Mark T. Wendell Tea Company, based in Acton, Mass., has been in business for nearly 120 years. The company has a strong history in the United States as a tea business, which first began in 1904 by importing various goods and rare teas.
Today, the company offers a full range of estate-grown specialty teas, signature loose-leaf tea blends, tea bags, herbal and fruit tisanes, imported packaged tea brands, and uniquely crafted teapots and tea brewing accessories, as well as wholesale opportunities.
World Tea News spoke with Hartley E. Johnson – owner and custom tea blender at Mark T. Wendell Tea Company – about the current state of the U.S. tea market, tea industry trends and top issues, how he’s watched the specialty tea market grow over the last few decades, and his advice for attracting the next generation of tea drinkers.
Question: Hi, Hartley – Thanks for your time! First off, what can you tell us about the early history of Mark T. Wendell Tea Company, which has been around since 1904?
Answer: Thanks, Aaron, for the opportunity. Our company’s beginnings sound like something that you would read about in a history book! The original owner, Mark T. Wendell, was a Harvard graduate who took over his uncle’s firm that imported luxury products from abroad. With his college years completed, Mr. Wendell set up his office along the Boston waterfront. With several sailing ships at his disposal, he imported port, sherry, snuff, olive oil, coffee and rare teas to sell to the upscale clientele of Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
Over the decades that followed, his affection for tea prompted him to drop the other items he imported and solely focus on obtaining rare tea leaves from Taiwan.
Question: What’s the secret to the success of the Mark T. Wendell Tea Company, especially since it’s been around since the early 1900s?
Answer: For generations, we have maintained continuity in our most popular products, but the world around us has changed so much. We want to ensure we are meeting the needs of our long-time customers, while also growing with the times and appealing to new audiences. We have significantly expanded our product lines over the decades but are fiercely committed to maintaining the same quality standards we have offered for decades. We always put the customer first and show this in every order we ship out.
Question: When and how did you get involved with Mark T. Wendell Tea Company? Did you have a background in tea at that time?
Answer: In 1967, Mr. Wendell passed and there was a sole employee who inherited it. My father and uncle, who were food brokers, bought the company at that time. They ran the company throughout my childhood, and in my teen years, I spent a lot of time assisting in the warehouse. During high school and college, I was always interested in being involved in organizations at a leadership level. At Denison University [in Granville, Ohio], I majored in psychology with a focus on industrial/organizational psychology. When I graduated in 1995, I entered a management-training program working for a global organization.
I quickly realized that working for a large company wasn’t my cup of tea, and what I wanted all along was to work in a smaller organization where I had control over quality, service and operations. With the changes all businesses were experiencing in the 90s with the growth of the Internet, the family business was growing fast, and I saw an opportunity. I ended up joining the business in 1999 and loved it! I had grown up with tea in my blood, so it was an easy transition.
Question: Early in your career, how did you first educate yourself about tea?
Answer: In my case, I had a built-in educational support system from my the decades of experience from my various family members. I also spoke a lot to our tea suppliers about the tea industry and from them, I learned an incredible amount about the vast world of tea manufacturing and importing.
We also have a collection of almost every book you can imagine discussing every facet of the tea leaf! I took it upon myself to review as much information as I could, so that I could assist my customers and answer any and all questions.
Question: You’ve watched the tea industry – especially specialty tea – change and grow over the last few decades. What have you witnessed and what does the future hold for the tea industry?
Answer: Yes indeed, the specialty tea industry has grown significantly over the years! It has been amazing to see the world of tea incorporated into mainstream U.S. beverage offerings. Tea varieties that were once uncommon, such as white and pu-erh teas, are now easy for consumers to obtain. We have seen the health benefits associated with the tea plant messaged in the mainstream media as well, allowing the consumer to become more educated about the benefits of consuming this great tasting beverage.
Question: How would you describe the U.S. tea market right now?
Answer: The U.S. tea market remains strong with continued growth in the home market sector post COVID-19. Consumers continue to see great value in a premium product, and specialty teas remain of high interest because of this. Consumers are becoming more engaged with their tea vendors and want to learn the product backstory – for instance – where does it come from, is it ethically sourced, etc.?
Question: What excites you about the U.S. tea market right now?
Answer: Seeing how wildly embraced and readily available premium teas have become. The tea market is also expanding with high interest in herbal product offerings.
Question: You feature some tea education or “Tea 101” on your website for your customers. What kinds of tea questions are you getting from customers? Are you seeing a growing interest from a new generation of tea drinkers?
Answer: The majority of questions from customers have to do with the health benefits of tea, the best way to store their tea leaves, and the preferred brewing times. Education is key to making the perfect cup of tea and we try to educate our customers as much as possible.
We are consistently seeing interest in our teas from a new generation of tea drinkers. Since our business has had such longevity, we have multi-generational customers. It is amazing how many customers will say that their parents and grandparents had our teas and that they knew just where to go for the finest teas because of that connection. We have also seen the emergence of new consumers interested in embracing holistic best practices with a primary focus on health and well-being.
Question: How can the tea industry attract the next generation of tea drinkers, in your opinion?
Answer: The U.S. tea market is in a unique position to attract a new generation of customers. Nowadays, many consumers focus on the quality of their diet and the tea in their hand can be sourced back to the origin tea estate. There are also a lot of people who believe that food is medicine, and with the rise of knowledge and information about tea, the marketplace is rapidly expanding.
There are also opportunities to expand education across all levels and continue progressing the perception of tea by adding more flavor profiles and sourcing more unique variations from abroad.
Question: What can you tell us about the teas and tea-related products you offer, as well as your signature tea?
Answer: We offer a full range of estate-grown specialty teas, signature loose-leaf tea blends, tea bags, herbal and fruit tisanes, imported packaged tea brands, as well as a wide selection of uniquely crafted teapots and tea brewing accessories.
Our philosophy is to select and purchase only the highest quality whole-leaf teas from tea gardens and tea importers located around the world, and to offer them to tea enthusiasts with a distinct focus on each customer’s satisfaction. The remarkable world of healthy and invigorating specialty teas has never been so accessible, and we carry a wide-range of organic options.
One of Mr. Wendell’s first teas, Hu-Kwa, is a uniquely crafted black tea from the island of Formosa and is considered by many tea connoisseurs to be the benchmark against which all other Lapsang Souchong style teas are measured. Offered by the Mark T. Wendell Tea Company for over a century, our Hu-Kwa signature tea gains its distinctive flavor and smoky tang from the burning pine wood over which it is fired during the final drying process of the tea leaf. Distinctive with its smoky flavor and aroma, the dry leaves have an almost amber-brown coloration.
When brewed, Hu-Kwa signature black tea produces a deep red liquor and a surprisingly mellow cup. Since this signature tea is cultivated in varying terroir from the smoky Lapsang Souchong black teas commonly produced in mainland China, it has a taste and character all its own.
Question: What can you share about how you source your teas?
Answer: We source directly from tea estates worldwide, as well as through our network of larger tea importing firms here in the United States. We are lucky to have great relationships with our sources both here and abroad, many of whom have remained unchanged for generations. This special connection has allowed us to have established superior quality control and levels of customer service.
Question: You also offer some imported/packaged teas from other brands. Can you tell us about that line-up?
Answer: Over the years, we have been approached by international tea manufacturers to act as their U.S. representatives or as a U.S.-based distributor. These brands are all very unique, with a loyal following here in the United States. Our sourcing and distribution of these tea products allow a greater reach for those “expats” locally looking for their favorite teas, as well as new audiences in the U.S. who otherwise wouldn’t have access to these fine products.
The lines we represent include: Hampstead Organic Teas [UK], Foojoy Gold [China], Typhoo [UK], Williamson Fine Teas [UK)], London Fruit & Herb Teas [UK)] and Compagnie Coloniale [France].
Question: What are some of your best-selling teas right now?
Answer: Some of our best-selling teas continue to be our longtime customer favorites! What was favored generations ago still remains just as popular now. Our top seller is our Hu-Kwa Tea, followed by classic teas such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Cheericup Ceylon. But we have also seen tremendous growth in other areas, especially our organic and herbal offerings. Since we offer a wide range of teas with varying flavor profiles, there is favored tea for everyone!
Question: In terms of marketing efforts, what’s been the most successful for your business?
Answer: Due to the generational nature of our business, our greatest marketing effort has been good old-fashioned word of mouth! Beyond that, really engaging with our customers through our social media platforms and our email marketing has provided great returns. What you learn from your customer is just as important as what they learn from you.
Question: Does the Mark T. Wendell Tea Company offer wholesale opportunities?
Answer: Yes indeed, we have both a mail order and wholesale division of our company. We sell all our loose-leaf teas, imported packaged brands and tea brewing accessories at special wholesale pricing for eligible customers. We cater to tea rooms, restaurants, coffee shops and specialty food vendors all over the country. Our wholesale specific ordering website can be found at BulkTea.com.
Question: What tea industry trends are you paying attention to right now?
Answer: The onset of COVID has forced many businesses, including tea, to have a greater emphasis on online purchasing with consumption taking place at home as opposed to in a retail establishment. Other trends we are paying attention to include the spike in herbal tea sales and how the younger generations view the overall marketplace.
Question: What do you think is the most important tea industry issue at the moment and why?
Answer: Trying to grow with the times and expanding our customer base while aiming to revert back to “pre-COVID” operations as much as possible. Over the past few years, supply chain issues, raw product price increases, bottlenecks in shipping, and erratic fuel costs have created difficulty in getting products and has caused the cost of tea in to increase. I know most manufacturers are struggling with this across the globe, but hopefully we will see stabilization in the coming year.
Question: Thanks for your time! Last question: What do you want the tea community to remember about Mark T. Wendell Tea Company?
Answer: That we have been in business for 119 years because of our commitment to our customers and the tea community! We have defined our mission and have stayed true to it while the world around us has changed. We always put the customer first and show this in every order we ship out. A cup of tea has a different meaning to everyone, but it truly is one of the few items that transcend cultures and time. Thank you for spending time with me today!
To learn more about Mark T. Wendell Tea Company, visit MarkTWendell.com.
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