Tea Company does

TeBella Tea Company is a privately held specialty loose leaf tea retailer founded in 2010 by Abigail StClair in Tampa, Florida. The company sells over 137 tea varieties across categories including black, green, white, oolong, maté, herbal, and rooibos teas, alongside teaware, accessories, and curated gift sets such as samplers, cocktail/mocktail kits, and subscription boxes. TeBella sources directly from tea masters and farmers in Japan, China, Sri Lanka, and India, with the founder conducting personal tea-buying trips to maintain direct supplier relationships.

The company operates a multi-channel distribution model consisting of four physical retail locations in the Tampa Bay area (Davis Island, St. Petersburg, Oxford Exchange, and Sarasota), a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront built on the Mirijeh platform, and a B2B wholesale program supplying over 140 cafes, restaurants, spas, and hotels nationwide. Revenue streams include one-time retail purchases (tea products priced $7-$285), wholesale supply, corporate gifting, and a $24.95/month subscription box. The technology stack is limited to standard e-commerce tooling with PCI-DSS compliant payment processing, SSL encryption, and cookie-based targeted advertising; no proprietary technology or AI capabilities are deployed.

TeBella is a founder-owned business with 11-50 employees, no disclosed institutional funding, and no parent company or acquisition activity. The company emphasizes tea education, employee training through guided tastings, and a hands-on customer experience as its primary differentiators. Its competitive positioning rests on curation breadth (137+ SKUs), direct-sourcing expertise, and multi-channel reach within a fragmented specialty tea market dominated regionally.

Name

Sweetwater Tea Company

Legal name

TeBella Tea Company

Website

https://tebellatea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TeBella Tea Company is a Tampa-based specialty loose leaf tea retailer founded in 2010, operating four Florida retail stores, a nationwide wholesale program serving 140+ hospitality businesses, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel selling 137+ tea varieties and accessories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Loose Leaf Tea

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Tea Shops (Loose-Leaf, Tea Bars) (THAFAKAD), Tea (Leaf, Bagged, Instant, Concentrates) (CRADAHAE)

Keywords

• Loose leaf tea
• Specialty tea retail
• Wholesale tea supply
• Tea accessories
• Tea subscription box

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

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. Retail Tea Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales of loose leaf teas, teaware, accessories, and gift items through physical retail stores and e-commerce website. Products include black, green, white, oolong, herbal, maté, and rooibos teas with prices ranging from $7 to $285 per product depending on type and quantity.
2. Wholesale Tea Distribution: B2B wholesale supply of tea to restaurants, cafes, spas, hotels, and other establishments. Includes tea program development, hands-on staff training, and ongoing customer support as part of the wholesale service offering.
3. Corporate Gifting: Corporate gifting options available through wholesale manager contact. Custom gift packages for business clients and corporate events.
4. Subscription Box: Monthly Mystery Tea Box subscription service offering recurring deliveries of curated tea selections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TeBella Tea Company sells over 137 varieties of loose leaf teas across black, green, white, oolong, maté, herbal, and rooibos categories, plus teaware (teapots, cups, steepers, cast iron sets, matcha accessories), curated gift boxes, tea samplers, matcha products, and tea-based cocktail/mocktail kits. Distribution happens through four Florida retail stores, a direct e-commerce site, and a wholesale program serving 140+ cafes, restaurants, hotels, and spas, with a recurring Monthly Mystery Tea Box subscription.

Product overview

TeBella Tea Company is a specialty loose leaf tea retailer offering over 137 tea varieties across core tea types (black, green, white, oolong, mate, herbal, rooibos) along with complementary product lines. The product portfolio centers on the core Loose Leaf Tea offering, supported by Teaware accessories, Gifts and Gift Boxes (including tea samplers, cocktail/mocktail kits, and subscription boxes), and Matcha Products. The company also operates a B2B Wholesale Tea Program supplying cafes, restaurants, hotels, and spas nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Loose Leaf Tea Over 137 varieties of loose leaf tea across black, green, white, oolong, maté, herbal, and rooibos categories, available in 2, 4, 8, and 16 ounce sizes, with flavor profiles spanning citrusy, fruity, floral, earthy, malty, minty, nutty, spicy, sweet, and tropical notes. Sold direct to consumers in stores and online, and through the wholesale program to hospitality operators.
• Teaware Tea brewing and serving accessories including cast iron tea sets, cups, steepers, teapots, matcha accessories, iced tea accessories, brewing accessories, and tea-related books. Sold alongside loose leaf tea to consumers via retail stores and the e-commerce site.
• Matcha Products Specialty matcha line including ceremonial grade matcha, culinary matcha, matcha latte kits with accessories, and honey lavender matcha kits. Sold to consumers via retail and e-commerce channels.
• Gifts and Gift Boxes Curated gift assortment including tea samplers (Earl Grey, Classic Green, Black, White, Oolong, Caffeine Free), tea cocktail/mocktail kits (Spiked Matcha Lemonade, Peachy Keen Paloma, Masala Chai Old Fashioned, Strawberry Gin Smash, Little Miss Sunshine), fog kits, home goods, and TeBella-branded merchandise. Sold direct to consumers and used as the basis for corporate gifting.
• Monthly Mystery Tea Box Subscription Recurring monthly subscription service delivering a curated selection of mystery teas to subscribers. Priced at $24.95 per box with single-month purchase available. Sold direct to consumers via the e-commerce site.
• Wholesale Tea Program B2B wholesale tea supply program for restaurants, cafes, spas, hotels, and other establishments, including custom tea program development, hands-on staff training, and ongoing customer support. Serves over 140 hospitality partners nationwide and is the channel for corporate gifting inquiries, managed by the wholesale manager.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140+ hospitality partners nationwide through wholesale program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smith Teamaker: Specialty loose leaf tea brand with direct sourcing, retail tea bar experience, and hospitality distribution. Comparable to TeBella in origin sourcing, tea education emphasis, and mixed retail/wholesale go-to-market.
• Adagio Teas: Online specialty tea retailer with an extensive catalog of loose leaf teas, customizable blends, and teaware. Comparable to TeBella in DTC model, deep catalog breadth, and educational content-led approach.
• DAVIDsTEA: Specialty tea retailer combining physical stores and e-commerce, focused on loose leaf teas, tea lattes, and tea accessories. Directly comparable retail-and-online model targeting tea enthusiasts, though Canadian-rooted and more broadly national.
• The Republic of Tea: Specialty tea brand offering premium loose leaf teas, herbal blends, and tea accessories through e-commerce and wholesale. Comparable to TeBella in product mix, premium positioning, and direct-to-consumer plus B2B distribution.
• Tea Forte: Premium tea brand offering loose leaf teas, iced teas, and tea accessories with a focus on luxury packaging and hospitality partnerships. Comparable to TeBella in premium positioning, teaware breadth, and B2B hospitality channel.
• Harney & Sons: Family-owned specialty tea company offering premium loose leaf teas, teaware, and accessories through retail stores, e-commerce, and wholesale channels. Direct competitor to TeBella across product, customer segments, and B2B hospitality distribution.
• The Tea Spot: Boutique specialty tea company selling loose leaf teas and teaware through e-commerce and wholesale, focused on health/wellness blends. Comparable to TeBella in product curation, B2B partnerships, and educational brand voice.

Emerging players

• Simpson & Vail: Smaller specialty tea company focused on loose leaf and estate-direct teas with wholesale to restaurants and cafes. Comparable business model at a smaller scale, especially in the B2B hospitality channel TeBella targets.

Broad incumbents

• T2 Tea: Large specialty tea retailer with extensive global store footprint and broad product assortment. Comparable category but substantially larger scale, international presence, and broader portfolio than TeBella's regional specialty positioning.
• ITO EN: Major Japanese tea producer offering RTD teas, loose leaf teas, and tea bags across retail and foodservice. Larger, diversified beverage incumbent with significant distribution scale versus TeBella's boutique specialty positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tebella-tea-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/tebellateacompany

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sweetwater Tea Company