About us
10 Years in the Making… 🍃
Before there was a business, there was simply a love for tea.
Around 2014, we fell in love with tea—not just for the taste, but for what it brought into our lives. We enjoyed tea together as a family, gathered around the table, slowing down long enough to talk, connect, and simply enjoy one another.
We had been drinking Teavana for years, and eventually, we started asking ourselves…
What if we could share this love of tea with others?
So we began researching.
We searched across the country for quality tea leaves. We ordered tea after tea, tasting, experimenting, learning what worked and what didn’t. We explored the benefits, the flavors, the pairings, and all the beautiful things you could create from a single leaf.
Then, in 2016, we took a leap of faith.
With our tax return, a domain, and a website, we officially started Brown Leaf Tea. We began selling online and sharing our teas with family, friends, and anyone else who loved tea as much as we did.
Then came 2020.
COVID changed the world, but it also opened a new door for us. People wanted to get outside. They wanted to connect. They wanted to experience something that felt good.
So we took our tea to the markets.
And in 2021, we took another leap.
We bought a 1975 double-wide horse trailer that we lovingly named Ole Boi, in memory of my father.
From 2021 through 2024, we poured our hearts into that trailer. We renovated it, rebuilt it, and brought it back to life—one penny at a time, one market at a time, one online order at a time.
And finally, in October 2024, after years of hard work, we received our Health Department approval.
Ole Boi was ready.
We continued taking our tea throughout Virginia Beach, Hampton, Yorktown, Newport News, Norfolk, and wherever the road led us.
Every market.
Every festival.
Every cup.
Every conversation.
We carried the same message with us:
Steep. Drink. Connect. Love More.
Because that’s what Brown Leaf has always been about.
Not just tea.,,Connection.
Then came 2026.
We took a class through Retail Alliance that helped us see what the next step could be. We began to dream a little bigger.
And then, Lord and behold, another blessing came through.
Through Hilton Village Main Street, opened the door for us to have an opportunity we had been working toward for years:
A place of our own.
A home for Brown Leaf Tea.
A place where people can gather around the table again.
A place to discover new teas, share conversations, slow down, and connect.
So here we are.
Ten years in the making.
A journey built on love.
A journey built on patience.
A journey built on faith.
A journey built on community.
From a family gathered around a table…
To an online tea shop…
To farmers markets…
To Ole Boi…
And now…Brown Leaf Tea Bar. 🍃
We are so grateful for every person who has supported us, purchased a pouch of tea, shared a cup with us, visited us at a market, placed an online order, encouraged us, believed in us, and became part of our story.
You didn’t just watch us grow. You grew with us.
And now, we can’t wait to welcome you into the next chapter.
Brown Leaf Tea Bar.
Remember to STEEP, DRINK, CONNECT, LOVE more----
Yours Truly,
Theodore (Teejay) & Angie