Frequent fliers at John F. Kennedy International Airport now have a new place to sip before their flights. Brooklyn Tea has expanded beyond its Lewis Avenue location in Bedford-Stuyvesant and has landed in Terminal 4.
Founded by Spelman College alum Jamila Wright and her Brooklyn-born-and-bred husband, Alfonso “Ali” Wright, the business opened its first brick-and-mortar store in 2018 and has since expanded to Atlanta and now to JFK Airport, making it the first Black-owned tea shop in any airport in the United States.
“We want this to be a gateway for other people, whether it's tea or another business," Jamila Wright said, referring to other Black business owners who want to expand. "There's room."
The opportunity came along when a friend invited them to a career fair with the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, which was searching for small local businesses with street-side experiences to give a taste of New York to passengers.
“I didn’t even know there were airport opportunities for small businesses, because to our understanding, it was just major companies that came in,” Wright told BK Reader.
The 10-year licensing deal with HMS Host allows them to have their own storefront near Gate B29 with their own products, and sell loose-leaf tea bags and other Brooklyn Tea products in Terminals 1 and Terminal 8, including at Hudson News.
“We wanted tea to be spread everywhere, knowing the health benefits, knowing the self-care part of it, the ritual of it all. You don’t want this to be the thing you gatekeep," she said.
Sustaining the culture of Brooklyn Tea as it expanded to a busy retail venue was very important, Wright said. This included training the staff on the history of the shop and maintaining a Brooklyn "bestie" connection to customers.
While the Brooklyn Tea mothership houses about 150 different types of tea, the airport location has about 11 of their most popular, including matcha, lavender earl grey, and masala chai, amongst others.
With so many other large corporate vendors at the airport, Brooklyn Tea is doing its part to set itself apart through community, education and quality.
“With our own customers, especially with our folks who are taking tea bags, we meet them where they are," said Wright, who has trained her employees to tell customers when to toss out their tea bag for the best sip.
"Hey, [if] you have black tea, you can toss the bag out in five minutes. Just one tip to make a difference in their experience," she said.
Catch your next cup of zen at Brooklyn Tea at their new location in Terminal 4 of JFK Airport near Gate B29.
