Co-founded by married couple Jamila and Ali Wright, Brooklyn Tea began as a love letter to culture, comfort, and community. Jamila, a Spelman graduate raised in Atlanta, and Ali, a lifelong entrepreneur born in Brooklyn, wanted to create a space that celebrated the healing power of tea while reflecting the vibrancy of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn—where our flagship tea room now thrives.

Our business started with a mission: to make high-quality tea more accessible, especially to communities often excluded from wellness spaces. We source our teas responsibly from across the globe and serve them in ways that foster comfort, conversation, and connection.

Today, we operate two brick-and-mortar tea rooms in Brooklyn and Atlanta, a growing e-commerce platform, and a new concept at JFK Airport’s Terminal 4 (launching through a joint venture with HMSHost this fall.)

As our footprint grows, so does our purpose. Brooklyn Tea exists to normalize rest, elevate ritual, and create economic opportunity—particularly for historically excluded entrepreneurs.

Our success is measured not only in revenue but in the lives we touch. We provide free tea and education to nonprofits focused on food insecurity, housing, and mental health. We offer our tea rooms as safe spaces for grassroots organizing and mutual aid events.

Each year, we award scholarships to students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. We compost our spent tea leaves for use in local urban gardens and honor community change-makers with our Brooklyn Tea Community Leadership Award. Our founders also serve on neighborhood and nonprofit boards, advocating for policies that support small businesses and economic equity.