Teavana
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| NYSE: TEA | |
| Industry | Restaurants Retail Tea |
| Founded | In 1997 at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, USA |
| Products | Loose-Leaf Tea Made-to-order tea beverages Tea-Related Products |
| Website | Teavana.com |
Teavana is a specialty tea and tea accessory retailer based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company-owned stores currently operate in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.[1]
History
Teavana started in Atlanta, Georgia in 1997, with the opening of the first teahouse at Lenox Square Mall. The husband and wife team that created Teavana invested their life savings into the teahouse concept after traveling abroad, noticing the gravitation of Americans towards fine wines and coffees in the United States.[2]
Products
Tea types
Teavana currently offers teas and herbal infusions, with categories such as: white, green, flavored & scented green, "blooming" white, black, flavored & scented black, oolong, and pu-erh teas along with rooibos, "herbal", and Maté Yerba infusions. Teavana retail stores generally offer various blends of each type of tea, and consistently promote cross blending different types of tea.[citation needed]
Tea products
Teavana also specializes in the merchandising of tea products, including cast iron tetsubin teapots, decorative teapots, Asian-inspired teapots and cups, tea ware, tea kettles, various Japanese hot water dispensers and electric tea makers, tea measures, tea infusion and steeping ware, honey, world music, and tea and Asian books. Teavana also markets rock sugar.
Stores
Teavana retail stores are usually located in upscale shopping malls and designed to be "part tea bar, part tea emporium."[3] Although individual servings of brewed tea are not for sale, the retail locations do offer free samples of various tea blends and tea varieties at their front door and within the store. Asian and other cultural music is often played in the background.
Teavana CAREs
Teavana has a longstanding relationship with CARE International.[4] Through CARE, The company donates 1% of profits from teas sold, to the tea growing regions of the world. In July 2010, they extended this relationship in order to raise awareness to the plight of women in impoverished areas.[5] A microsite was also launched at TeavanaCares.com to increase personal donations to CARE International.[6] In addition, Teavana reacts to world events through CARE International as needed.[7]
Sales practices
A Pennsylvania Teavana location was criticized by an online article in The Consumerist, for aggressive and dishonest upselling practices which involved scooping out much more tea than was requested, including tea in an expensive tin without the customer asking for the tin and without announcing the price of the tin. Writes author of blog: Customer states "I am not sure how widespread [Teavana] is, but it was my first experience with them (and my last). I do feel that my story should be taken with a grain of salt, as I have no idea whether this is a common business practice throughout the chain." [8]
Teavana App
Teavana released their first iPhone/iPod touch Application through the iTunes Store in late December 2009 for free called "Teavana Perfect Tea Touch". The App includes a browse section entitled "Tea Touch", a musical timer for steeping tea, a tea blending suggestor that advises mixing certain teas together, a store locator, and a favorites section.
References
- ^ Map of retail locations.
- ^ last accessed January 23, 2008. Atlanta.bizjournals.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ last accessed January 23, 2008. Teavana.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ Shop for tea at Teavana.com. Teavana. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ Tea-growing Communities empowered by. Teavana (2010-07-29). Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ Helping Global Tea Growing Communities Thrive. Teavana CAREs. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ Partners with CARE on the Haiti Emergency Response Fund. Teavana. Retrieved on 2011-10-13.
- ^ Laura Northrup, "Teavana Salesperson Throws Involuntary Tea Party", The Consumerist, Jul. 7 2009.