Exploring Life & Business with Lisa of TeaHaus

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa.

Hi Lisa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I have always enjoyed tea but it wasn’t a big part of my life growing up. It wasn’t until I was living in Germany, teaching at the university of Tübingen and working as a consultant, that I became more “into” it. Germany is the largest tea purchasing country and there is a tea store in every town. I was doing some consulting work for a tea testing facility and was educated and certified as a tea sommelier. Once I returned to the US, I decided to bring the high quality, German tested tea to the US.
I opened TeaHaus almost 18 years ago with my 2 year old and 3 day old boys in tow. Both my youngest and my store will celebrate their 18th birthdays in December. My Haus is like my home and my customers, my guests. I love my community!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I opened the store with two very young children and in the midst of one of Michigan’s worst recession. It was tough. I am very lucky to have had a landlord who wanted to support small local businesses and though he thought I was a bit crazy, he gave me a chance and a faire lease.
Obviously there have been many ups and downs. Many VERY late nights and VERY long days have made being a mom and a business owner a challenge.
COVID hit all small businesses quite hard. The daily need to “pivot”, rethink, readjust and just keep going was hard. We closed part of the business to focus on serving free meals and did between 300-500/week for over 2 year whilst renovating and pivoting, surviving and writing an educational book about tea.
Now, tariffs and the uncertainty of international trade, climate change and several other local and international factors make running a small business seem almost impossible but I have the best customers who have been with us through it all and I am sure they will stick with us despite all of the challenges many of us face.

As you know, we’re big fans of TeaHaus. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
TeaHaus was established almost 18 years ago in Ann Arbor. We sell over 200 loose leaf teas, tea accessories, in Haus made pastries and other treats, teas to enjoy in the store/cafe or to go and great tea infused cocktails and zero-proof bar creations.
We are a laptop and wifi free space so that one can connect by disconnecting. Customers play games, read books, knit, chat, come to trivia or live music nights and can just be present.

Our 200+ teas are all tested for pesticides and heavy metals regardless of where or how they are grown and we are proud of the quality we sell. We are here to educate about tea as much as we are here to sell it. I have traveled to visit many tea farmers and still do consulting in the field.

Wiley publishing asked me to write Tea for Dummies during the pandemic and along with my amazing co-author and friend, Jill, we were published! It is a great read for those who want to take a deep dive into tea.

We also offer tea tasting classes, tea and food pairing events, tea and cocktail nights as well a private event space for showers, celebrations or even business meetings. You can also order custom pastries, French macarons, cakes and tea infused treats for your gatherings. We can always help pick a perfect tea for you or for a gift.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Shopping local is always the key to a small business’s success. We wholesale tea to many cafes and restaurants as well as help develop bar menus and recipes using tea.
We love it when two small businesses and share ideas and come up with something unique and special.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://TeaHaus.com
• Instagram: teahaus_annarbor
• Facebook: TeaHaus Ann Arbor