Where Tea is Grown in the United States and Canada
Is tea grown in the United States? It sure is! Although we still have a way to go, American grown tea is a warm community and growing industry. From the rich volcanic soil of Hawai'i where the bulk of the farms reside to the humid subtropical climate of the American Southeast to as far North as the Canadian border in the Pacific Northwest, tea farms have continued popping up all around the country. Now inhabiting 15 states, and with a single farm in Canada, we've put together a run-down of every tea farm we've been able to find so far. As more farms are established, we'll update this article. The goal is to have a complete living catalog of American (and Canadian) tea growing regions. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments.
Farms currently growing tea in the
United States and Canada:
Alabama
Fairhope Tea Plantation
Sometimes credited as the second-largest tea farm in America, Fairhope is operated by Donnie Barrett. This 60,000-plant strong tea garden was originally a Lipton Research Facility and was grown entirely from just three salvaged plants that were damaged during Hurricane Frederic and saved by Barrett from being burnt in a fire. Finished tea is available locally to buy, or through Single Origin Teas. If you stop by, you can have a tour or join in one of their tea picking parties.
Fairhope, Baldwin County | Sells: Finished Tea, Fresh Leaves | Size: 61,000 plantsMobile Tea Garden
Run by Robert McArthur in Mobile since 2005, this small growing operation started as a way for Robert to grow tea for himself, partially inspired by Donnie Barrett over at Fairhope Tea Plantation. McArthur has experimented with finished tea, but none to sell yet. The garden has grown large enough, that he may start to sell some finished tea.
Mobile, Mobile County | Sells: Tea Seeds, No Finished Tea | Size: 0.5 acres, 1,000+ plants | FacebookCalifornia
Golden Feather Tea
Experimental tea farm owned and operated by Mike Fritts since 2010. He's experimented with processing many styles of tea, apparently grown from descendants of tea planted in 1896 at the Wakamatsu Tea & Silk Colony. He had apparently previously sold his tea to a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco. You can taste and buy his tea if you contact him or come to visit.
* UPDATE: Sadly, the Fritts' farm burned down in the fires that ravaged California in late 2018. He was only able to salvage about 17% of his original plants. The report is that he is continuing to plant more and still making finished tea from what he was, only available locally.
Concow, Butte County | Sells: Finished Tea (In Person) | Size: 0.5 acres, 800 plants (originally) | PressGeorgia
Blackcreek Tea Garden
Mom and daughter Debbie Odom and Lindsey Holland run this garden, housed in the Blackcreek Nursery & Garden, in Southeast Georgia. They also helped run Gene’s Nursery for a time, a 65-year-old Camellia nursery, until having to shut it down in 2022. On their 1/2 acre tea garden they now give tours and educate visitors on tea growing.
Ellabell, Bryan County | Size: 0.5 Acre, 2,000 plants | Sells: Live Plants, educational workshops | FacebookDunaway Gardens Tea
Growing tea since 2011, the surrounding gardens are utilized in various ways for weddings, photo shoots, and performances. They currently produce tea, available to buy locally, but are gearing up and experimenting to make a bigger push on the market.
Newnan, Coweta County| Size: 2 acres, 15,000 plants | Sells: Finished Tea (Locally) | FacebookHawai'i
Abby’s Ohana Tea
Run by Ronald, Lisa, and daughter Abby Keith, this tea farm in Eastern Hawai’i grows and sells finished tea in black, green, and oolong styles, from both sinensis and assamica clonal varietals (including both Japanese and Chinese cultivars). They practice organic farming and try to respect the natural terroir of the island, leaving as much native growth as they can and recycling tea plant trimmings into their natural compost to feed the plants. They also sell teas from Second Alarm Farm and Volcano Tea Garden (both below).
Volcano, Hawai'i | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramBig Island Tea
Producing artisanal-quality tea since 2001 in their self-made Kilinoe Forest, at 3,000 feet elevation, all of their tea is hand-processed in small batches. They offer retail purchases of finished tea, tours of the garden, and occasional lessons on tea processing.
Mountain View, Hawai'i | 5 acres, 1,000+ plants | Sells: Finished Tea, Tea Seeds | Facebook | InstagramCloudwater Tea Farm
The only established tea farm on Kauai'i, owned by Michelle Rose (with inspiration from Nigel Melican). They sell tea only locally, but process many different styles.
Kilauea, Kaua'i | Sells: Finished Tea (Locally) | FacebookLeo Nani Farms
A nine-acre farm bought in 2008 that raises livestock and grows turmeric and tea. They sell a finished white tea in small amounts.
Hakalau, Hawai'i | Size: 9 acres, 210 plants | Sells: Finished TeaMauna Kea
A robust certified organic tea farm run by Taka and Kimberly Ino with a good range of finished tea to buy! They are very committed to good and ethical farming techniques, which you can read about on their website. If you visit, you can also tour their farm.
Honokaa, Hawai'i | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramThe Maui Tea Farm
Perhaps the only tea farm on Maui, they are run by Alex and Andrea de Roode. Seated at 4,000 feet elevation, near the Haleakala National Park, they sell organic tea and herbal tea blends. They've submitted their teas for evaluation before, and have won some awards for their tea.
Kula, Maui | Sells: Herbal Tea, Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramMealani Research Station
A division of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, they grow all manner of plants and research all manner of topics, with a particular focus on tea growing and processing. They provide detailed seminars on growing, processing, and experiment with hybridization.
Kamuela, Hawai'i | Size: 196 acres | No Sales | FacebookSecond Alarm Farm
A small farm on the big island near the Puna Forest Reserve growing coffee, macadamia nuts, orchids, and tea. Run by Jim Chestnut and Edna Arakawa, their tea is available to buy locally.
Volcano, Hawai'i | Size: 3 acres | Sells: Finished Tea | FacebookTea Hawaii & Company
Chiu Leong and Eva Lee own this tea garden, right at the base of the Kilauea Volcano. In addition to the tea they grow, they have partnered with three other island growers to collaborate and sell their teas under the banner of Tea Hawaii: Johhny's Garden, Volcano Tea Garden, and Hilo Tea Garden.
Volcano, Hawai'i | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook– Johnny's Garden
Perhaps the oldest tea farm in Hawaii, founded in 1993 on an old sugarcane farm and operated by John Cross, who now works with Tea Hawaii & Company.
Hakalau, Hawaii | Sells: Finished Tea (Through Tea Hawaii & Company)– Volcano Tea Garden
A small tea farm owned by Mike Riley working with Tea Hawaii & Company, crafting a finished oolong tea.
Volcano, Hawai'i | Sells: Finished Tea (Through Tea Hawaii & Company)Volcano Winery
A winery near the Mauna Kea Volcano opened in 1986, they began growing tea in 2005 for a tea-infused wine. Since then, they've planted more tea, some of it from the Mealani Research Station, and processed a host of different styles of tea, which they sell locally and through their website. They still sell a macadamia-honey wine infused with black tea from their farm.
Volcano, Hawai'i | Size: 14 acres+ | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramMaryland
Blue Dreams USA
A farm and boutique growing lavender, roses, and tea. They sell their other products online along with blended and imported teas, but it's not clear if any of the teas they sell are their own yet.
Frederick, Frederick County | Size: 25 acres | Sells: Imported Tea | Facebook | InstagramHeron's Meadow Farms
Small farm experimenting with growing tea (among other things), on around 2 acres. They currently important and blend tea under the label BLTeas. They routinely host tea growing and processing classes. They sell both their tea and other blended imported teas at the farm and out of their farm store. Next season they will be planting approximately 750 tea plants under a high tunnel.
Woodbine, Howard County | Sells: Tea (On Location), Imported Tea, No US-Grown | FacebookMichigan
Light of Day Organics
Organic and Biodynamic farm run by Angela Macke, specializing in an astonishing array of herbs and plants, including tea, which they've grown since 2005. They grow and process many styles of tea, which they blend with other herbs and spices which are also grown on their farm. They're also a Certified Demeter Biodynamic farm. We visited them not long ago!
Traverse City, Leelanau County | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramMississippi
Great Mississippi Tea Co.
The award-winning tea farm run by Jason McDonald, now over a decade old, do a great deal of experimenting with different tea styles, including steaming, kneading, rolling, and documents their experiments through their social media. They're also working towards full organic certification and write a lot about tea growing.
Brookhaven, Lincoln County | Sells: Finished Tea | SIZE: 14 acres, working towards 60,000 plants | FacebookPearl River Tea
Situated in J&D Blueberry Farm, they've undertaken the venture to grow tea. They now sell finished tea locally and through their website.
Poplarville, Pearl River County | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramNew Jersey
Greenwich Tea Burners Tea
A small operation run by Richard DeMarco in New Jersey since 2006, Greenwich Tea Burners Tea is growing seven different cultivars of tea. You can make an appointment to look around the farm, and see how they're processing the tea. If available, you can also buy their finished tea on the farm, along with other herbals.
Greenwich, Cumberland County | Sells: Finished Tea (only available locally) | Size: 100 plants | FacebookNew York
Finger Lakes Tea Company
A restaurant and teahouse run by a family with ancestors who grew tea in Zhejiang. It's become a larger growing operation, with help from Cornell University, and they now sell their tea, both blended and pure, for sale in their shop and on their website.
Junius, Seneca County | Sells: Finished Tea | Size: 30 acres, 55,000 plants | Facebook | InstagramNorth Carolina
Camellia Forest Tea Gardens
A tea garden run by Christine and David Parks since 2006, and sold through Camellia Forest Nursery, which specializes in "collector's market" Camellias. They have a strong supply of different cultivars of tea plant for purchase and services to help teach you how to grow and process the tea, a service other tea gardens along the coast have benefited from. Although finished tea has been submitted for competition and grading, it doesn't seem to be available for retail purchases.
Chapel Hill, Orange County | Sells: Live Plants, Seedlings | Facebook | InstagramEast Bay Tea Company
A startup tea farm by Steve O’Dell, he’s just getting started growing around 4,000 tea plants among the mints and verbena on the 10-acre farm.
Salisbury, Rowan County | Sells: No Sales yet | Size: 2 acres, 4,000 plantsOregon
Minto Island Tea Company
Minto Island Growers, a well-known family-owned local farm growing all manner of vegetables, started including tea in 1988 with help from John Vendeland. They now grow plenty of winter-hardy plants and host some open-house events and guided tours. Certified Organic tea plants, raw tea, and finished tea are available for purchase here as well, but move quickly as they sell out due to popular demand.
Salem, Marion County | Sells: Finished Tea, Raw Tea, Live Plants | Size: 0.5 acres | Facebook | InstagramSouth Carolina
Table Rock Tea Company
Begun in 2008, Table Rock Tea Company grows, makes, and sells green, oolong, and black teas as well as tea seeds and tea plants on their 30-acre farm. They provide USDA/FDA co-packing services to many other tea and herb companies across the country. The farm is open to the public and offers free tours year-round from their Real American Tea®️ Museum and Visitor Center. Steve’s book, “How to Grow and Make Tea in the United States” has helped guide many new domestic tea startups. He also provides consulting and coaching services within the tea and herbal industries.
Pickens, Pickens County | Sells: Finished Tea, Tours, Co-Processing Services, Seeds | Size: 30 acres | Facebook | InstagramCharleston Tea Plantation
Perhaps the largest American tea farm, and certainly the most historic, this 127-acre plantation was founded on plants grown by Dr. Charles Shepard in 1888 for his farm, the Pinehurst Tea Plantation, which was good enough to win top honors at the 1904 World's Fair. After his death, the plants fell into disrepair but were later rediscovered and transplanted to their current location, where they became part of a Lipton research facility in 1963. Later, tea taster William Hall purchased the farm in 1987 and began farming the tea commercially. It's now co-owned by him and the Bigelow family and provides tours, education, and plenty of tea to buy.
Wadmalaw Island, Charleston County | Sells: Finished Tea | Size: 127 acres, 150,000 plants | Facebook | InstagramVirginia
Virginia First Tea Farm
Owned by Unchon Ramos and her daughter Joanna, they've been growing small amounts of tea since 2012, for use entirely in kitchen and bath products such as a variety of tea-infused body soaps and shampoo available for purchase through their website. No finished tea for drinking is available for now.
Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania County | Sells: US-Grown Tea Products | Size: 80 acres | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | PressWashington
Sakuma Brothers
Over 85 years old, this family-owned farm specialized in growing berries, but has experimented with growing tea since 1997, with influence from John Vendeland. Machinery was bought from Taiwan to increase their processing quality and they now produce many different styles of tea. But it's not always available for purchase, and after a worker's union strike in 2016, it seems to be indefinitely suspended although still growing.
Burlington, Skagit County | Sells: Finished Tea (Suspended) | FacebookCanada - British Columbia
Westholme Tea Company
This dynamic tea farm has been growing tea since 2010 and has a gallery space, tearoom, and an additional selection of imported and blended teas. To keep up with the high demand for their local product, they've added more plants and underwent a small re-branding. They sell many styles of locally grown tea and also give tours of the farm.
North Cowichan, Cowichan Valley Regional District | Sells: Finished Tea, Imported tea, blended tea, tours | Size: 800+ plants | Facebook | InstagramFormer Growing Experiments / Unsure of Status
Managed by James Orrock, who owns Single Origin Teas and comes from a citrus-growing family, attempts at a commercial tea farm have been made in Waverly since 2011, with a little initial help from Donnie Barrett of Fairhope Tea Plantation. Tea used to be available, but the company has since stopped growing tea and moved to Virgina.
Waverly, Polk County, Florida, moved to Alexandria, Virginia | Sells: Imported Tea | Size: 10 acres, 6,000 plants | Facebook | PressOwned and operated by Bob Jacobson, this farm attempts to recreate the natural Hawaiian terroir as much as possible, while also retaining biodiversity and certified organic status. Their tea, a blend of yutaka midori, bohea, benikaori and yabukita tea varietals grown at 1,000 feet elevation, has won some awards at festivals as well.
Hawai'i | Size: 9 acres, 7,000 plants | Sells: Finished Tea | ProfileRun by Luana Stauffer and her partner Chuck, this small tea garden has produced some much-appreciated teas locally, including a yellow tea, but none for commercial sales thus far.
Volcano, Hawai'i | No SalesThe Tea Gardner is the educational part of Gene's Nursery (represented online as Camellia Shop) which also operates in Savannah, the nursery had been family-owned for over 65 years. They sold all variety of Camellias, including a tea cultivar they call Tsubaki. They also provided extensive support and education for growing, raising, and processing your tea plants. Sadly, they had to close in 2022, but the tradition remains in the Blackcreek Nursery & Garden (above).
Savannah, Chatham County | Sells: Live Plants | FacebookRoy Fong's Tea Garden
Roy Fong, the founder of the groundbreaking Imperial Tea Court in San Francisco, has run a farm here since 2010 to experiment with the viability of growing tea. So far, no tea is available for purchase.
Yolo County, California | Size: 23 acres | Blog | PressOne of the farms, originally owned by Fang Sen Woo, working with Tea Hawaii & Company, producing a finished green tea. He is since retired, so it's not clear if the farm is still there or not.
Coeur d'Thé
A startup tea farm in Northern Idaho, owned by Josephie Dean Jackson, who previously ran East Texas Tea Company. Planted in 2015, the garden will be some years from production, but she's imported seeds from Nepal and Georgia, and has plans to buy plants from other growers in the country.
Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho | Size: 3-5 acres | PressWilliam Luer's 30/90 Tea
William Luer has been growing a small amount of tea in the New Orleans area since 2003, experimenting with different processing styles. Although he's submitted his tea for grading before, it's usually only enough for just himself, but it seems if you drop him a line he'll have tea with you. See his comments below.
* New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana* | Size: 35 plants* | PressBegun by Josephie Dean Jackson in 2009, who was, last we heard, working on getting a small tea farm up and running in Idaho. This farm in Texas was begun as a way of experimenting with growing tea and demoing it to others who'd like to grow tea, with inspiration from Donnie Barrett at Fairhope Tea Plantation. It's now a private garden and doesn't sell tea commercially.
* Mt. Vernon, Franklin County, Texas* | Sells: No Tea Commercially* | Size: 5 acres, 1,000 plants* | FacebookOnomea Tea
Certified Organic tea farm founded by Mike Longo and Rob Nunally (a former daylily hybridizer) in 2003. They offer tea farm tours, educational classes, and finished tea selections from their diverse range of cultivars and custom hybrids.
Papaikou, Hawai'i | Size: 4 acres+, 3,500 plants | Sells: Finished Tea | Facebook | InstagramAny others you know of? Let us know!
Also, be sure to visit the US League of Tea Growers and our recap of their first meeting.
