Brooklyn startup Teasäne highlights botanicals in debut line of teas, supplements, and topical creams
Launched last month, Teasäne is targeting consumers who take a proactive stance with their health, Friedman told NutraIngredients-USA.
“With access to the latest trends in health and natural remedies, today’s connected consumers are both savvy and educated when it comes to making the right choices for their health,” he said.
“While exercise and good nutrition are the foundations of good health, many consumers are recognizing the power of natural products and herbs on their good health and embracing the likes of functional herbal teas as an easy and effective way to be proactive with their good health.”
Offering a diverse product range
The start-up’s product portfolio can be divided into five groups. This includes traditional loose-leaf, as well as ‘Wellness Teas,’ a line of loose-leaf tea and tisane, in which each blend is positioned for functional benefits (There’s ‘Energize’ with dandelion, nettle, lemon verbena, and more; or ‘Good Heart’ with milk thistle, horsetail, and fennel).
Also in the product portfolio is a line of bottled herbal extracts, also positioned according to functional benefits, and two capsule supplements—Seaweed Complex and Spirulina Complex. In the cosmetic space, Teasäne has a tea-based face cream.
Finally, the company offers kits, which are boxes filled with a combination of loose-leaf tea, an extract, and a supplement selected from the different lines to help meet one functional goal.
“Over a period of three decades, Sara Maayan, our master herbalist, has used [herbs] as sources to provide natural remedies to thousands of people for their many different health needs,” Friedman said.
“While much of this was in the form of tea blends, supplements and creams using these herbs was a natural extension as the underlying botanical ingredients work in unison to provide the same beneficial effects in various platforms, be it topical creams, supplements or in a hot cup of tea. Thus, the Teasäne brand connects these seemingly disparate products with the uniformity and efficacy of the central ingredients throughout all product – natural herbs.”
Sourcing herbs for proprietary blends
Developing products in the botanical space makes one at risk to come across adulterated ingredients. To reduce this risk, Friedman said his company only purchases ingredients from European dealers who have received ISO and HACCP licensing and are supervised by a local health ministry.
Staff herbologist also impart their expertise on researching locations where herbs are cultivated. "They look for regions that have not been exposed to any disease or stress, as these premium regions yield higher quality, more potent herbs," Friedman said.
"We also source herbs that are harvested at the most optimal time in each plant's life, which can be different for each herb. For example, herbs such as chamomile, are best harvested just before the flower fully blossoms, whole other herbs like ginseng, are harvested after the foliage fades."
An online first launch with heavy emphasis on online education
The company, still in its early stage, has eight employees in total. It is currently available for purchase on its website (where consumers can also subscribe to a product for monthly deliveries) as well as Amazon. But Friedman said that the company is looking into retail distribution next.
“We chose this strategy to provide consumers with the added convenience of ordering our products within the comfort of their own homes, in addition to purchasing in store at on brand health and wellness retailers. An important consideration for this strategy is that Teasäne is not just about the product. The brand is about education. Teasäne looks to educate consumers on the variety of its ingredients and how these ingredients interact with each other for a synergistic effect on one’s health,” he said.
In fact, the company has several nutrtionists on board that help provide educational content in the form of blog posts.
“We want to encourage consumers to visit the website, even as we roll out to select stores, such as those in the Health Food segment, as the proprietors of these stores will better understand the role of the herbs in the Teasäne products and can also educate consumers as to the best selection of Teasäne products for each consumer and their particular lifestyle.”
