YAUPON BROTHERS AMERICAN TEA CO. WINS MADE IN THE SOUTH AWARD
14th Annual Garden & Gun Magazine Awards Names Acclaimed New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater-Based Yaupon Tea Company as the 2023 Made in the South Sustainability Winner
Edgewater, Florida — Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. has been awarded a prestigious Made in the South Award from Charleston, SC based magazine Garden & Gun. The New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, FL based American tea company was presented with the special Sustainability Award in the 14th Annual Garden & Gun Magazine Made in the South Awards.
The winners and runners-up for each category are prominently featured in the magazine's December 2023/January 2024 issue, on newsstands now. In their news release, Garden & Gun editor in chief David DiBenedetto said the goal of the Made in the South Awards (MITSA) is to showcase Southern builders and small businesses.
"Year after year, we continue to be blown away by the passion and creativity of the talented artisans from across the South who share their craft with us," said David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun. "It is an honor for us to be able to shine a light on these Southern makers and create a transformational moment for many of these small businesses."
Bryon White, co-Founder and CEO of Yaupon Brothers said, “For a Florida-based company working with an indigenous plant endemic to the Southeastern United States, it’s deeply rewarding and humbling to be recognized by a beloved and prestigious publication like Garden & Gun.
“We started Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. to bring this delicious, nutritious, and 100% American made tea to American consumers, and 2023 has been a banner year for our company. Receiving a Made in the South Award from Garden & Gun is a great honor, and it’s also a seal of approval of our acclaimed Yaupon teas and validation of our growing company as we work to rebuild the American tea industry.”
White also said receiving the Sustainability Award was a huge endorsement of the company’s founding commitment to regenerative agriculture and sustainability, saying “Yaupon - the only 100% American native, regenerative, and sustainable crop with a low carbon footprint - we take our commitment to regenerative agriculture and sustainability seriously. And we will continue to keep our commitment to the environment as we grow our company.”
In announcing the Sustainability Award, Garden & Gun showcased on their website and in the magazine Yaupon Brothers acclaimed Lavender Coconut tea.
“Whole Foods named Yaupon the #1 top ten food trend for 2023, Forbes Magazine called 2023 ‘The Year of Yaupon’, Bon Appétit named our Lavender Coconut one of their favorite herbal teas, and Men’s Health named our American Green ‘Best New Tea,” said Kyle White, Yaupon Brothers co-Founder and Head of Commercial Sales. “Receiving the Sustainability Award from Garden & Gun is more evidence that Yaupon tea is finally getting the recognition it deserves as not just a delicious tea, but also as an American made alternative to imported tea. This Made in the South Award will introduce even more people to Yaupon tea and will help further our mission of bringing sustainable, 100% American grown to consumers and re-building the American tea industry.”
About Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co.
Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. was founded by brothers Bryon and Kyle White in 2012 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida to bring back the lost practice of making a caffeinated herbal tea from America’s only native caffeine source - the Yaupon Holly tree. Yaupon Brothers is one of the original American Yaupon tea brands, is the largest producer of Yaupon Holly tea in North America, and is leading the rebuilding of the American tea industry.
Yaupon Brothers is focused on building a new and viable ecosystem through the growing, production, and manufacturing of Yaupon Holly leaves in climate-friendly ways for specific use in our Yaupon teas and other Yaupon-based products. In the process, we aim to improve the local economies in which we work through our own localized, inclusive, and values-driven supply chains. We will also utilize access to equitable workforce development programs that lift people, families, and communities and help build generational wealth.
About Yaupon Holly Tea
Yaupon /ˈyôpän/ comes from the naturally caffeinated leaves of the Yaupon Holly tree and is the only caffeinated plant native to North America. Yaupon contains around 30% less caffeine than coffee but also serves up a healthy dose of theophylline and theobromine, which complement the caffeine to provide a smooth and jitter-free energy boost with no crash. Like its South American cousin, the Yerba Mate, Yaupon has dozens of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants to fortify the body and calm the mind.
Yaupon is native to the American Southeast, so it needs less fertilizers, pesticides, and inputs than non-native crops. Yaupon provides equal or greater per-acre economics than more conventional crops like cotton, peanuts, soybeans, pecans, citrus and many others. Yaupon is productive for as long as 100 years. It stabilizes the soil, prevents erosion, and creates beneficial habitat for wildlife, while also creating economic opportunities.
About Garden & Gun
Garden & Gun is a multiplatform media company that celebrates stories of the American South through powerful journalism, bold photography, exquisite design, and finely curated retail and experiential journeys. The brand is anchored by its award-winning national magazine launched in 2007, Garden & Gun, which reports on the South's sporting culture, food, music, art, literature, and its people and their ideas. The coveted audience of 1.6 million is further engaged through numerous New York Times best-selling books, Fieldshop by Garden & Gun retail experience, the Garden & Gun Club restaurants, and 75+ events each year. Visit gardenandgun.com.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Amanda Crumley at amanda@ilexbrands.com or (310) 402-8869.
