Am I Crazy??? Special Teas is TEAVANA in disguise?

[Victoria]

Ok, thanks! I would be surprised to hear it be yes.

According to Manta.com:

Specialteas Business Information:
Specialteas is a private company categorized under Tea and located in Stratford, CT. Our records show it was established in 1996* and incorporated in Connecticut*...

Also Does Business As:
Specialteas Inc*

HQ, Branch or Single Location:
Single Location

[Chip]

Sorry for the delay in reporting back.

I have heard from a reliable source that Teavana owns 100% of SpecialTeas.

Since I trust the source, I therefore consider it to indeed be true although I understand they would publicly deny it. For the record, this source is not a past, present, nor likely future employee of either entity.

[chris&amy]

I asked the question to a store manager and her reply was ( I have traveled with Teavana and taken classes with Top level employees and I have never heard of Special Teas and if it were true I would know) ...Is she lying?

[Chip]

I asked the question to a store manager and her reply was ( I have traveled with Teavana and taken classes with Top level employees and I have never heard of Special Teas and if it were true I would know) ...Is she lying?

How much info trickles down to store manager level is unknown. But make no mistake about it, they are joined at the hip ...

[chris&amy]

That's what I was thinking..... To listen to her talk you would have thought that she was the CEO

[kymidwife]

My experience with life in general is that "managers" frequently overestimate their own insider knowledge. Upper administrations make an art of convincing the middles that they really know what's going on, while keeping them artfully in the dark.

Sarah

[VinceBLG]

From what I've found in my research it seems SpecialTeas is the parent company and Teavana is a label. Like Gap and Old Navy, Starbucks and Seattles Best, Chevy and Oldsmobile...
Every successful brand either creates niche labels or supplies to others, it's like the next step in growth.

[teabone]

Nope, you're wrong. It's exactly like Chip's "non-affiliated" source said: Teavana owns Specialteas "lock, stock and barrel". The reason for the secrecy is that Specialteas customers, expecially the wholesale ones, would run for the woods if they knew.
Take my word for it. In the short time MY source worked there, their paycheck came from Teavana. Enough said?

[Chip]

Seems lots of posters come in from a former Teavana perspective. Good to hear from a former SpecialTeas perspective.

[Charles]

You guys are too funny. You've already discovered the "secret", so I won't comment on the larger question, but I will say that overlapping supply chains are a fact of life in the US tea business. The percentage of wholesale tea companies that buy from other wholesale tea companies in the US is surprisingly high. Some are adding value (creating custom blends, offering consulting services, or warehousing product nearby a retail outlet), and others are simply middle men. An unfortunate percentage of the tea sold in the US includes a greater cost basis associated with supply chain and packaging than with the tea itself.

[bsteele]

What a juicy thread. I'm glad it was brought back from the depths of yonder months for my enjoyment.

[Chip]

What would make it "juicy" is if the principles were to come clean here on TC ... the veil of secrecy is long obsolete. Well, not holding my breath.

Thanks for the education, Charles.

[bsteele]

What would make it "juicy" is if the principles were to come clean here on TC ... the veil of secrecy is long obsolete. Well, not holding my breath.

Thanks for the education, Charles.

So what your saying is TC is like the Ricky Lake or Maury Povich of the interwebs:

The test results are in.
Teavana IS the father!
*audience erupts*
*bleep* bleeeeeeep* *bleepbleepbleep* *bleep*

[Chip]

... hmmm, as it relates to tea, much is revealed and shared on TeaChat. Much is often uncovered that is oft never seen or heard of outside our community.

Nothing particularly scandalous nor pop ...

[Janine]

I don't get it. Companies have to be publicly disclosed in terms of incorporation and ownership don't they?

I know that what Charles says is true: many companies will package or sell wholesale to a line of other retailers under a particular label, etc. But how does this all mean that Teavana owns Special Teas? Where does the ownership link? To one individual, to shareholders of Teavana, etc? (Not that I know a lot about business...obviously)