Adagio Teas

Location: New Jersey
Started: 9 Years Ago

Reason: The desire to introduce customers to an array of gourmet hand picked,
whole leaf teas and herbals sourced directly from growers around the world.

Mission: bring tea lovers in all corners of the United States and Canada fresh seasonal teas with abundant flavor and intoxicating aromas that will delight them daily.

Founder: Sophie Kreymerman’s – She was known for her tea, which she purchased from local Chinese markets.

Idea: Open a teashop, with a little computer in the back to do a bit of internet business.

Really took off when son Michael left his tech job and came home to mesh his business knowledge. This allowed Adagio Teas to reach beyond the local blocks. Choosing a name for the company: From Michaels knowledge of the search engines in the late 90’s they need a name also had to appear at the top of the alphabet (the way search engines of the late 90’s prioritized their searches). A brief read through the first few pages of the dictionary and Adagio was found. Sophie and Michael began filling orders from the tiny basement of their 3-bedroom starter-family-size ranch home. The first $10,000 shipment quickly filled the garage.

Adagio offered about 20 varieties of tea to start. 10 flavored, 3 blacks 3 greens and 3 oolongs. Nothing exotic – very basic. In about 18 months, the number were enough force adiogio to move out of their basement. The 10,000 sq ft space was found and moved into in September 2001 – Adagio’s former site in Clifton NJ. The old 4-story warehouse was formerly a silk factory with a now paved-over baseball diamond in the back, where in the 20’s the Yankees once played the “Clifton Silk Socks” on Sundays (a day that they were not allowed to play on in New York).

This first Adagio warehouse was on the top level, which required a 72-step walk up to the offices. In 2002 it was realized the extra space would be needed. If Adagio were only going to be an online tea company, they would have stayed in Clifton. But they continued to grow. With products such as the IngenuiTEA, AnTEAdote and a line of realiTEA teabags that are being sold in stores, the company needed the extra space. Adagio is no longer just a direct-to-consumer company, and retail opportunities are developing on a daily basis. Adagio is also in the process of developing its own glassware line, and the space will be needed for thousands of teapots, cups, pitchers and warmers.

Adagio Teas is now housed in a 26,000 sq ft warehouse in Garfield NJ, and has begun shipping from a 24,000 sq ft warehouse in Fresno CA. They now employ about 12 people – which may seem small but is a lot more than 3! At this time, I am happy to report that Sophie has returned to working part-time. The rest of her week is spent being a grandmother to Ilya’s newborn daughter, Sencha Genna Kreymerman. Hope she likes tea!