Brittnee Lau – founder, owner and tea blender at Treehouse Teas – competed on stage at the recent Tea Tycoons at World Tea Expo, held March 27-29 in Las Vegas. Lau and her company were winners in the Camellia Sinensis category.
Treehouse Teas is a boutique tea company, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. They specialize in 100-percent Hawaiian grown teas and botanicals, and they have some of the purest teas you’ll find from any purveyor in the Hawaiian Islands. They import none of their ingredients, and they only work with a collective of small farmers.
The Devan Shah Tea Tycoons competition, which Lau and Treehouse Teas competed in, is an entrepreneurial-focused competition and awards program for the tea industry that celebrates and honors emerging small businesses that are producing or sharing innovative and new products for the global tea industry.
To learn more, World Tea News spoke with Lau for this second article of a three-part series that highlights each of the three winners of the 2023 Devan Shah Tea Tycoons Competition. To read part one of the series with Sharyn Johnston of SINENSIS (winner in the Innovation category), click here.
(Photo by: Questex / World Tea Expo)
Question: Hi, Britnee! Thanks for your time and congratulations on winning the Devan Shah Tea Tycoons competition in the Camellia Sinensis category for Treehouse Teas! How did that feel?
Answer: It was nice. It was our first competition of any kind and we just felt so honored to be a finalist.
Question: What was it like competing live on stage – in front of a large crowd – at the Tea Tycoons competition?
Answer: Different. I’m not the most talkative person generally, so it was a little uncomfortable but everyone was so nice. I think when you are talking about something you love so much, it just comes out naturally.
Question: What can you tell us about Treehouse Teas and your mission?
Answer: We are dedicated to purveying 100 percent Hawaii grown teas and botanicals. We are so fortunate to have made relationships with Hawaii’s first growth farmers and new/upcoming farmers. I think because we are rooted in community engagement, awareness and education, we have been able to form long lasting relationships with growers because they appreciate our approach to tea.
Question: When did you officially launch Treehouse Teas?
Answer: The very first iteration of Treehouse Teas came about when I left my position as the tea room manager at the Kahala Hotel & Resort in 2016. At the time, I just redid the tea service and created their signature blends, so my old boss asked me to become a vendor; that was how I got my first sale! From there, old employees, former co-workers or people would ask me to help them source tea. It was very much a hobby with no clear vision. I was just happy to share what I knew with other people.
In 2020, right before the pandemic, I left my position as a wine director to create Treehouse Teas the business. I met my first farmer, Eva Lee, when I was completing my tea sommelier certification in 2014. Part of our curriculum was to do a green tea workshop. That was the first time I learned about Hawaii tea, and I was the biggest tea lover I knew, so it made me think, “If I didn’t know, most people probably don’t” – so I knew that was what I wanted to do.
Until recently, “Hawaiian teas” were just heavily flavored fannings with “island inspired” notes of tropical fruits, pineapples, coconuts, etc.
Question: What can you tell us about the Hawaiian teas that you sell, as well as the farmers you work with in Hawaii?
Answer: All of our teas are farmed by small family farms in natural environments. All of our teas are herbicide and pesticide free, with 95 percent of the farms using beyond organic farming practices. One-hundred percent of our farmers are dedicated to Tea farming in Hawaii, which is very interesting. People become involved for all sorts of reasons, and they have different philosophies about the plant. Some of our farmers only grow tea, others do it as a hobby, and quite a few growers plant tea for biodiversity.
Question: What challenges do farmers face in Hawaii?
Answer: I don’t want to speak for the farmers, but I think Hawaii is unique in that all the farmers have different goals when it comes to tea. I think one of the obvious issues is the manual, handmade aspect of it. Hawaii teas are very low-tech for the most part. Comparatively, to other tea growing regions, Hawaii uses very little machinery.
Hawaii also has very limited land and limitations. These land limitations drive up the cost of land. The cost to produce tea in Hawaii is much higher than other places in the world. The cost of producing tea starts at $75 per 100 pound for lower grades.
Question: What’s been the response to Treehouse Teas in Hawaii and outside of Hawaii? And how are sales?
Answer: I think we’re received well – I hope. I think because I am a tea lover and educator at heart, I have a very purist approach to tea. For better or worse, sales are the last thing I think about. Luckily, we sell out of what we do buy every season. I think there is always room for improvement and space to grow. It’s still not the primary source of my income. I have a brick-and-mortar boutique that sources teas from all over the world, plus apothecary products, and that allows Treehouse Teas to remain 100 percent Hawaii grown.
Only about 10 percent of my sales are from outside of Hawaii. Most times, when I meet people and tell them about Hawaii tea, the reaction is always, “Wow, didn’t know Hawaii even grew tea.” I think it makes a good conversation starter.
Question: What are your most popular teas?
Answer: The “wild white” from Hakalau, “bo peep black tea” from Volcano, and “a’a black tea” from Mountain View.
Question: Do you sell your teas to wholesale customers or just direct-to-consumer sales?
Answer: We actually sell mostly wholesale. Our mission is really awareness. Not just about our brand, but about Hawaii grown teas in general. It’s much easier for people to try a $6 cup of tea at a cafe vs. a $30 bag of loose leaf. Because of that, I prefer to sell to select cafes that also support local agriculture.
Question: How have you marketed Treehouse Teas? What’s worked best for you?
Answer: When I first started, I did a lot of in-person markets. Now, I try to leverage different community organizations and their built-in audiences. I’m also pretty active on social media.
Question: What challenges did you face when building the Treehouse Teas business?
Answer: Our teas cost $1 per 3/g and we sell 20g packages. It’s not something there is a huge market for, so you really have to create one.
Question: Other than winning the Tea Tycoons competition at World Tea Expo, what are some of your successes with Treehouse Teas thus far?
Answer: I think staying small and true to our mission and staying committed to 100 percent Hawaii grown has solidified our name as a place for quality Hawaii teas. Most of the other island-inspired teas aren’t grown in Hawaii or it’s a mix of Hawaii grown/commodity teas. People never have to second guess with our brand, and we’ve built a type of loyalty and trust that money can’t buy. At the end of the day, this is still a baby and we’re growing. I’m still having fun and that’s also a huge win.
Question: What was your overall experience like at the 2023 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas? And what do you say to others who are thinking about attending or participating?
Answer: It was nice. I think the next time I would do the events. I only walked the expo floor but think the real value would have been in the sessions. It’s such a great space to keep your pulse on trends and discover new brands. I ended up bringing in some brands I discovered at the expo into my store, and I don’t know if I would have discovered them otherwise.
I think I would warn people about just how much alcohol is present. Through my work in tea, I’ve met a lot of people who come to tea through recovery, and not everyone might be prepared for that atmosphere.
Question: How would you describe the state of the tea industry in North America right now?
Answer: Oh man, I think it’s slow moving, but at least it’s moving. I think it’s difficult for true tea at the moment, because there’s been such a renaissance of herbals. Herbals in North America seem to really reign supreme.
Question: What have you noticed about tea culture and community in Hawaii?
Answer: When I first started drinking tea it was non-existent, but I have been seeing growth over the last five years. It’s one of those things, where there is no community so you have to build it.
Question: What advice do you have for other tea entrepreneurs, or those who want to build a tea business?
Answer: After the tea, I would spend all your money in branding and photography. I think I was so naive to think the tea would speak for itself. I would show up and do tastings for buyers with a picnic basket, and basically just created a lot of extra work for myself. I did land some amazing accounts, but branding would have made it way easier.
People do not realize the value of professional photography. I know I didn’t, and I regret it. Especially for e-commerce brands like us, people are very literally making purchased off two things: 1) packaging and 2) photography.
Question: Thanks for your time! Last question: What’s next for Treehouse Teas?
Answer: We’re moving back into blends. Now that we have a brick-and-mortar, we are holding space for single estate teas from the actual farms. We are moving into blends and botanicals, so that we don't always take away shelf space from a farmer who would otherwise thrive.
To learn more about Treehouse Teas, visit TheTreehouseTeahouse.com.
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