Business Spotlight: Dae Tea
Thomas and Ben
Dae Tea
Meet Ben and Thomas of Dae Tea! Dae, a lifestyle tea brand, (better known as Hwa Gung Tea 華 剛 茶 業 in Taiwan), traces its roots back to 1918 when the family business first laid its foundation in Taiwan and opened their modest tea shop a few years later in 1923. To build upon this legacy and preserve family traditions, fifth generation brothers Ben and Thomas are introducing high mountain Taiwanese tea in New York under the Dae brand.
Give us a brief background on yourself and your business!
We’re Ben and Thomas, brothers from Dae Tea, better known as Hwa Gung Tea in Taiwan, a five-generation family business that has been crafting premium Taiwanese tea since 1918. Our lineage of tea masters have honed a time-honored production, appraisal, and ranking process, where only the smallest fraction of our harvest make it into our highest-graded line of teas. Our most premium collection titled HGT, named after the high elevation Hwa Gung region (2,500m), represents a century of refined craftsmanship that has garnered several international awards from competitions in Belgium, France and Japan, and widely regarded as one of the finest teas in the world.
To build upon this legacy and preserve family traditions, we launched Dae Tea and have been introducing our family story this past year in New York. With a focus on supporting artists and creatives, we have been inspired by the many community building events we’ve been a part of and have witnessed how our family’s tea brings people of all walks of life together - from designers in fashion to the NYU student population and the Chinatown community - just like we saw in our grandpa’s tea house growing up. For us, Dae Tea is a vessel to connect with fellow creators, encourage our personal and collective growth, and share our family story one cup at a time.
How did you start your business, and what inspired you?
Each generation of our family built upon the legacy of the previous through innovation and refinement in our production process. One fun fact, our grandpa was the first to successfully plant a tea tree in the now famed Dayuling region in 1968, paving the way for many tea farmers to follow suit. And now two generations later, our cousin Johnny leads the business in Taiwan and has directed our focus to producing the highest-grade connoisseur tea. His relentless pursuit of excellence has inspired us to push our family story forward here in the U.S. and continue the legacy of our ancestors by sharing the very best of Taiwanese tea.
In February 2020, we hosted our first tea time on Canal Street and were inspired by the diverse community that came out. We wanted to host monthly tea times to bring creatives together and support each other’s growth. One month later, the pandemic hit and everything came to a standstill. We were able to rethink and build the foundation for the Dae brand and launch it around our passion in promoting the creative community.
How does your identity as an Asian American influence your work?
Our parents immigrated to the states in the 1980s and growing up there wasn’t much Asian American representation in mainstream culture. We grew up gravitating towards hoops and hip hop culture while a pot of tea was always brewing in the house. It’s a constant balance for us, even when it came to introducing the Dae brand. Not only do we feel a responsibility to represent our family, but also a thirst to speak for our Asian American experience. That’s our sauce. We’ve seen so much progress in the Asian American community in recent years - from representation in media, entertainment, music, fashion, and the rise of the creator community and small businesses. It’s been inspiring to see all of these Asian Americans working collectively to push our culture forward. For us, promoting the lifestyle of drinking tea and building stronger connections through tea times puts our family’s stamp on this generation’s AAPI community.
Why is it important for you as an AAPI to be involved in the Chinatown community?
Collaborating with businesses and creatives in the Chinatown community has been extremely important to us. Chinatown is where our culture is authentically represented and carries the pulse of the city. Growing up in New Jersey, Chinatown was the only neighborhood our family would visit when we went to New York. It was always a treat when we trekked to Chinatown on special occasions to take advantage of a full day of Asian grocery shopping, develop our film photos, and enjoy dim sum favorites such as Golden Unicorn. The streets were always bustling and crowded, but over the years we’ve seen so many of our family’s favorite Chinatown businesses come and go. Through Dae Tea, we want to see the Chinatown community continue to thrive and grow so that future generations can continue to be patrons and create joyful memories in Chinatown just like we did growing up.
What small business in Chinatown inspires you, and why?
Fellow five-generation business Wing on Wo & Co. has been such an inspiration as we’ve learned about the evolution of their family business over the generations and the resilience of their current owner Mei, who stepped in to continue her family’s legacy. It is inspiring to hear how Mei pivoted from a traditional brick and mortar to establishing a strong online sales channel, especially enduring the hardships that the entire community faced during the pandemic. Furthermore, her intentional W.O.W. Project initiative works to protect and grow the Chinatown community through arts, culture and activism.
What’s your favorite item that you sell?
Journey of Taiwan Collection - Tea drinkers will discover classic oolong teas from the most prominent tea regions in Taiwan, from the time-honored Dong Ding region to the premium LiShan high mountain region. Each tea leaf is strictly plucked by hand from the highest quality tea gardens. All of them epitomize timeless tasting profiles that take oolong tea connoisseurs on a palate journey through Taiwan. We also offer a more unique take on traditional tea rituals by cold brewing and serving it in champagne glasses, just as some of our restaurant partners in Taiwan are doing today. The smooth mouthfeel and elegant taste brings forth an elevated experience.
What’s the best way to stay in touch and support your work?
It’s a real treat for us to connect with people from all walks of life at our tasting events and hearing everyone’s personal stories. We love meeting new tea drinkers who also enjoy sharing our teas with family and friends. We appreciate the support of community members that continue to follow our journey on Instagram and also offer resources and tips in helping us grow. Follow us on Instagram @daetea.co and check out more of our story and products on www.daetea.co!
What are your go-to spots in Chinatown, and your must-buy items from there?
Taiwan Pork Chop House - Salt and Pepper Chicken
Wah Fung Fast Food - Char Siu
Do you have any exciting plans for your small business that you want our followers to know?
We’re looking to launch a temporary pop up shop this summer bringing together various artists, creatives and small businesses. We will be piloting an in-store tea experience serving a cold brew option along with other fresh teas. Stay tuned!
If you’d like to support Dae Tea, visit their website.
