JUSTEA LABS LTD

What JUSTEA LABS LTD does

JusTea (JUSTEA LABS LTD) is a Vancouver, Canada-based tea company founded in 2013 by the Bain family after a 2012 trip to Kenya. It sources orthodox and artisanal teas directly from small-scale Kenyan farming families in Nandi Hills and the Meru region, operating Kenya's first farmer-owned Artisanal Tea Cottage Factory in partnership with the Katah family and the Kenyan Women's Tea Co-op. The company pioneered the commercialization of Purple Tea (Camellia Sinensis Assamica), a Kenyan highland cultivar rich in anthocyanins, and claims to be the first company globally to bring Purple Tea to market and the first Canadian brand to offer it in North America.

Its core product line includes loose-leaf teas (black, green, oolong, purple, white), herbal teas, and tea bag formats in tins and refill pouches, plus accessories such as infusers, teapots, hand-carved spoons, and coasters. Unit pricing spans roughly $2.99 for sample pouches to $24.99 for trio variety packs, with a Subscribe & Save subscription model delivering every 4, 8, 12, or 16 weeks at a 10% discount.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model: direct-to-consumer sales via a Shopify storefront with free shipping on orders over $50 in Canada and USA, Amazon Prime marketplace distribution, a B2B wholesale program serving cafes, restaurants, and hundreds of retail stores across North America, and a subscription layer. The company holds Fair Trade Federation verification, has received a Global Tea Championship Gold Medal for Kenyan White Tea and a World Tea Expo New Product Innovation Award, and maintains partnerships with the Tea Board of Kenya and Thrive for Good. Ownership remains with the Bain family; the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding or M&A activity.

Name

JUSTEA LABS LTD

Legal name

JUSTEA LABS LTD

Website

https://justea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JusTea is a Vancouver-based, family-owned tea company that sells farmer-direct Kenyan teas, including its pioneering Purple Tea line, through e-commerce, subscriptions, wholesale, and Amazon across Canada and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Online sales through Shopify storefront to individual consumers; products sold include loose leaf tea in tins and pouches, tea bags, and accessories
2. Tea Subscriptions: Recurring subscription model delivering favorite teas every 4, 8, 12, or 16 weeks with free shipping on each order
3. Wholesale: B2B sales to retailers, cafes, and restaurants in Canada and USA; available in retail-ready packaging and bulk loose leaf formats
4. Tea Accessories: Sale of tea accessories including infusers, teapots, hand-carved spoons, and coasters

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

JusTea (JUSTEA LABS LTD) sources, processes, and sells farmer-direct Kenyan specialty teas — including Purple Tea, black, green, white, oolong, and herbal blends — directly to consumers via e-commerce and subscriptions, and to wholesale customers across Canada and the USA. The company operates an Artisanal Tea Cottage Factory in Nandi Hills, Kenya owned by small-scale farmers and partners with a Women's Tea Co-op in Meru. It also sells tea bags, tea accessories, and gift sets through its own website, Amazon Prime, retail partners, and wholesale channel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• JusTea Loose Leaf Teas A curated catalog of farmer-direct Kenyan loose-leaf teas (Purple Tea, black, green, white, oolong, and herbal blends) sold direct to consumers via the JusTea website and wholesale to food-service and retail partners. Each product is associated with the photograph and story of the specific Kenyan farmer who grew it.
• JusTea Tea Bags Pre-portioned tea bags (e.g., 15-count and 50-count formats) of JusTea's Kenyan specialty teas, including Purple Tea varieties, packaged in compostable tea bags and recyclable tins for convenient home and office brewing.
• Justea Tea Subscription Recurring tea subscription that delivers a curated selection of JusTea's Kenyan and Purple Tea varieties to consumers on an ongoing basis, offering a 10% subscription discount and free shipping threshold benefits.
• Tea Accessories Tea accessories sold alongside JusTea's loose-leaf teas, including infusers, teapots, spoons, and coasters that enable consumers to brew and enjoy loose-leaf tea at home.
• JusTea Wholesale Tea Supply Wholesale supply of JusTea's Kenyan specialty teas, available in both packaged and bulk formats with wholesale pricing tiers, designed for cafes, restaurants, and retail stores.

Quantifiable outcome

• More antioxidants than any other tea leaf
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kenyan Women's Tea Co-opcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015First North American partner for the Women's Tea Co-op in Meru, Kenya; co-op grows only organic certified herbal teas in Kenya; provides employment to over 80 families; features Speranza, Florence, and Karimi as founding members
• Katah FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Founding partnership with the Katah family in Kenya; Boaz Katah is the cottage factory manager; established Kenya's first-ever Artisanal Tea Cottage Factory owned and managed by small-scale tea farmers in Nandi Hills
• Fair Trade FederationcoreOthersProud member of Fair Trade Federation; one of few Canadian tea companies verified by FTF; holistic approach to fair trade supply chain from farm in Kenya to cup in customer's hands
• Tea Board of KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGranted one of the first tea processing licenses to produce artisanal, direct-from-farm teas in Kenya
• ThriveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of Thrive for Good; sales from tea support planting Organic Life Gardens in Kenya; community health and agricultural training programs
• Bain FamilycoreOthersCanadian founding family from Vancouver who established the company after traveling to Kenya and hearing about challenges faced by small-scale farmers

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tea Forté: Premium specialty tea brand known for distinctive pyramid sachets, presentation-driven packaging, and broad wholesale presence in hotels, restaurants, and retail. Comparable premium positioning and foodservice/wholesale channel strategy.
• DAVIDsTEA: Canadian specialty tea brand with very similar GTM: DTC e-commerce, subscription programs, hundreds of wholesale doors in Canada and the US, and broad SKU portfolio including flavored black/green/herbal blends. Comparable scale, customer base (new and avid tea drinkers), and channel mix.
• Harney & Sons: Family-owned premium tea brand with DTC, wholesale to hotels/restaurants/retailers, and a portfolio spanning classic (Earl Grey) to specialty blends. Comparable craft positioning, accessory sales, and gifting use cases.
• Republic of Tea: Premium specialty tea company selling bagged and loose-leaf blends, herbal teas, and accessories via DTC, wholesale to cafes/retailers, and subscription. Targets the same health-conscious and gourmet tea drinker personas.
• Adagio Teas: US-based DTC specialty tea brand with similar product breadth (loose leaf, sachets, accessories), a strong subscription/sampler model, and an online-first approach to connoisseur tea drinkers. Closely comparable customer segments and pricing tier.

Emerging players

• Numi Organic Tea: Premium organic and fair-trade tea brand with a broad bagged and loose-leaf portfolio, strong wholesale in natural grocery and foodservice, and DTC. Comparable ethical-sourcing story and SKU mix, though at larger scale.
• Zhena's Gypsy Tea: Organic, fair-trade loose-leaf and bagged tea brand with similar ethical-sourcing positioning, DTC, and specialty retail distribution. Closely aligned values-driven branding though at smaller scale.
• T2 Tea: Australian-origin specialty tea retailer/brand with strong retail store presence, DTC, and a broad flavored-loose-leaf portfolio. Comparable brand-led premium positioning though primarily a regional player outside North America.
• The Tea Spot: US specialty tea company with DTC, foodservice/wholesale channels, and a portfolio of loose-leaf and bagged teas plus accessories. Comparable size, customer base, and omnichannel GTM to JusTea.

Broad incumbents

• James Finlay Kenya: Large-scale Kenyan tea producer and exporter (one of the country's major bulk tea players). Comparable source geography and supply-chain footprint, but operates at industrial scale in B2B bulk rather than packaged retail. Useful benchmark for Kenyan tea economics.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/justeakenya
• Instagraminstagram.com/justeakenya
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/justea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 JUSTEA LABS LTD