Detroit Woman-Owned Company Offers Flavorful Plastic-Free Tea Bags that are Safe, Sustainable and Compostable

Katrina Anderson grew up watching her father sip on a hot cup of tea while her mother preferred to brew coffee. Her dad’s preference intrigued young Katrina and became the catalyst for her Detroit-based tea production company “CommodiTeas”, which she launched in 2011.?

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Tea bags are the last place one would expect to find plastic. But surprisingly, most contain polypropylene or nylon. CommodiTeas is one of few companies who produce plastic free tea bags.

We sat down with Katrina Anderson to find out what makes her business unique and her vision for the future of her company.?

While clearly not the most economical route, why did you make the decision to produce plant-based fully compostable tea bags??

It starts with my love for a delicious cup of tea, and my intrigue with this new technology that few are choosing to offer the public. I am proud to serve our community a healthy, safer choice, and not a forever chemical. CommodiTeas carbon footprint is diminished because our bags don’t end up in landfills. They are safe and sustainable.?

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We’re glad your product is biodegradable. With titles like “Candy Bar Crave”? would you say the taste of your teas is your greatest selling point? Absolutely! Imagine craving hot chocolate or cheesecake but not wanting the heart health and poundage damage that comes along with that choice. Our customers can plop our “candy bar” teabag in some hot water and experience all the flavors without the guilt.?

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Could you share more health benefits of your teas or just drinking tea in general??

Tea can slow down your mind, heart rate and? blood pressure; it forces us to sip and slow down. It’s so good for mental health. Tea leaves provide a healthy dose of caffeine or you can go caffeine free with an herbal infusion.

What was your motivation behind the launch of CommodiTeas??

My educational background is in Medical Anthropology which looks at how different cultures approach health and medicine.? So essentially, I pulled a lot of my ideas for teas from the cultural identities I studied. Along the way, I had difficulty finding tea experiences that my entire family could enjoy. We’re serious tea drinkers and desire teaware that suits our urban chic style and culinary-inspired blends. I couldn’t find it, so I created it.??

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You’ve made it clear you are serious about the overall experience your customers have with CommodiTeas products. From the imagery you create with very unique tea titles, to the beautiful bone china tea sets featured on your website, how do you balance the demands of sourcing and producing both the organic herb and the hardware it will rest in??

I consider them to be different components to the same story line.? We watch t.v. shows with parallel storylines that develop separately, but you understand that they’re related in the overall theme.? I want drinking our tea to be an experience.? In order to do that, we make sure we address all five senses to your tea experience; the taste, the touch, the smell, the sight, the sound.? Placing emphasis on each point serves to enhance the daily tea adventure.

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What do you say to the person that says entrepreneurship is too hard? Why are you doing what others consider too hard?

There is something to learn from everything.? Don’t see it as too hard, see it as a purpose. I experience daily wins and lessons that help prepare me for the next steps in my journey.? To me, there’s as much value in the losses as the wins.? Learn from the losses and apply them to the next phases.??

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What does the future hold for CommodiTeas?

COVID forced us to make a pivot to offer a wholesale line. Now we’re headed to Walmart shelves in 2023, and in talks with other major retailers. I’m most excited about our plans for a brick and mortar Tea Room in Detroit coming soon. It will be a Black-owned experience uniquely designed to introduce, explore and savor the love of tea time with entire families.?

For more information, visit: https://commoditeas.com/