The only non-alcoholic omni-channel beverage company to make the Portland Business Journal’s list in 2022
Portland, Ore. (June 15, 2022) — In a city known for craft and innovation in the food and beverage market, Portland Business Journal’s annual designation of the “100 fastest-growing private companies” spotlights companies on the rise. Of only four beverage brands to make the list, Smith Teamaker was the only omni-channel product in the non-alcoholic space to be included. The company showed incredible growth in 2021 — 44%, which is virtually unprecedented in the tea industry, where average growth is about 2%.
“Our teamakers here at Smith are fortunate to serve our growing customer base around the world,” says Darren Marshall, CEO of Smith Teamaker. “These past few years have been tremendously difficult for so many, so we’re especially grateful to be able to enrich lives with our work to provide exceptional tea experiences.”
Smith Teamaker has taken what has typically been a sleepy beverage category and enlivened it with innovative products, and exciting collaborations with chefs and tastemakers. The company approaches everything a little bit differently, from the look and shape of their product cartons, to their GMO-free, plant-based sachets, to transparent sourcing. In 2021, the company grew its omni-channel product sales, as well as opened a first-of-its-kind tea café, where a chef-driven, plant-based food menu is served, incorporating tea from leaf-to-cup-to-plate.
With all of their product development and production under one roof, Smith Teamaker is able to create and market new products much more swiftly than larger companies, making them an ideal partner for other brands looking to create a custom tea blend, or utilize their library of flavor in other artisan products, such as ice cream, chocolate, kombucha and more. 2021’s innovations included a tea created in partnership with NBA legend Scottie Pippen’s DIGITS bourbon brand, a tea for Top Chef star Gregory Gourdet’s restaurant Kann, and a wildly successful expanded collection of iced teas. 2022 will see collaborations released with Bombay Sapphire, as well as Straightaway Cocktails and Salt & Straw.
Golden Light by Alan Weiner Photos courtesy of Smith Teamaker
About Smith Teamaker
Founded in 2009 by the late, legendary teamaker Steven Smith, Smith Teamaker crafts artisanal teas that showcase an artful talent for creating unexpected flavor combinations with complex aromas, such as Rose City Genmaicha: Japanese sencha and Chinese Mao Feng green teas, toasted rice, rose petals are blended and subtly infused with bergamot. Steven Smith was a pioneer of the late 20th century American maker movement, founding several of the world’s most successful tea brands: Stash and Tazo. Today, the omni-channel company exists to enrich the lives of others through exceptional tea experiences. All teas are handcrafted in Portland, Oregon, sourced from the finest tea and herb farms in the world. The company is also known for outside-the-box collaborations, such as notable recent projects with Salt & Straw, Bombay Sapphire, and Scottie Pippen’s whiskey brand, DIGITS. Smith teamaker is generating some of the highest growth in the tea industry, and was recently named one of Portland’s 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Portland Business Journal. Smith’s teas are available online at smithtea.com, in its two Portland tasting rooms, as well as in select hotels, restaurants, and specialty retail shops throughout the nation.