Maya Tea Company first sprouted roots in the mind of our founder, Manish Shah, who noted the rising popularity of chai tea. Born in India, Manish sipped chai throughout his childhood and into his adult life. To meet the demand for an authentic chai product, Manish and his brother Yash developed a chai blend reminiscent of the chai prepared by their mother in youth. Packaged in teabags for convenience and freshness, the new product was labeled “MY Chai” after the first initials of the two brothers’ first names. Later they developed the first chai tea that could be brewed using commercial coffee brewers for cafes and restaurants. As business grew they received requests from customers and retail clients for more traditional teas as well. The Maya Tea Company was born.
Over the years, Maya Tea has grown their catalog and customer base to host over 100 different blends of loose leaf teas, earth-friendly sachet tea bags, commercial iced teas, and amazing chai concentrates based on that same heritage recipe. Maya Tea Company continues to grow, and the initial efforts of Manish have generated today’s team of over twenty devoted, hard-working individuals who work endlessly to bring the best that the tea world has to offer into each individual cup. Enjoy!
Manish Shah was born in India, and spent much of his childhood in New York. At a young age, a business opportunity brought his family to Tucson, Arizona, where as an adult he would make his home. In the early 1990’s, Manish began to notice a rise in the popularity of chai tea, a drink traditionally served in India. This prompted the young entrepreneur to develop his own formulation of chai, which he began to sell at a small booth at a local farmers’ market in late 1996. Maya Tea Company was born. As the years progressed, the tea company blossomed and the farmers’ markets grew exponentially, and soon Manish was asked to take over their management. Those 2 markets have grown to 4 and the organization is an independent 501 3c non profit. Maya tea company has grown to provide over 100 varieties of tea. Eternally entrepreneurial, his eyes never close to opportunity, and those of us close to Manish are always on the lookout for what is next to come. Manish favors oolong varieties of tea, and highly recommends our Tie Kwan Yin.
A Tucson native, Joe Taylor has traveled far and wide across North America in search of adventure, knowledge and the best camping spots. Now back in his hometown, Joe combines over 20 years of experience working for some of the country's largest corporations, an indomitable drive and a keen organizational mind to keep Maya Tea's 10,000 square feet of production space humming. His favorite tea is Cinnamon Orange Spice Rooibos with a splash of milk.
Born and raised in Bombay India, Seema Gojra brings over 10 years of sales, logistics and customer service experience to Maya Tea's crew. After emigrating to the USA in 2008, Seema spent several years searching for a place to call home in the USA. Ultimately, she settled on warm and sunny Arizona and it wasn't long before she met Manish Shah through mutual business partners. With an energetic and bright personality, Seema is ideally equipped to manage the fast-paced and nuanced world of Maya Tea's Logistics Department. Her favorite tea is Original Black Chai.
True to her laid back SoCal roots, Jacoba is drawn to companies with good vibes. And Maya Tea is all about the positive energy! With her history of working with wine gift baskets, managing yoga and massage studios, or talking trails at your favorite local outdoor gear shop, she knows how to keep calm and address your sales and service needs with care. She likes her tea spicy or minty, and her current favorite is Cinnamon Orange Spice Rooibos Herbal.
With a diverse background, from construction to dance and circus theater, Michael brings a strong mix of the artistic and technical to product development. He loves to crunch the details and pan through the larger vision of a project. He is most comfortable in the unknown and constantly questions what is possible. Michael's mission at Maya is to innovate what exists in the world of tea, to envision what comes next and to push the limits of what can be done with a cup! To him every flavor has a character, every blend is a composition and every herb has a purpose. Whether it's the perfect taste or the best function, Michael is here to help you discover it. His favorite tea is Magnolia Oolong. Cheers!
Born and raised in Tucson, Anna seemed destined to find her way to Maya Tea. With a background in customer service, shipping, tea knowledge, and barista experience, she found Maya in 2019 after a couple year hiatus from the tea world and knew she was home. You can find Anna in the Shipping and Logistics Department helping crank out invoices, pulling and packing orders, and making sure things run smoothly. Ever a fan of unsweetened teas, some of Anna's favorites at Maya Tea are Four Horsemen and Cinnamon Orange Spice Rooibos both served hot. However, one of Anna's favorite exceptions to the unsweetened tea rule is Japanese Matcha served hot or iced with a bit of honey and soy milk as Matcha is simply delicious no matter what.