The Republic of Tea is a company that markets organic and exotic tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...

s from around the world. The company was founded in 1992 by Mel

Mel Ziegler

Mel Ziegler and his wife, Patricia Ziegler were the founders of Banana Republic. Along with William Rosenzweig, they also co-founded the Republic of Tea. They eventually sold both companies....

 and Patricia Ziegler

Patricia Ziegler

Patricia Ziegler and her husband Mel Ziegler were the founders of the clothing retailer Banana Republic. Along with William Rosenzweig, they also co-founded the Republic of Tea. They eventually sold both companies....

 with Bill Rosenzweig after selling their interest in the original Banana Republic stores, which the Zieglers co-founded .

The Republic of Tea is based in Novato, California

Novato, California

Novato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...

, but with its major production factory in Nashville, Illinois

Nashville, Illinois

Nashville is a city in Washington County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,258. It is the county seat of Washington County.-Geography:Nashville is located at ....

. The founders of the company authored a book detailing their exchanges while conceiving the company. In 1994, the founders sold the company to Ron Rubin under whom the company has grown into a nationally recognized category leader in specialty tea sales.

The Republic of Tea designates its employees as ministers, customers as citizens and retail outlets as embassies. It was one of the first companies to retail varieties such as red tea

Red tea

Red tea may refer to:* A type of tea known in most countries as black tea, made from the completely oxidized bud leaves of Camellia sinensis. This tea type is commonly known in some Asian cultures as 紅茶...

, white tea

White tea

White tea is a lightly oxidized tea grown and harvested almost exclusively in China, primarily in the Fujian province.White tea comes from the delicate buds and younger leaves of the Chinese Camellia sinensis plant. These buds and leaves are allowed to wither in natural sunlight before they are...

, and tea seed oil to American consumers.

Published works

• The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders by Mel Ziegler
  Mel Ziegler
  Mel Ziegler and his wife, Patricia Ziegler were the founders of Banana Republic. Along with William Rosenzweig, they also co-founded the Republic of Tea. They eventually sold both companies....
  
  , Bill Rosenzweig, and Patricia Ziegler
  Patricia Ziegler
  Patricia Ziegler and her husband Mel Ziegler were the founders of the clothing retailer Banana Republic. Along with William Rosenzweig, they also co-founded the Republic of Tea. They eventually sold both companies....
  
  , 1992) ISBN 0-385-42057-9

External links

• Republic of Tea website