The seedling for what would later become the concept of a tea company began with Brooklyn Tea Co-Owner, Alfonso Wright. Raised by a Jamaican mother, their household was fully immersed in tea. From age 3, he would bring his mother tea to her bedside daily. This turned into an ongoing love affair with tea that sent Alfonso on a path to understand more of how other cultures understood and enjoyed it. In 2014, Alfonso and Jamila met and tea played a large role in their courtship and getting to know each other. With their budding new love and a passion for loose leaf, they set out to start a tea company that they would later name Brooklyn Tea in honor of where Jamila began her professional career as a teacher, where Alfonso was born, and where they started a life together. In 2017, Alfonso and Jamila launched Brooklyn Tea as an online business. The two spent the first year participating in street festivals, pop-ups, and private events to get the company’s name out there. In December of 2018, they opened their first brick and mortar, becoming one of only two black-owned tearooms in NYC. Since then, the company has gone on to be featured in The Brooklyner, New York Magazine, Self-Magazine, Goop Magazine, USA Today, News 12, Channel 2 News, a Shonda Rhimes’ Tweet, Beyoncé’s Black Parade List of curated black businesses, and others. Her company empowers people to explore healthy alternatives, build strong community through safe space, and promote generational wealth.