Greater Chicago Area
I am the co-founder and President of Tiesta Tea Company. Tiesta Tea is a tea company on a mission to make loose leaf tea understandable, accessible and affordable. We specialize in sourcing over 150 ingredients from across the globe and blending them into loose leaf teas and herbal beverages. We started Tiesta Tea in 2010 as seniors in college while attending the University of Illinois-Chicago. Since starting the business, we've sold over 100mm worth of tea, secured over 9mm in equity financing, and we've built three water wells in Nigeria. In 2018, my co-founder and I were featured by Inc. Magazine as a 30 Under 30 Rising Stars. In our 12 years at Tiesta Tea, we've worked with or currently work with companies like Costco, Target, Fresh Thyme, Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, WinCo, Albertsons and many others. We operate our own. 44,000 SQ FT tea distribution center for importing and exporting, and we have 40+ total employees at Tiesta Tea. I am a people-focused business person, and I believe in doing business with high respect, morals, and values. I have a strong passion for entrepreneurship, and I love helping other people chase their dreams. I believe anyone can do anything if they truly care and put the effort into it. In addition to selling tea, I believe in giving back to the community. We currently have three philanthropic events that we contribute to (Spread the Warmth, Extra Special Teas, I Grow Chicago) every year to help serve our communities. I'm also a public speaker as I speak at U of I, UIC and others universities across the state of Illinois to discuss entrepreneurship. In my personal life, I love to travel to new countries and experience new adventures. I love to play sports and experience heated competition. I love to enhance my relationships with my friends and family, and I love to succeed and bring entrepreneurship to more people who didn't know they could do it.
Tiesta Tea is a Chicago-based wholesaler of loose leaf tea products and accessories. Tiesta Tea is on a mission to make loose tea understandable, accessible and affordable to mainstream consumers. Tiesta Tea works closely with grocery stores across the country to help them capture the growing demand for loose tea. During inception, the company was granted $30,000 from U of I to get started. Since then, the company has grown from zero to over 6000+ stores worldwide with product distribution in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and the Middle East. The company has sold product to Fortune 500 companies including Target, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Vitamin Shoppe, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods Market and more. Tiesta Tea is the fastest growing company in the specialty tea industry (according to 2015 Nielsen Data).
Patrick frequently visits entrepreneurship classes across the state of Illinois to share his experiences with Tiesta Tea and how to leverage the University to start a business.