About The Tea Chest

Owners Satomi and Byron Goo

Photo by Brett Uprichard

The Tea Chest has pioneered sales of gourmet tea in Hawaii since opening in 1995. At the time, there wasn’t a company in Hawaii serving the needs of the hospitality industry for tea on a full time basis. The Tea Chest revolutionized product availability, equipment support, education and service.

In 2004 the firm’s Original Blend Nilgiri Iced Tea was selected Best Iced Tea in America in the first national tea tasting competition sponsored by the US Tea Association.  The company has been recognized for using organic certified, natural and local ingredients in addition to its support of sustainable agricultural practices including Fair Trade certification. The company and its products have also been featured in national publications including Gourmet Magazine, Hawaii Magazine and Business Week.

It has always been the company’s aim to create flavors that distinctly represent Hawaii; everyday pleasures people grow up with in the Islands.  The company selects ingredients that support this mission and even works with local farmers to cultivate and process local ingredients.

Byron Goo, Blend Master for the company, regularly conducts training sessions for industry professionals and teaches classes on specialty tea at Community Colleges around the state.  He is also a founding member of the Hawaii Tea Society.