Drinking tea can have many benefits, but if you’ve been seeping those regular schmegular tea bags, you’ve been doing it all wrong. Believe it or not, there is a way to drink tea properly, like an adult, and Ivy’s Tea Co. is here to show us how!
Ivy’s Tea Co. is a black female-owned holistic health brand that is heavily inspired by Hip-Hop culture. The company offers herbal teas and herb-infused sweeteners and wants to encourage people to ditch the outdated, bleached, and pesticide-containing plastic tea bags for something that’s real, organic, and good for you.
Not only does the company seek to bridge the gap between black communities and holistic herbal health, but it also works to invest in black communities through its philanthropic endeavors and founder, Shanae Jones, is very clear on the vision for the company moving forward.
More on Shanae
Shanae Jones is the firstborn American to a British mom and Jamaican grandparents. Her journey to becoming the owner and operator of Ivy’s Tea Co. began when she started buying loose teas from other brands and making creative blends. She then decided to take it seriously and took on an herbal apprenticeship, during which she studied the healing properties of herbs. She realized her passion for it and started creating her own herbal tea blends.
The tea blends at Ivy’s Tea Co. are as creative as they are organic and you’d be
surprised by what it takes to bring these products to life. Although Shanae considers her strength to be in matching flavors, she says that it can be challenging to create new tea blends that not only taste good but are beneficial. It typically takes five weeks to make a blend and the corresponding names usually just come to Shenae.
When she’s having a hard time coming up with names for her tea blends, Shanae has no problem reaching out to her followers, which she recently did when attempting to come up with a name for the orange spice tea, Hypnotize, that will be released for the holidays.
Ivy’s Tea Co. is heavily influenced by the culture, from the names of its products to the writing on the website. The brand is unapologetically authentic and it’s intriguing and refreshing for the consumer. Although the “for the culture” theme came along by accident, Shanae says that Hip Hop and black culture is the driving force behind everything in America and in the world.
She didn’t always identify with being American and it was hip hop that taught her how to be a black American at a young age. She learned the music, the slang, and dance, and realized that Hip Hop has the power to connect with herbalism. Being authentic through her brand was never an option for her and this authenticity has helped her build her clientele.
Many challenges arise when starting a business, those challenges can be even greater as a young black female entrepreneur. Shanae, of course, knew there would be challenges, like time management, gaining access to capital, and even changing the way people see tea. At a point, Shenae had to refocus. This meant pulling herself out of her bubble and finding a balance between building her brand and building her tribe.
She put systems of time management in place and made it a point to network, which has opened up many doors, including the one that led to Buy From a Black Woman (BFABW) the non-profit organization that helped to fund the launch of Ivy’s Tea Co.
Ivy’s Tea Co. is a
socially responsible company that invests in the community and one of the most amazing aspects is philanthropy. On March 3, 2017, the company launched a program called Philanthropy Fridays. On the last Friday of each month, Ivy’s Tea Co. gives a portion of the day’s sales to charity!
There’s a healthy list of charities that Ivy’s Tea Co. has contributed to, which can be found on the company’s website. Shanae believes that businesses have an obligation to be philanthropic and says, “If you’re going to profit from a community, you have a responsibility to help.”
Shanae hopes to develop a non-profit aspect of the company that can teach herbalism so our communities can reconnect with plants. Her vision includes creating jobs and physical locations and safe spaces for black people.
But wait! There’s more!
The company’s blog also addresses a number of topics from health remedies to self-care and sex. Shanae believes it’s important to address these things through her platform to show how simple it is to add herbs into daily life without having to make drastic changes. The blog is an easy and accessible way to learn more about herbalism and the ways that herbs can and have impacted lives.
Shanae was very intentional about including the blog to the website and even allowing clients and followers to contribute. “The herbal industry has become pretty elitist with most herbal work being done by old white people in remote areas who have money to learn herbalism. Most people I market to don’t have time and money to learn herbalism” and that’s where Ivy’s Tea Co.’s very informative blog comes into play.
Shanae also has a word of advice for those of us who
are intrigued by the idea of holistic health and herbalism but may be intimidated because it’s unfamiliar or unaffordable. “Go for it! Especially if you’re a black man or woman!” She recommends following Ivy’s Tea Co. because they always tweet valuable information. “Check your sources before believing the first thing you read.
Ebooks and the library have some great information about herbalism and a Google search can lead you to an herbal apprenticeship.”
Ivy’s Tea Co. places an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients and materials. All the tea recipes are original and hand-blended. Shanae takes it seriously and wants you to know that the herbal remedies she provides come from someone who is well-versed.
You can find more information on Ivy’s Tea Co. and Shanae by visiting the website and following the brand on Instagram and Twitter.
For more information on uplifting Black leaders, click here.
Jasmine Danielle is the Associate Editor of BlackDoctor.org. She received her BFA in Dance Education & Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has since done work as a certified fitness & wellness educator, blogger, dancer, and designer.
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
