THUNDER BAY – Thunder Bay based Tea Horse, which is part of Gemstones 2 Paro Lending Circle has made another milestone.
DAVIDsTEA Inc. (Nasdaq:DTEA), a leading tea merchant in North America has announced the launch of their new blend Manoomin Maple, in partnership with fellow tea company Tea Horse, now available at all 18 DAVIDsTEA flagship stores across Canada, and online at davidstea.com.
In collaboration with Tea Horse, a woman-led, Indigenous-owned tea company, DAVIDsTEA brings a new and unique tea to their collection called Manoomin Maple. This smooth and cozy black tea blend features a touch of maple, vanilla and berries, named for its toasty notes of manoomin.
Manoomin (pronounced muh-NOH-min) means “wild rice” in Ojibwe while its literal translation is “the good seed.” This ancestral grain grows wild with no human manipulation and is hand-harvested in the remote landscape of Northern Canada.
“In Indigenous cultures, leaves, roots, flowers and grains are infused to make tea,” says Tea Horse. “As an Indigenous-owned tea company, our use of Manoomin (wild rice) as a key ingredient in our tea blends honours and carries on the traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.”
DAVIDsTEA is proud to share that 10% of all proceeds from Manoomin Maple will go towards the David Suzuki Institute to support Indigenous communities through the Reconciling Ways of Knowing program. This Indigenous-led program facilitates the conversations between Indigenous Peoples (and their governments) and Canadians (and their governments) to work together to include Indigenous voices and knowledge. “Partnerships are essential to build relationships and deepen our understanding of Indigenous knowledge, to work towards reconciliation,” shares Dr. David Suzuki, co-founder of the David Suzuki Institute with his wife, Tara Cullis.
As a non-Indigenous brand and company, it is important to DAVIDsTEA to share their tea love and amplify Indigenous voices and their businesses. Tea Horse’s emphasis on respecting and preserving the wild nature of their ingredients aligns with DAVIDsTEA’s core values: authenticity, sustainability, and positivity.
“Working on this collaboration with Tea Horse has been such a rewarding experience, as we have been able to share our creativity, knowledge, and passion for tea in Canada,” said Sarah Segal, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Brand Officer, DAVIDsTEA. “Being able to share with the Indigenous community through the David Suzuki Institute further strengthens our efforts to support a more inclusive and diverse tea community on a local level.”
This special give-back blend, packaged in a fully compostable bag, is only available for a limited time online at davidstea.com for Canadian and U.S. customers, or in-store at one of DAVIDsTEA’s 18 flagship locations across Canada.
