Stash Tea

Stash Tea Company is an American specialty tea and herbal tea brand based in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. It was established in 1972 by Steve Lee, Dave Leger, and Steven Smith, who began the business with approximately $7,000 in capital. The founders initially operated from the basement of a Victorian-era house in Portland, supplying bulk herbs, spices, and loose teas to natural-food stores. The business emerged during a period when interest in natural foods and herbal products was expanding in the United States, and it developed an early focus on distinctive ingredients and custom blends. A significant early development came in 1975, when Stash moved into bagged teas and introduced a mail-order catalog. This placed the company among the early American businesses to market bagged herbal teas directly to consumers. Stash also built a substantial food-service business, supplying restaurants and other institutional customers; according to the company history reported in reference material, food service at one point accounted for about 80 percent of sales. The company’s product range subsequently broadened to include both conventional tea and herbal infusions in bagged and loose-leaf formats. The name Stash refers to a historical tea-shipping tradition in which a clipper-ship captain retained a private reserve, or “stash,” of particularly good tea. The brand’s identity has therefore been associated with discovery, variety, and accessible specialty tea rather than with a single tea origin or one narrowly defined preparation method. Stash’s ownership history is closely connected to Yamamotoyama, a Japanese tea company. Yamamotoyama began working with Stash in 1977 as its West Coast tea packager. It acquired a minority stake in 1979 and increased its ownership over the following decade. After a contested acquisition process, Yamamotoyama purchased the remaining shares in the summer of 1993, making Stash a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamamotoyama of America, the Japanese company’s United States division. Stash has continued to operate as a distinct consumer tea brand within that ownership structure. The company distributes products through grocery and other retail channels, food-service customers, wholesale accounts, and online sales. Its products are sold in the United States and in more than two dozen other countries. Stash has also worked with the U.S. Commercial Service in efforts to expand into overseas markets, including Brazil, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and countries in Central America. Stash has developed a visible sustainability and responsible-business profile. In September 2017, it became a Certified B Corporation, indicating that it met B Lab standards concerning social and environmental performance, transparency, and legal accountability. In 2018, the company redesigned its packaging and obtained Non-GMO Project Verification for all of its tea-bag blends. The company operated a retail store at the Bridgeport Village shopping complex in Tigard beginning in 2005. That location closed in 2022 after the lease expired. In July 2022, Stash announced plans to move its headquarters from Tigard to a 7,000-square-foot space in downtown Portland near Director Park. The proposed site was intended to combine corporate offices with a retail store and tea bar. The available reference material states that the planned location had not opened as of May 2026 and that no alternative plans had been publicly released. Stash therefore remains best understood as an active, internationally distributed packaged-tea brand whose business is primarily conducted through commercial distribution rather than a large company-owned retail footprint.

Stash Tea Company was founded in 1972 in the Portland, Oregon, area by Steve Lee, Dave Leger, and Steven Smith. The founders started with roughly $7,000 and worked from the basement of a Victorian-era house. Their first business centered on bulk herbs, spices, and loose teas sold to natural-food stores. Steven Smith developed relationships with growers in central Oregon, including producers in Prineville and Madras, and worked with them to harvest peppermint to particular specifications. He personally delivered the ingredient for processing into Stash blends. In 1975, Stash expanded from bulk products into bagged teas and began distributing a mail-order catalog. This was an important step in the development of the American herbal-tea market because it combined packaged convenience with the company’s natural-products orientation. Stash also developed a restaurant and institutional supply business. Food service became a major part of the company’s activity and reportedly represented as much as 80 percent of sales at one point. The company explains its name through a maritime tea tradition: a clipper-ship captain was traditionally allowed to retain a small private reserve of especially fine tea. The idea provided the brand with a name linked to quality and personal discovery while leaving room for a broad portfolio of teas and herbal infusions. Stash’s connection with Yamamotoyama began in 1977, when the Japanese tea company became Stash’s West Coast packager. Yamamotoyama purchased a 25-percent interest in Stash in 1979 and increased its holdings over the next decade. After a contested acquisition process, Yamamotoyama acquired the remaining shares in the summer of 1993. Stash consequently became a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamamotoyama of America, the American division of Yamamotoyama. The brand remained separately identified in the marketplace rather than being absorbed into the Yamamotoyama name. Over time, Stash developed a multichannel distribution model covering food service, retail, wholesale, and direct online sales. The product portfolio includes bagged teas, loose-leaf teas, herbal preparations, and blended specialty products. The company has sold in the United States and in more than two dozen other countries. Its international development has included work with the U.S. Commercial Service and market activity in countries and regions such as Brazil, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Central America. Stash also pursued formal sustainability and governance credentials. In September 2017, it became a Certified B Corporation. The certification is associated with B Lab’s standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and legal accountability. In 2018, Stash redesigned its packaging and secured Non-GMO Project Verification for all of its tea-bag blends. The brand’s physical retail presence included a store opened in 2005 at Bridgeport Village in Tigard. That store closed in 2022 when its lease ended. In July of the same year, Stash announced a proposed headquarters relocation to downtown Portland. The planned 7,000-square-foot site near Director Park was intended to contain corporate offices and a retail store with a tea bar. The available reference material reports that the proposed location had not opened as of May 2026 and that no alternative plan had been announced. Stash’s historical development therefore runs from a small Portland-area natural-food supplier to a packaged-tea company with international distribution and Japanese corporate ownership.

• 2022

  Tigard store closed and Portland relocation announced

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Bridgeport Village store closed after its lease expired, while Stash announced a proposed move of its headquarters and retail activity to downtown Portland.

• 2018

  Packaging redesign and Non-GMO verification

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company redesigned its packaging and obtained Non-GMO Project Verification for all tea-bag blends.

• 2017

  Certified B Corporation status

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Stash became a Certified B Corporation under B Lab’s standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

• 2005

  Tigard retail store opened

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Stash opened a company retail store at the Bridgeport Village shopping complex in Tigard, Oregon.

• 1993

  Stash became a wholly owned subsidiary

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Yamamotoyama acquired Stash’s remaining shares after a contested acquisition process, making Stash part of Yamamotoyama of America.

• 1979

  Yamamotoyama acquired a minority stake

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Yamamotoyama purchased a 25-percent interest in Stash and increased its holdings during the following decade.

• 1977

  Yamamotoyama began packaging Stash products

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Yamamotoyama became Stash’s West Coast tea packager, beginning a long-term relationship that later developed into full ownership.

• 1975

  Expansion into bagged tea and mail order

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Stash introduced bagged teas and a mail-order catalog, broadening its reach beyond bulk products and trade customers.

• 1972

  Stash Tea was founded

  [1]Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Steve Lee, Dave Leger, and Steven Smith established Stash in the Portland area, initially selling bulk herbs, spices, and loose teas to natural-food stores.

Accessible specialty tea with a broad selection of conventional, herbal, bagged, and loose-leaf blends, supported by natural-products heritage and responsible-business credentials.

• Packaged tea · 1975

  Bagged teas

  Bagged tea is one of Stash’s foundational product formats. The company entered this segment in 1975 after initially selling bulk herbs, spices, and loose teas. Its bagged range includes conventional tea and herbal blends designed for convenient home, workplace, hospitality, and food-service preparation.

• Herbal infusion

  Herbal teas

  Herbal teas are central to Stash’s natural-products heritage. The company began by handling bulk herbs and developed blends using ingredients such as peppermint. Herbal products are offered primarily in convenient tea-bag formats alongside the broader specialty-tea portfolio.

• Loose tea · 1972

  Loose-leaf teas

  Loose-leaf tea reflects Stash’s original business model, which supplied loose teas and other botanical ingredients to natural-food stores. The format remains part of the company’s specialty range and serves consumers and professional customers seeking preparation beyond standard tea bags.

• Food service

  Food-service tea products

  Food-service products are supplied to restaurants and other institutional customers. This channel became an especially important part of Stash’s business during its development and at one point reportedly represented most of its sales.

• 2022

  Planned headquarters move to downtown PortlandStrategy

  Background

  Stash’s Tigard retail store closed after the Bridgeport Village lease expired, creating an opportunity to reconsider the company’s physical presence.

  Action taken

  Stash announced plans to move its headquarters into a 7,000-square-foot downtown Portland space near Director Park and proposed adding a retail store with a tea bar.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material reports that the proposed location had not opened as of May 2026 and that no alternative plans had been publicly released.

  Source

• 2018

  Packaging and product-verification updateStrategy

  Background

  Stash followed its B Corporation certification with changes to the presentation and verification of its tea-bag range.

  Action taken

  The company redesigned its packaging and obtained Non-GMO Project Verification for all tea-bag blends.

  Aftermath

  The changes strengthened the brand’s natural-products and transparency credentials without changing its core tea formats.

  Source

• 2017

  Stash pursued Certified B Corporation statusStrategy

  Background

  The company sought formal recognition of its social and environmental practices and governance standards.

  Action taken

  Stash became a Certified B Corporation in September 2017.

  Aftermath

  The certification became part of Stash’s responsible-business positioning and required attention to performance, transparency, and accountability standards.

  Source

• 1993

  Yamamotoyama completed the acquisition of StashM&A

  Background

  Yamamotoyama had packaged Stash products since 1977 and had acquired a 25-percent stake in 1979 before gradually increasing its ownership.

  Action taken

  Following a contested acquisition process, Yamamotoyama purchased the remaining Stash shares and made the company a wholly owned subsidiary of Yamamotoyama of America.

  Aftermath

  Stash continued to operate as a distinct tea brand within Yamamotoyama’s United States corporate structure.

  Source

• 1975

  Stash entered the bagged-tea marketProduct launch

  Background

  The company had begun as a supplier of bulk herbs, spices, and loose teas to natural-food stores.

  Action taken

  Stash introduced bagged teas and launched a mail-order catalog, creating a more accessible consumer format and a direct sales channel.

  Aftermath

  The move helped establish Stash as an early American seller of packaged herbal teas and broadened the company beyond bulk and food-service trade.

  Source

1. 1Stash Tea Companyen.wikipedia.org