Peruvian American Entrepreneur Starts Environmentally-Conscious Business Treecup Tea

BY KRISTAL SOTOMAYOR ON OCTOBER 15, 2020

Treecup tea founder Mark Sotomayor. (Photo courtesy of Treecup Tea)

Environmentally-conscious consumers are often confronted with the question: how can we buy the goods we want and not contribute to climate change? Treecup Tea founder Mark Sotomayor sets out to address the need for environmentally sustainable business practices. The tea company plants a tree in Haiti for each bottle sold to address the issue of deforestation, hence their motto “buy a tea, plant a tree.”

Presente Media spoke with Founder and CEO Mark Sotomayor, who is of Peruvian descent about the crowdfunding campaign he is currently working on and about revolutionizing the way consumer products affect our environment. 

How did you get started?

I always wanted to be an entrepreneur but I got started with Treecup when my mom made me a pitcher of my grandma’s Peruvian Chai tea on Labor Day 2017. I drank the whole pitcher, and after the last sip I said “Mom, this tea’s so good you could sell it.” She replied, “You study entrepreneurship, why don’t you?”  The light bulb went off, I had been looking for a product to take to market, and it seemed like a bottled beverage could do the trick!

Why do you think it’s important to reforest Haiti?

Haiti is about 80% deforested now, after having to pay war reparations to the French for almost 150 years after they won their independence in the early 1800’s. They had no other choice but to repay using much of the natural hardwood lumber found in Haiti. In addition, Haiti was left high and dry by the rest of the world after they became an independent nation. They don’t have access to the resources, markets, opportunities, and the education that the rest of the world does.

Treecup tea sustainable bottles. (Photo courtesy of Treecup Tea)

How did you learn about tea production?

My mom taught me pretty much everything I know. In concept it’s simple - brewing hot water and steeping loose leaf tea leaves. The timing, temperature, and finely-measured amounts of ingredients is everything. After I learned how to brew our first recipe, the Peruvian Chai, I went into our loose leaf tea distributor, called Prestogeorge, to smell and purchase small quantities of other ingredients, to play around with making new blends. I came up with a black tea infused with cedar firs and juniper berries, called Lumberjack Black, a jasmine tea infused with five different types of berries and rose petals called Berry Jasmine, and a green tea infused with lemon peels, ginseng, and spearmint called Ginsyin & Yang. I always wanted to be a chef, so it’s pretty cool to be able to be a “tea chef” these days.

How did you get connected with Haiti Friends?

Serendipitously. A few weeks into selling grandma’s tea, I was looking for ways to differentiate my tea business from the rest. I decided to add a social cause, but didn’t know what - I was looking through non-profits that clean up pollution, make wells in Africa, and I thought those were cool but none of them stuck. Then, I went to sell tea at a local market and met Dave, who was an entrepreneurship professor at a local college. He asked me where I was in my business development process, and I told him that I’d like to attach a social cause to my brand. He proceeded to tell me about a local non-profit which he sits on the board for, called Haiti Friends, and how they combat Haitian deforestation. I thought to myself “buy a tea, plant a tree” immediately, asked for the director’s number, and after finding out each tree would cost us about $.40, we decided to start the partnership. The rest is history! So far, we’ve planted 18,000 trees in Haiti’s deforested Artibonite Valley.

What’s your favorite tea flavor?

I drink the Ginsyin & Yang most often! It gives me the punch of caffeine I need to be productive.

How can folks buy your tea?

Check out: www.treecuptea.com!