Tea Bar

Tea Bar® is the Hermès of tea. Founded in Portland in 2014 by Erica Indira Swanson and over one million cups later, we have built the design-forward, premium tea cafe the category was missing, and we are now expanding through franchising. This is not another boba shop. There are no artificial syrups, no powdered mixes, no neon dyes, no pre-made anything. Every drink is made to order from whole, fresh, farm-direct ingredients sourced through our own relationships with growers around the world. We rejected the bagged teas (and their microplastics) that dominate the market and built a loose-leaf, made-to-order system instead. The result is a menu of beautifully crafted teas, lattes, matcha, and seasonal drinks that hold up next to any specialty coffee program, with a customer base that treats Tea Bar as a daily ritual. Design is core to the brand, not a finish. Our Design Director (formerly behind Stumptown, Salt & Straw, and Olympia Provisions) builds every Tea Bar as a minimalist, intentional space. Calm, modern, and unmistakably ours. The aesthetic has earned features in Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appétit, Forbes, and more, plus a 35K-strong organic Instagram following. Tea is the fastest-growing beverage category in the U.S., and almost no one is elevating it. Tea Bar franchisees get a decade-tested business model, proprietary recipes, a turnkey buildout package, a dedicated wholesale supply arm, and hands-on support from a founding team that has been building this brand intentionally. Not chasing a trend, but defining a category. If you have been waiting for the Erewhon-meets-Stumptown of tea, you are looking at it.