Meet Jessie Dean of Asheville Tea Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Dean.

Hi Jessie, It’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us. To start, could you share some of your backstory with our readers?
Asheville Tea Company was founded in 2016 to create unique farm-to-teacup blends for a taste of the mountains. We focus on sourcing as many ingredients as possible directly from farmers, focusing on locally and regionally grown herbs, and working with farmers using regenerative agricultural methods. The idea for the company came from realizing that I would go out to a restaurant or shop in Asheville and see everything local. And craft everything. And thoughtfully, creatively prepared farm-to-table meals. But all I could find on shelves and menus for my favorite beverage, tea, was sourced from very far away (if you could even tell where it came from!). Packaged teas often had the aftertaste of fake flavorings. I had a lightning bolt moment. There is so much being grown right here in our collective backyard that is much fresher and incredibly flavorful, and these herbs would make excellent cups of tea. Sourcing many of our herbs directly from farmers in the Carolinas and beyond builds community & collaboration, positively impacting our economy and reducing our teas’ carbon footprint. And it tastes so much better! There is no need for fake flavorings; we like to let the herbs speak for themselves. For the tea leaves and herbs we cannot source locally, we seek to source directly from other sustainable growers to broaden that impact to different communities. The resulting tea blends are fresh, unique, and inspired by our southern heritage and craft beverage culture.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has been an enormous learning curve starting this business! I come from a very different work background, so learning about the production of our products has been a fun and challenging endeavor. We have also learned a lot about herbs that grow well in our region versus herbs that don’t, and have adapted our tea blends to focus on items that we know work best. This means we’ve had some blends that didn’t need to be fixed or other difficulties. It is a slower process to build the company with our particular business model, which focuses on local sourcing and building value chains here in the Southeast and beyond. We are still learning much about what can make this ecosystem work- for growers, us, and other stakeholders. But it is a process that I also find very rewarding.

We’ve been impressed with Asheville Tea Company, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
We create craft teas using farm-to-teacup botanicals for a taste of the mountains. Our mission is to participate in building value chains within our region of the Southeastern US and beyond by sourcing as many herbs and botanicals as we can from local and regional farmers. This creates a unique and delicious cup of tea! We sell packaged tea products directly to consumers (via our website) and in bulk and wholesale to cafes, retailers, and grocery stores throughout the Southeast. We hope to bring something new and exciting to our customers’ cups and that our teas will spark a sense of connection to the herbs in the blends and to the flavors and traditions we grew up with in the Southeast.

Before we let you go, we have to ask if you have any advice for those just starting.
I have learned so much! From a business perspective, I advise any entrepreneur starting a new business to connect with local resources, such as a Mastermind group, a small business center, and a business coach. Having the support of peers and advisors through all the ups and downs of a start-up is essential.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashevilleteacompany.com
• Instagram: @ashevilleteaco
• Facebook: @ashevilleteaco

Image Credits
Nicole McConville for the headshot, and Aubrie Shramko for the Blue Ridge Mountain Mint retail box image. The others are courtesy of Asheville Tea Company.