Nevadans are lucky. They have a tea company right in
their own backyard. Davidson's Tea Co. was founded in Reno, NV., in 1976.
Currently, it blends more than 100 varieties of teas from
the traditional black, green, oolong, herbal and iced
teas to specialty brands with such exotic names as Tangerine
Almond, Mandarin Cherry Ginger, Fujian green with mango
and citrus, Cherry Vanilla, Lemon Mango and many more. John and Sharon Davidson started their company with
only one blend. They made a spiced apple cider tea for
skiers at Lake Tahoe 24 years ago, which became an immediate
hit on the slopes. "We are seen as a company that
carries a quality product,'' John Davidson says. "We
sell to niche markets and specialty stores.'' What makes
Davidson's teas appealing is that they also come in small
boxes of as few as six bags per box, which make them ideal
for gift baskets. Bag wrappers are colorfully emblazoned
with artist renderings of teapots, cups, fruit or ice
tea pitchers. Davidson's services approximately 6,000 customers under
its own label. Teas can be purchased through a mail order
catalogue, too. However, the company also blends and packages
teas for such large corporations as Pier One and Hallmark
under these companies' names. In 1999, the Davidson's
Tea Co. did $1.5 million in sales, Davidson says. Recently,
Davidson says they began blending dessert teas for after
dinner. These include such flavors as Vanilla Cream Spice
Chai, Raspberry Cream Pecan, Cherries Jubilee,
Tangerine Almond and several others. "Most people think coffee after dinner, and we want
to change their thinking,'' Davidson says. "These
dessert teas are not weak (tasting). They are very powerful.
We are the only company that does dessert teas.''Davidson's
is able to maintain quality by blending small batches
of tea, usually 100 pounds, at a time. While domestic
sales make up the bulk of Davidson's business, the company
also ships to Canada, Japan and some parts of Europe. There are 12 people working in the 25,000 square-foot
Reno factory, Davidson says, adding that most of them
have been with him for many years. "Nevada is an excellent
state for teas because of the dry climate, and there are
few insects,'' Davidson says. "All of our blending
is done here. We are a specialty tea company, rather than
a mass-market producer.'' For more information, contact: Davidson's Inc., P.O.
Box 11214, Reno, NV. 89515 Phone: 1-800-882-5888.
Fax: (775) 356-3713. Website: www.davidsonstea.com.
The e-mail address is: [email protected]
|
|||||