Combining Sustainability, Custom, And Innovation, Senbird Tea Goals To Revolutionize The Tea Trade

Single-use teabags produce vital waste and huge quantities of plastic tea baggage go into landfills. With the rising demand for prime quality tea and matcha, shoppers are transferring away from tea baggage but in addition struggling to search out high quality tea from a model they will belief.

Sho Tasaki and Celia Yu based Senbird Tea in 2018 after being confronted with such a dilemma. Senbird Tea provides avid tea drinkers the Japanese tea expertise with an eco-friendly method that can also be zero waste.

With a curated, natural assortment of unfastened leaf Japanese teas, Senbird Tea additionally focuses on packaging design that maintains the standard of the tea, whereas being stunning sufficient to present and share with others. The New York-based firm has since attracted a loyal buyer base throughout direct-to-consumer and e-commerce channels. This yr, Senbird Tea made its retail debut in native Japanese markets in New York Metropolis reminiscent of Yamadaya, Japan Village, and Midoriya, and cafes and eating places throughout the US.

As one of many few tea corporations which have joined 1% for the Planet, an organisation whose members contribute a minimum of one p.c of their annual income to environmental causes, Senbird Tea can also be difficult the established order on the environmental entrance by providing refillable tea tins to encourage an eco-friendly method to tea ingesting, whereas additionally supporting sustainable, natural tea farming in Japan.

I not too long ago sat down with Sho Tasaki and Celia Yu to be taught extra about Senbird Tea’s purpose to revolutionize the tea business with a dedication to sustainability, custom, and innovation.

Christopher Marquis: How was Senbird Tea based, and what impressed the creation of the model? Are you able to share the story behind the identify “Senbird” and its significance?

Sho Tasaki: My love for tea began in my childhood with my grandmother in Japan, who was a tea ceremony teacher. She taught me in regards to the tradition of Japanese tea and the significance of a wholesome thoughts and physique. After assembly my co-founder Celia and each being tea lovers, we regularly traveled to Japan and tasted unimaginable Japanese teas. As a result of we had been stunned by the restricted selection and high quality again residence in the US, we set out for a visit on to the supply of Japan’s greatest tea – the tea farmers themselves. Throughout these visits, we discovered in regards to the artwork and traditions of tea making in small batches. Impressed by the data and dedication of our farmers, we based Senbird Tea to share the goodness of Japanese tea.

Celia Yu: The identify Senbird pays respect to Sen No Rikyu, the tea grasp and pioneer of the Japanese tea ceremony. Nevertheless, “Sen” can also be referencing Sencha, the traditional Japanese inexperienced tea that we all know and love. We wished to honor Japanese tradition so the Senbird emblem is impressed by Japan’s flag, the purple solar (hinomaru; 日の丸) that rises and units every day. Within the middle is a fowl with wings formed like tea leaves representing the ability of tea in supporting a wholesome thoughts, physique and spirit.

Marquis: How does Senbird Tea collaborate with tea farmers and artisans to make sure the standard and authenticity of its merchandise?

Tasaki: At Senbird Tea, we’re dedicated to sourcing the best teas whereas selling sustainable and moral farming practices. We collaborate straight with family-owned and small-scale tea farmers, who use natural strategies to domesticate their crops. These farmers acknowledge that the soil is among the most vital features of manufacturing high-quality tea, they usually take nice care to keep up its well being and fertility. In reality, one of many farmers we work with even makes use of fermented yogurt and soybeans as pure diet for the teas.

Yu: By partnering with these devoted farmers and artisans, we’re ready to make sure the authenticity and high quality of our merchandise. Every tea is fastidiously chosen and crafted in small batches to protect its distinctive taste and aroma. We keep strict high quality management measures to make sure that the teas are contemporary and scrumptious.

Along with supporting sustainable farming practices, we’re dedicated to honest compensation for the farmers and artisans we work with. By eliminating the middlemen and dealing straight with these suppliers, Senbird Tea can provide clients the best teas whereas additionally selling social and environmental accountability.

Marquis: What position does Japanese tea tradition play in shaping Senbird Tea’s product choices and model philosophy?

Tasaki: Being Japanese American, my heritage has performed a big position in shaping Senbird Tea’s product choices and model philosophy. Celia and I had been impressed by the respect and reverence for tea that’s deeply ingrained in Japanese tradition. We sought to create a model that not solely provided premium teas, but in addition mirrored the values of mindfulness, simplicity, and concord which are central to Japanese tea tradition.

This affect is clear in our product choices, which embrace a variety of conventional Japanese teas reminiscent of sencha, gyokuro, and matcha. These teas are identified for his or her nuanced flavors, wealthy histories, and well being advantages. Senbird additionally provides a number of tea equipment, together with conventional teaware and utensils, that enable clients to expertise the complete ritual of getting ready and having fun with Japanese tea.

Yu: Past our merchandise, we’re dedicated to selling mindfulness and wellness by tea, encouraging clients to take a second to decelerate and savor the expertise of ingesting tea. Senbird Tea emphasizes sustainability and moral sourcing, reflecting the Japanese worth of respect for the atmosphere and social accountability. Because of this we’re revolutionizing the tea business with refillable tea tins – the primary within the business. These hermetic tea tins function a smooth, minimalist design that look stunning in your cabinets and are made for gifting.

Japanese tea tradition is a guiding affect in Senbird Tea’s dedication to high quality, authenticity, and social accountability. Our dedication to those values has earned us a loyal following amongst tea lovers who share our ardour for mindfulness and sustainability. We wish to encourage extra moments of appreciation with each cup of tea.

Marquis: Are you able to describe why Senbird makes use of refillable tea tins and what’s the technique of refilling Senbird tea tins?

Tasaki: Senbird’s use of refillable tea tins is rooted in our dedication to sustainability and zero-waste tea ingesting. We perceive the impression that single-use packaging can have on the atmosphere and we try to reduce it as a lot as potential.

By utilizing refillable tea tins, we scale back the quantity of waste generated from packaging supplies. In reality, our hermetic tea tins are designed to lock out moisture and light-weight, which retains the aroma and taste of tea contemporary for longer. Moreover, our refillable tea tins are manufactured from sturdy supplies that can be utilized over and over, making certain that they’re made to final.

Yu: The method of refilling Senbird tea tins is easy and handy. After you have completed your tea, you possibly can go to our web site and choose the refill choice to your chosen tea. We’ll then ship you a refill pack that can be utilized to refill your tea tin. The refill pack is produced from sustainable supplies and is designed to reduce waste. You possibly can then merely pour the tea into your tea tin and luxuriate in your contemporary tea!

Tasaki: It is value noting that our use of refillable tea tins is the primary within the Japanese tea business. We imagine that by setting this instance, we will encourage different corporations to undertake sustainable practices and scale back their environmental impression. At Senbird, we’re dedicated to main the best way in direction of a extra sustainable future and our use of refillable tea tins is only one instance of how we’re working in direction of that purpose.

Yu: We’re additionally a proud member of 1% for the Planet, a world community of companies that donate 1% of their annual gross sales to environmental organizations. By taking part on this program, we’re capable of help a variety of environmental initiatives that align with our dedication to sustainability.

Marquis: What has client response to the tea tins been?

Yu: The response to our refillable tea tins has been overwhelmingly optimistic! We have now acquired many compliments from clients in regards to the comfort of the refill course of, the standard of our teas and exquisite design of the tea tins, and the optimistic impression on the atmosphere. One buyer shared, “I all the time reuse my tins and want extra corporations do refills as a result of I can’t hold all of the containers in my place however I like repurchasing the tea that I really like.”

Tasaki: Clients respect that the tea tins are refillable and that they’re contributing to a sustainable future by utilizing them. We’re proud to be the primary within the Japanese tea business to make use of refillable tea tins and we’re thrilled to see that our clients are embracing this eco-friendly method to tea ingesting.