Contained in every tea leaf and ingredient in our box of tea, is an abundant Storehouse of powerful health benefits and enjoyment. Because we source our ingredients directly from dedicated local and international farmers who follow sustainable practices, we are able to offer you the freshest Organic Fair Trade whole leaf tea blends, hand-crafted in small batches in Cleveland, OH. Our employees are as diverse and lively as our teas. The team includes members of our refugee and immigrant neighborhood, who sustain us as we work together to strengthen and empower our community. We are honored to nourish you and your family, one delicious and healthy cup at a time!
Our Beginnings
In 2006, my Doctor advised me (Paula) to quit caffeine because it was causing me health issues. My friend who was battling cancer introduced me to organic loose leaf tea and I discovered how good tea could taste and make me feel! However, I wasn’t finding it readily available in local stores and what I did find, was either connoisseur teas (and the price that came with that) or more affordable but low quality bulk tea. I decided that we needed to fill that need in the marketplace.
We wanted to offer clean, fresh, high quality, organic loose-leaf teas that were not only full of flavor, but also accessible to the American palate and priced for everyday enjoyment. My decision to start Storehouse Tea has made an impact on my family’s overall health and well-being and so too for our enthusiastic customers that drink them.
Who We Are Today
Since 2007, Storehouse Tea Company, LLC has been sourcing, blending and distributing some of finest Organic, Fair-Trade loose leaf teas available anywhere.
We moved to the Hildebrandt Building in Ohio City in 2015 to be closer to energy and vibrancy of downtown Cleveland, proximity to the refugee population, and to be part of the artist/food artisans in the building. We believe in making an impact on current and future generations and the earth we all share, which is why we source and blend certified Organic and Fair Trade Teas. We source from sustainable farmers both locally and internationally. We employ locals, recent immigrants and refugees from around the world to small batch hand blend and package our teas.
Try our teas and start drinking them on a daily basis. We’re confident that you’ll not only love our teas, but as we experienced, you’ll start to notice that drinking our teas affect you in a profoundly positive way. We wouldn’t offer you any product that we don’t absolutely believe in, use, trust and love.
Mission Statement
Our passion at Storehouse Tea Company is to source the finest and freshest organic teas and ingredients both locally and internationally then hand-blend them to create our distinctive collection of Certified Organic, Fair Trade loose leaf artisan teas. Storehouse Tea Company is committed to operate in a socially responsible manner, protecting the environment and valuing the well-being of employees, society, culture and future generations. Storehouse Tea Company is driven to bless our customers, partners and employees with health, happiness and a superior product at affordable prices.
What’s in a name: Storehouse Tea
A Storehouse is both a place where things are stored and an abundant source or supply. How does that relate to Tea? Tea is only second to water as the world’s most widely drunk beverage, why? Because tea appeals to and is readily accessible to every kind of person in the world; you only need water and a cup to unleash the astonishing health benefits stored within the leaf to create this healthy and delicious brew. The whole tea leaf and other botanicals are a literal “storehouse” of an abundant supply of health benefits including immune system boosting, cancer prevention, heart health, anti-aging, weight loss, digestion, diabetes control, memory enhancement, stress relief just to name a few.
The Chinese Character in our logo means tea. We also thought it looked like a house that appears to contain the English letters “S”torehouse and “T”ea!
“The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands”
Deuteronomy 28:12
Pictured are some of our current and dedicated TEAm members that work the business every week. From Left to right Jill O’Donnell, Office Manager, Bookkeeper (and Paula’s sister), Alice from Rwanda, Blender and Tea Production Manager, founder and President Paula Hershman and her husband Dan, Sales and Marketing. Emima (from Rwanda, Alice’s sister) tea production. Paula Hershman began this company in 2007. As she was transitioning from her graphic design business she discovered the joys and health benefits of fresh, great tasting organic loose leaf tea. She decided to start her own certified organic and Fair Trade tea business called Storehouse Tea. Her artistic background helped her to create organic teas that were as beautiful to look as they smelled and tasted and to create the company and packaging branding. Now Storehouse Teas are in world renowned restaurants, cafés and coffee/tea houses, local/regional and national healthy grocery stores and throughout North America. For Paula, Storehouse Tea is as much a mission as an international business. She always wanted to hire and mentor women in need. She reached out to the burgeoning refugee community in Cleveland and was introduced to Alice and Emima, who have become an integral part of the Storehouse Tea TEAm. Alice and Emima are from Rwanda and lived in a refugee camp for ten years during Rwanda’s civil war. They came to Cleveland in 2012 and are amazing young women who have blessed us with their many talents. As we grow we look to expand our involvement with Refugee causes and recently held a successful fundraiser called Fiesta De Te, that raised money for uniforms for the Thomas Jefferson Newcomers School in Cleveland where Alice and Emima graduated high school.
Certified Organic Loose Leaf Teas
What You WON’T FIND in Storehouse Teas
Carbohydrates
Calories
Fats
Sugars
Artificial Colorings
Preservatives
Pesticides
Lead
GMOs
Artificial Flavoring
Allergens
Our certified organic teas and ingredients are handpicked and processed using traditional methods. We are dedicated to supporting tea gardens that conserve our fragile ecosystem through sustainable organic farming practices. Organic farming prevents toxic chemicals from entering our atmosphere, soil and water system – the very things that sustain our life on Earth.
What Does Organic Mean?
Organic tea must NOT contain any artificial ingredients. It is grown by natural means without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. It encourages healthy soil, clean water and a vibrant and diverse environment.
Organic Tea Gardens
Not only do organic tea gardens protect the environment, but they also guard the health and happiness of their families and valued employees. Many tea farmers have decided to switch to organic farming primarily for the health of their families. The popularity and desire for organic products has created a high demand for organic farming and has saved many smaller family farms because they can sell their crops for fair prices. Organically farmed products possess great health and gastronomic benefits for the consumer of these crops. Many independent studies have shown that organic foods can contain more antioxidants and nutrients because of the rich, biologically active soil. Organic foods are also subjected to a higher standard by the additional safety and quality testing that they must pass to be considered certified organic. It is not surprising that these pesticide and artificial ingredient free teas have scored higher in taste tests versus non organic teas.
Our Teas Are Certified Organic
Our teas are certified organic through the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. The OEFFA was founded in 1979 and is a grassroots coalition of farmers, backyard gardeners, consumers, retailers, educators, researchers, and others who share a desire to build a healthy food system that brings prosperity to family farmers, meets the growing consumer demand for local food, creates economic opportunities for our rural communities, and safeguards the environment.
For more than 30 years, OEFFA has used education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to promote local and organic food systems, helping farmers and consumers reconnect and together build a sustainable food system, one meal at a time.
OEFFA’s Certification is one of the oldest, largest, and most respected programs in
the nation, OEFFA’s Certification program ensures that organic crop and livestock producers meet the high standards established for organically grown food. The process of documentation and monitoring, strict production standards, and on-site inspections sets organic products apart from all others. These standards protect farmers, distributors, consumers, and the environment. We are proud to be associated with OEFFA where we participate in their organic conferences.
Our vision for Storehouse Tea Company
Our vision for Storehouse Tea Company is to be ethical and socially conscious as well. So providing Certified Organic tea was only the beginning. We feel our customers want to be sure that the teas they are enjoying are produced by people that are being paid a reasonable price for their teas.
Fair Trade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. We try to purchase as much Fair Trade tea as possible, so that we can give back to these communities. The majority of tea pickers in the biggest tea-producing regions are women. As a female business owner, Storehouse Tea is grateful to these beautiful, skillful and hard-working tea pickers for providing our company with amazing tea leaves and want to pay them fairly for the work they do. Storehouse Tea’s suppliers purchase from Fair Trade producer groups as directly as possible, guaranteeing to pay above market prices, though only pennies more for the consumer, eliminating unnecessary middlemen and empowering farmers to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. At Storehouse Tea, we feel connected to these organic and Fair Trade Tea Gardens and Farms and their owners, some of which have become our friends. We appreciate their hard work and dedication to putting out the most amazing organic tea and ingredients available while employing ethical and environmentally sound practices. Fair Trade’s Mission Statement “We are building an innovative model of responsible business, conscious consumerism, and shared value to eliminate poverty and enable sustainable development for farmers, workers, their families, and their communities around the world.”
Storehouse Tea
The Hildebrandt Building
3619 Walton Ave. Suite 101
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Paula Hershman / President
216-406-9139
paula@storehousetea.com