We Are:

  • Innovators

  • Creators

  • Thought Leaders

  • Humanitarians

  • Forward Thinkers

Philosophy

Elevate Palate

Akin to great winemakers, we seek not to maintain consistency but rather to meticulously express the finest aspects of each blend's terroir through innovative techniques and design-centric processes.

Redefine Luxury

Since inception, our enduring love for plants and botanicals has always linked us to Nature. Committed to conserving our planet, we lead with thought, intention, and the respect it deserves.

Honor Rituals

We believe in showcasing each cultures' rooted relationship with their rituals of tea. Our mission at TEALEAVES is to infuse purpose and intention into the human experience.

Journey

First Vancouver tea shop

1994

We open a small loose leaf tea shop in Vancouver, Canada. The shop is one of the few shops to carry the highest quality tea leaves, blending them in new and innovative ways.

loose leaf tea

1995

Ruy Paes-Braga from the Four Seasons recognizes our high-quality blending bringing us into five-star hotels; our first partners include the Four Seasons, Bishop’s, and Terra Breads.

Five-star hotel logos

1997

We begin increasing our presence within five-star hotels and creating bespoke teas for the world’s best culinary experts, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy, and Joel Robuchon.

Second tearoom in Vancouver

1999

We open a second Tearoom in Vancouver which features a 3 tatami-mat Chado room with our Japanese Tea Ceremony Master Keith Snyder.

2003

We begin blending for international partners, such as our first hotels in Asia, Grand Hyatt Tokyo and Four Seasons Hong Kong, along with our first hotels in the Middle East, Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt, Dubai.

2004

We introduce teabag products with our Signature Luxury teabag line.

How To: The Art of Making Loose Tea

2013

We begin sharing our belief in the power of rituals to enlighten and enchant through film.

Our documentary films exploring palate: Color In Sight, Language of Aroma, In Good Taste

2016-2020

We dive deep into palate and emerge with three documentary films that share new insights on each element of palate: Color + Aroma + Taste.

2017

We begin exploring advocacy for Nature because of our enduring love of plants.

Our documentary film inspired by nature: The Garden of Secrets

2018

We create a documentary exploration revealing the power of Nature to inspire enduring design: Garden of Secrets.

Home compostable teabag decomposing

2019

We implement Plant-Based Packaging, elevating the standard of the industry to fully compostable.

Lana, our CEO, speaking at WBF 2020

2020

We heighten our advocacy efforts, supporting the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, speaking at the Convention on Biological Diversity, and working with other organizations to further the Business Plan for the Planet.

Nature X Design: A TEALEAVES Virtual Ecosystem

2020

We launch Nature X Design, a virtual space for articles and digital festivals, where thought-leaders can learn and share ideas about biodiversity.

Women of Samagaun, Nepal

2021

We work closely with a remote community of women through the UNDP to develop a sustainable supply chain for their gobchi berries through tea.

Color of Biodiversity

2022

We take advocacy global with a color campaign that educates on the otherside of the coin to climate change: biodiversity loss.

2022

We speak at UN Biodiversity COP15 in a discussion about the interconnection between economic activities and biodiversity.

2023 and Beyond

We continue to work directly with growers, such as women-owned micro farms in the Himalayas of India, creating new markets for their Chamomile that will benefit their communities year over year.

Our advocacy expands to reach more artists, designers, and thought-leaders who influence businesses for the betterment of the planet.

Our in-house practices improve to create higher than ever standards of care for plants, people and planet.

Beyond Sustainability

Biodiversity with Plants for People & Planet

We are continuously striving to make a true and positive impact. Committed to conserving our planet, we make choices every day to do things differently. We envision a world where we can embark on a moment of connection over a cup of tea. It is about creating a future where this is still possible.

plant-based packaging

Plant-Based Packaging

Our goal is to have a zero-waste supply chain, which is why we are in the process of transitioning all plastic packaging to fully compostable or recyclable materials.

Learn About Our Packaging

We Are In Support of UN SDG's

Our pledge: blending for a better world, in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15.

Learn More
no poverty sustainable development goal - loose leaf tea
gender equality sustainable development goal - tea leaves
responsible consumption and production sustainable development goal - loose leaf tea
climate action sustainable development goal - premium tea
life below water sustainable development goal - tea leaves
life on land sustainable development goal - tea leaf
sourcing and blending

Strategic Sourcing & Blending

Our raw ingredients are carefully sourced from high-quality growers and gardens that employ sustainable growing practices. We choose ingredients that are good for you and the planet.
abstract reporting graphic

GRI & GHG Reporting

To understand our impact on the planet, we conducted the GRI Report in partnership with Masters students at Columbia University to remain informed about the environment and society at large.

See Report

A Biodiverse Approach

Is a step beyond the reduction of harm, towards regeneration, and the creation of processes that have a positive effects on biodiversity. A shift in design and culture, towards a regenerative mindset addressing biodiversity loss with innovative, inclusive, longterm, creative and multi-faceted design solutions.
biodiverse approach
Nature X Design

Nature X Design

Explore our virtual ecosystem Nature X Design: Our social impact initiative with the mission of exploring environmental, biodiversity, and social issues in support of UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Discover More
Biodiversity+ Design Hub

Biodiversity+ Design Hub

Dive into an open-source educational platform to learn about biodiversity from scientists, academics, activists, and more.

Enter the Experience
Frequently Asked Questions
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth at three levels. Biodiversity loss refers to the reduction of this variety due to accelerated extinction levels caused by human activity.

“The loss of biodiversity is an issue of profound concern for its own sake. Biodiversity also underpins the functioning of ecosystems which provide a wide range of services to human societies. Its continued loss, therefore, has major implications for current and future human well-being” — United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
“An inclusive agroecosystems approach for conserving land and soil, biodiversity, and improving ecosystem services within farming systems. It focuses on the regeneration of living soil, improved micro hydrology, and conserving biodiversity at all levels while enhancing inputs use efficiency and ecosystem system services” – FAO
The term “Sustainability” as commonly used and understood by brands, designers and consumers, refers to the reduction of harm to the environment. However, as the term is only loosely defined without set regulations. Therefore design that claims to be sustainable may not take into consideration: biodiversity. As biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, including plant and animal species, for something to be truly sustainable it must protect biodiversity as well.
Is staying with the complexity and the interconnectedness of making. It is a meeting point — a place for designers, creators, brands, and artists to situate themselves, to become aware of their role and position in our ecosystem. A place to reimagine and create biodiverse futures — a place where issues like biodiversity loss and climate change are addressed critically, contextually, pluralistically, In-Symbiosis, In-Collaboration, In-Process.
On our open source Biodiversity Design Hub, or directly from the champions of biodiversity: United Nations Biodiversity.