tea preparation scene with ingredients in ramekins and fresh ginger

AN ARTISAN LOOSE LEAF TEA CO.

– HANDCRAFTED IN ATLANTA –

Thistle & Sprig Tea Company is a premium, artisan tea company crafting flavorful and inspired loose leaf blends. We handcraft our teas in small batches with sustainably grown herbs, spices and flowers, and source our teas from family-run tea farms or cooperatives with strong social and environmental standards.

Our mission is to provide our customers with the most pure, flavorful ingredients possible and invoke a connection with nature in each cup.

THE DIRECT TRADE MODEL FOR TEA

We practice direct trade by purchasing directly from tea growers who embrace environmentally and socially aware business practices.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? 

The practice of growing tea has a long and tumultuous history that varies by country but in many tea growing regions (such as Darjeeling and Assam, India and Sri Lanka, also known as Ceylon), it is intertwined with reprehensive colonial power structures that created generations of subjugated workers. The vestiges of colonial institutions have evolved in many cases to corporatised plantation models that still disempower workers and are the cause of labor and human rights issues. While Fair Trade certification works to address these concerns, there continue to be reports of violations on certified plantations.

We choose to source directly from medium-sized, family-run tea farms and worker cooperatives in the hopes of obtaining tea grown without harm. Four of the five farms/cooperatives we source from are certified organic. We have not yet conducted in-person visits to the five farms we source from but hope to begin this process in 2020. 

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

We strive to limited our environmental impacts and choose eco-friendly materials and processes whenever possible. 

We exclusively use eco-friendly packaging for our teas: our tins are fully recyclable at the curbside and are also easily reusable; the tin liners and sealing sticker (and the spent tea leaves of course) are fully backyard compostable, made of a natural biodegradable cellulose; and our tin labels are 100% post-consumer waste (PCW). 

We are looking at ways to expand our packaging options and hope to add refill pouches without the tea tin as well as different sizes of tea in compostable pouches to our online store. 

To steep your loose leaf teas, we offer teaware primarily made from sustainable materials, including stainless steel, glass and bamboo. 

We also consistently recycle and compost, and hope you do too! 

PLANT INTEGRITY
TO NOURISH, NOT DEPLETE

 

We exclusively use ingredients that natural, fresh and as close to the original plant state as possible. We do not use artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, or GMOs. We do use food-grade botanical oils without any additives like propylene glycol. Additionally, we use a limited list of ingredients so our teas are naturally free of gluten, dairy, corn, nuts, sugar, and animal products. 

EXPLORE OUR TEAS

Our online tea store offers our line of conscientious, handcrafted tea blends.
Check it out and see what’s in stock! 
SHOP TEA BLENDS