Prior to being sold to Teavana in 2012, Teaopia was known as a Canadian loose-leaf tea company with 50 locations across the country. It was a popular place for interesting tea blends and an assortment of tea accessories. When I first started getting more seriously into tea (ie. away from just tea bags), Teaopia was where I would go to try new teas and learn more. My passion and obsession for tea grew thanks to the company. When it was public that Teaopia would be acquired by another tea brand, I was sad to say goodbye to a brand I loved and got me into loose leaf tea. However, that changed earlier this year when I was reached out to by CitizenTea, Teaopia founder’s new tea venture.

David Bellisario was running KeyMan, a family business, before starting his Teaopia journey in 2005.  It wasn’t until a trip to Florida that had David thinking of something new that would give him more room to grow business. “I bumped into Teavana and thought ‘wow that seems like a great concept’, even more so because I knew there weren’t any tea stores in Canada,” David shares. “The funny thing is I never drank tea until I walked into Teavana. That was the first time I tried it and loved it.” Once he immersed himself and discovered orthodox teas/estate teas he was hooked and founded Teaopia. 

It was definitely hard to let go of Teaopia when David sold it back in 2012. Teaopia was not only a business venture but also a big passion of his. What it ultimately came down to was if he wanted to spend the next 3 to 5 years growing the brand in the U.S. market or finally negotiate with Teavana as they have been trying to buy the Teaopia brand for years. With past experiences from the family business, David knew what to expect when competitors would start up shop near by.

“By 2011, there now was David’s Tea, Teavana–the US giant–all in the Canadian market with Teaopia. I knew what the store would look like in Canada as we all fought for space,” David began explaining. “The rents would get crazy and when the malls would get double leased sales would go down.” A year later, he decided to negotiate and sell. After selling the company, he realized he never lost his passion for quality tea and retail and that’s how his new tea venture, CitizenTea, came to life earlier this year.

I had a great opportunity to ask David a few questions about his new e-commerce tea company, the teas they are selling, the comparisons to Teaopia and more. Check out our Q&A below along with a special coupon code for The Cup of Life readers to use on their orders at CitizenTea.com.

Why were you inspired to start another tea company again?

I missed retail and tea. I always kept my eye on the market and noticed the customer was continually becoming more sophisticated but the two major chains were still selling mostly flavoured tea. In some cases you could hardly find the tea in the blend. At CitizenTea we sell tea with flavour not flavoured teas. The biggest challenge is letting the customer know we exist. Since we are only e-commerce it is a whole new game I have to learn.

With the main difference being strictly e-commerce, when comparing Teaopia and CitizenTea, what do you find are the main similarities?

Well that’s easy – we kept the best of Teaopia. All my previous tea contacts were still in place since over the growth of Teaopia they became more than just suppliers they became partners and friends. So the similarity is simple, the same great consistent quality of tea that Teaopia had is once again available, some of the names might be different but you can still find some past favourite. No bricks and mortar but that doesn’t mean never but not for now.

How does CitizenTea select and source their teas? 

We believe in direct trade so our buyers visit the tea gardens and have personal relationships with the farmers. We source tea exclusively from gardens where not only is nature pristine, but the people who work the gardens are treated with fairness and respect. Our flavoured teas are crafted with the principle of keeping the nuance of the tea while adding subtle flavouring, fruits, herbs and spices. I use only one blender, based in Germany, so we can have consistency.

If you had to pick just one, which tea from CitizenTea’s shop is your most favourite?

I would have to say our matcha for two reasons: first of all it is some of the best matcha you will find outside of Japan and second, like many tea experiences it is tied to a memory. I took a wonderful trip to Kyoto, Japan with my daughter. We enjoyed a tea ceremony with the owner of the tea garden where we get our matcha Sohen Nagatani, recognized as the birthplace of Japanese green tea in 1738.  We visited the garden where we get our high-quality, direct-trade matcha.  This garden is in the same valley where tea was first planted in 1271.

Want to try some of that matcha David is talking about or find other great teas to steep? At check out, use this special coupon code:

teacupoflife

and receive 20% off your order at CitizenTea.com. Maybe you’ll find one of your old Teaopia favourites again!

Were you a big Teaopia fan back in the day? If so, let me know in the comments below what your favourite tea from there was!

*Photo credit: CitizenTea