Bringing Tea to the USA
Since 2020
Our Story
We discovered how effective green tea can be as friendly medicinal aide (and a smooth & tasty drink) after a bout of sickness while travelling in Thailand back in 2019.
Attempting to visit a little village at the tippy-top of a mountain in Northern Thailand, we hired a transport driver to take us there. His passenger van could have used a new set of springs and shocks we thought, but it was, after all, an improvement from a tuk tuk.
Along the journey, we encountered switch-backs hither and yon which didn’t help my sensitive stomach. Upon the ascent, we traversed the mountainside innumerable times, back and forth and at times, wondering if we would fall off of the edge. But, not to worry, he was an excellent driver; all you had to do was ask him!
For hours, we sped along the “roads” better meant for a motorbike or something on four legs. Upon stopping for a break along the journey, we encountered a small roadside stand at an elephant park that offered various drinks. My wife went over to them in search for something to settle my stomach. She came back with a hot cup of the dreaded green tea. My first thought was, yuk. I’m a coffee drinker and I don’t like tea, especially green tea. To me, green tea is like drinking a cup of steeped front lawn. Looking for any remedy to sooth my stomach, I imbibed on this cup of green tea. The result was nothing short of spectacular in my opinion, as this was the single best cup of tea I ever had in my life, maybe the best cup of anything I ever had. I simply couldn’t believe how good tasting this cup of green tea was.
It was foamy and rich and so soothing to my stomach that I was ready to get back in the saddle 20 minutes later. This green tea stuff was a veritable miracle drink I thought; it was both medicinal and great tasting. I had to know what this wonder drink was made of, so I went over to the stand and asked the nice lady what made it so special. She looked at me, somewhat confused and said that its just green tea that was whisked a little bit. At least I think that’s what she said..I need to bone up on my Thai a bit.
As our Thailand trip rolled on, I continued to think about that cup of tea and how I could market it to people in my own country. People just have to be introduced to this green tea stuff. I might have been a little obsessed because whether we were zip-lining through the mountains, bumping elbows in a packed night-market, laying on a pristine beach, or scurrying through traffic in a tuk-tuk, I was thinking about this tea business we should start and how wonderful that first cup of hot green tea was.
I thought about what to call the business. What should it be? The answer came to me as we were travelling in another passenger van, this time in the South of Thailand. We were in a hotter, more tropical area this time, going to the beach. As we were cruising down the strait road and whizzing past farmland I was transfixed at the perfectly strait rows of planted trees of some kind. There were miles of them (er kilometers). It was almost hypnotic to speed past row after row of these trees; they seem to be running along with us. And they all had little buckets hanging off of them midway up the trunk. They reminded me of maple syrup trees in a way. So I leaned over to the driver, forgetting that he didn’t know much English and asked him, what kind of trees are those? He turned and quickly blurted out that they were rubber trees…only it came out as “lubba tees”. It was at that point I realized we had the name for the global tea conglomerate that was about to commence. I couldn’t believe it, but there it was..”Lubba Tea company”. Thank you Mr. van driver.
Mission Statement
We are an independently owned purveyor of the highest quality, green tea products available on God’s green earth. Our products are 100% organically grown and are sourced from countries around the world who respect our great nation, the United States of America, and share our belief system of valuing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a cup. We believe our little business goes beyond selling and consuming delicious drinks, but to be good stewards of the world around us. Where we can, we will use our abilities to benefit those in need in pockets of despair. If we conduct ourself in a manner befitting to the Lord, he will bless our little company and in turn, it will bless others (see “Giving Back”).”