has no lead section . please help by adding an introductory section to this article . for more information see the layout guide and wikipedia s lead section guidelines to ensure the section will be inclusive of all the essential details . please discuss this issue on the article s talk page . february 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message this article relies largely or entirely upon a single source . relevant discussion may be found on the talk page . please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources . february 2016 this article relies too much on references to primary sources . please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources . august 2007 learn how and when to remove this template message the republic of tea type private industry beverage founded 1992 founder mel and patricia ziegler and bill rosenzweig headquarters novato ca usa products speciality teas owner ron rubin website www.republicoftea.com the republic of tea is a privately owned american company that blends and markets organic 1 and exotic teas from around the world . the republic of tea is known for packaging its loose teas 2 and tea bags 3 in tall cylindrical tea tins . it was one of the first companies to offer varieties such as rooibos red tea 4 white tea 5 and tea seed oil to american consumers . the republic of tea is based in novato california and has its major production factory located in nashville illinois near st. louis . in its marketing and labeling of tea the republic of tea company designates its employees as ministers customers as citizens and retail outlets as embassies . the company was founded in 1992 by entrepreneurs mel and patricia ziegler with bill rosenzweig after selling their interest in the original banana republic stores which the zieglers co founded . the founders of the company wrote a book detailing their experiences while starting a new tea business . in 1994 the zieglers and rosenzweig sold the company to ron rubin who had previous wine and beverage industry experience under whom the republic of tea has grown into a nationally recognized brand in specialty tea sales . published works edit the republic of tea the story of the creation of a business as told through the personal letters of its founders by mel ziegler bill rosenzweig and patricia ziegler 1992 isbn 0 385 42057 9 references edit tea certifications . loose tea . tea bags . rooibos . white tea . external links edit about the republic of tea tea types the citizens tea library this food and or confectionery corporation or company related article is a stub . you can help wikipedia by expanding it . v t e this tea related article is a stub . you can help wikipedia by expanding it . v t e retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title the republic of tea & oldid 710806546 categories tea brands in united statescompanies based in marin county californiafood company stubstea stubshidden categories wikipedia introduction cleanup from february 2016all pages needing cleanuppages missing lead sectionarticles covered by wikiproject wikify from february 2016all articles covered by wikiproject wikifyarticles needing additional references from february 2016all articles needing additional referencesarticles lacking reliable references from august 2007all articles lacking reliable referencesall stub articles navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages add links this page was last modified on 19 march 2016 at 04 11 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view