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The Republic of Tea

Type	Private
Founded	1992
Headquarters	Novato, CA
Industry	Beverage
Products	Tea
Website	www.republicoftea.com

The Republic of Tea is a company that markets organic and exotic teas from around the world. The company was founded in 1992 by Mel and Patricia Ziegler with Bill Rosenzweig after selling their interest in the original Banana Republic stores, which the Zieglers co-founded .

The Republic of Tea is based in Novato, California, but with its major production factory in Nashville, Illinois. The founders of the company authored a book detailing their exchanges while conceiving the company. In 1994, the founders sold the company to Ron Rubin under whom the company has grown into a nationally-recognized category leader in specialty tea sales.

The Republic of Tea designates its employees as ministers, customers as citizens and retail outlets as embassies. It was one of the first companies to retail varieties such as red tea, white tea, and tea seed oil to American consumers. For several years, canisters of tea could be bought in Barnes & Noble stores, and is now sold at Panera Bread.

[edit] Published works

• The Republic of Tea: The Story of the Creation of a Business, as Told Through the Personal Letters of Its Founders by Mel Ziegler, Bill Rosenzweig, and Patricia Ziegler, 1992) ISBN 0-385-42057-9

[edit] External links

• Republic of Tea website

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