our story
More people were interested in iced tea rather than hot tea. At that time there was very little differentiation in the market. Fresh brewed tea was dark, brisk and hard to drink with-out sugar. We saw an opportunity to make a better iced tea.
It has always been our aim to create flavors that are distinctively Hawaii; tastes people grow up with in the islands. It took eight months to perfect our Passionfruit iced tea. After seven years, this tea is still one of our top sellers. We soon expanded our flavored offering to include other local favorites like Mango, Strawberry Guava and 'Ohelo Berry. This grew into our Island Essence Tea Collection.
Partially fueled by the attention the media was giving to the health benefits of tea, demand for hot tea also increased. We expanded our selection by importing loose-leaf teas from across the globe, featuring standards from India, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan and Japan. Over the years we have developed strong ties with tea-growing estates and bring to Hawaii some of the best leaves these countries have to offer. We are also honored to be the exclusive distributor of Shin Cha from Onoen Farm, which began tending the Japanese Emperor's private tea plants a century ago.
After a few years, we began getting calls from around the U.S. and Asia asking where our blends were available. This led to the birth of TeaChest.com. In addition to the online store, guests can sign up for the company’s newsletter announcing specials, newest products and tea-related news.
Their products have been featured in both local and national publications including Gourmet Magazine, Hawaii Magazine and Business Week.
President and Blend Master, Byron Goo regularly conducts training sessions for foodservice professionals and teaches culinary classes on specialty tea at Community Colleges around the state. He is also a founding member of the Hawaii Tea Society.
