How'd we get to 10 Years Already?
Hackberry Tea began as a side venture alongside our coffee business a decade ago. Over time, we fell in love with tea—its flavors, its culture, and its potential. I wanted to write this article to explain how we pick the amazing teas we choose and where we feel Hackberry fits in the crowded amazing tea market. Ten years in and I think we have really learned how we add value and I wanted to explain that to you.
The Basics of Tea
Before I share the history of Hackberry Tea, it’s important to provide some context about the tea industry as a whole. Tea comes from a plant called *Camellia sinensis*, which is the source of all black, green, and white teas. While I won’t dive into the detailed differences between these teas in this video—that’s for another time—understanding this plant is crucial. The *Camellia sinensis* plant is predominantly grown in China and India, where much of the tea processing occurs before it’s shipped worldwide.
Once tea arrives in the United States, it often undergoes blending. You’ve likely noticed that there’s no such thing as an “apricot tea” or “Earl Grey tea” plant—flavors like these are added during the blending process. This allows for a vast array of flavor profiles. While some traditional teas remain unblended, most teas purchased in America are the result of careful blending by experts, offering a range of exciting tastes.
The Story Behind Hackberry Tea
Hackberry Tea was born out of our coffee business, Sagebrush Coffee, which I started as a home coffee roasting project in 2012. As the business grew, I realized something was missing—tea. Tea has always been one of my favorite beverages, and it felt only natural to incorporate it into our offerings.
Initially, tea was meant to be a small addition to our coffee website, but it quickly became apparent that tea deserved its own space. By the end of 2013, Hackberry Tea spun off into its own entity, separate from Sagebrush Coffee. This move allowed us to fully commit to developing a distinct tea brand.
As we embarked on this journey, we asked ourselves key questions: How could we add value to the mature tea industry? Where did we fit into the supply chain? After evaluating our strengths—curating flavors, logistics expertise, and a passion for communication—we realized our niche was as curators and retailers of premium teas. We didn’t have the expertise to blend teas initially, but we could hand-pick the finest teas available and offer them at affordable prices.
The Hackberry Tea Business Model
Our business model is built around flexibility. We have the freedom to try different teas, introduce new flavors, and make adjustments based on customer feedback. This allows us to offer smaller, more fresh batches of tea, ensuring high quality while maintaining an affordable price. Additionally, our expertise in logistics enables us to provide fast turnaround times, making us competitive in the tea industry.
Also, running both a coffee and tea business while traveling the world seeking about the best of both of these products has helped us develop our palates. We have just best of Colombia and other competitions. We are sampling coffees or teas nearly every day and we feel like we have some of the best systems for understanding what makes different drinks great. So we really believe we’re able to offer some of the best teas in America every single time.
One of the greatest benefits of this model is the ability to become experts in tea. We don’t have to spend time managing complex blending processes or dealing with ingredient suppliers. Instead, we focus on understanding tea at a deep level, which has allowed us to build a robust knowledge base. Today, we are proud to offer some of the best teas available, curated with care and attention to detail.
Looking to the Future
As we continue to grow Hackberry Tea, we are excited about the future, particularly with the knowledge base on our website. We have created an extensive article portfolio about tea. Our goal is to provide as much information as possible so you can make informed buying decisions. Whether you’re new to tea or a seasoned enthusiast, we aim to help you discover and enjoy the best teas in the world.
Thank you for supporting Hackberry Tea. We’re excited to grow this community and share our passion for tea with you.
