Founded in 1972, Stash Tea Company originally operated out of an old Portland Victorian style house, supplying
loose herbal teas and bulk herbs to natural food stores. Starting in 1975, the company broadened its focus to
include bagged teas and then began to sell a full line of traditional, specialty blend and herbal teas directly to fine
restaurants and through a mail order catalog to consumers. Today, Stash Tea Company is one of the largest
specialty tea companies in the United States. The company derives its name from an entertaining aspect of tea
folklore. In earlier centuries, tea was a valuable commodity traditionally transported by clipper ship. The ship’s
captain often was presented with some of the finest teas for his personal use. This supply was his “stash,”
stowed carefully as his “private reserve.” Today, the term is still used to denote anything
put away carefully because of its preciousness.
