Jamila Wright is the co-owner of Brooklyn Tea, a quaint organic tea shop located in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Wright and her husband Alfonso initially launched the business online in 2017 until they eventually opened their brick-and-mortar shop. Wright, who hails from Atlanta, spoke with Target’s Revelations series about the process of building Brooklyn Tea from the ground up and why community has played a key role in the business’ growth.
The busy entrepreneur first grew passionate about tea after she began dating Alfonso in 2014. The pair would often spend their time “tea hopping” learning about the warm beverage and its bevy of health benefits. Wright said that she and her husband wanted to create an environment where tea lovers could unite and bond over their love of tea. They also wanted to create a space where people could build a sense of family.
Brooklyn Tea’s buzzing community members blossomed over the pandemic as customers flocked to the shop to finds ways of using tea to boost their immune system. Wright and her husband created an “Immunity Box” filled with different types of natural teas known to boost the body’s immune system as a response to their growing customer base. It was such a success that celebs like Shonda Rhimes and Beyonce both gave shout-outs to the Black-owned business. Wright says sales have skyrocketed since then.
For Wright, Brooklyn Tea isn’t just about business. It’s about creating generational wealth and passing down inspiration to the next generation to strive for equity and ownership.
Listen to Brooklyn Tea’s story down below.
