Hank & John Green launch new charity tea shop to fight the world's deadliest disease

What’s the tea on Hank and John Green?

Well, since last August, the author-activist-educator-entertainer brother duo has been behind a do-good e-commerce platform called Good Store. 

All of the profits they make go toward charitable endeavors, like building a women’s hospital to fight maternal mortality in Sierra Leone. This is done through a long-term partnership with global health nonprofit Partners in Health.

Along with subscriptions for staples like socks, coffee, and soap, the Good Store has just announced a new product line: loose-leaf teas.

The tea brand under the Good Store umbrella is called Keats & Co, aptly named after the romantic poet, John Keats, who, according to Good Store General Manager Brandi Jessup, died of tuberculosis, or TB (along with many of his contemporaries).

“Tea will be the first Good Store subscription that donates money to a cause outside of the Maternal Center for Excellence,” Jessup told Good Good Good.

“We’re working with Partners in Health again on this project. All proceeds go towards comprehensive solutions to diagnose, treat, and prevent TB in vulnerable communities that they serve.”

TB is a cause near and dear to John Green’s heart; he has committed millions of his own money to fund solutions for the world’s deadliest infectious disease, has educated thousands on the subject, and has even worked with his fan community — Nerdfighteria — to demand change from corporate health giants like Danaher and Johnson & Johnson.

This new endeavor is just another way to move the needle forward when it comes to TB.

“Tea is a moment to stop, to breathe, to ponder. It’s a place in your day to slow down,” Jessup said.

“We know we wanted to develop a product line that donated to TB testing and research. When you pour yourself a cup of our tea, we hope you stop, read some Keats, take a deep breath. And as you exhale, know that someone is breathing alongside you with lungs unburdened — because with a small purchase, you are part of something Good.”

To start, Keats & Co will offer six (poetic) blends of tea: Evensong Chai, Moonlit Mint, Blue Fields Earl Grey, April Meadows Green, Bright Star Breakfast Blend, and Golden Fire Ginger. 

The line also includes accessories like a tea strainer and an infuser bottle.

Professional tea mixers helped develop a broad range of teas, that include caffeinated and caffeine-free options, as well as a mix of black, green, and herbal teas. 

This professional sourcing partner is Lake Missoula Tea Company, which is based in Hank Green’s home of Missoula, Montana — and is values-aligned with the mission of Good Store.

“Lake Missoula has been working for 12 years to develop meaningful relationships with farmers across the world,” Jessup said.

“They are diligent about sustainable growing practices and only work with farms who are giving back, both to the environment, and their communities.” 

The teas come from several different farms, with leaves blending together from India, Nepal, and Colombia, for example.

“In India we are working with a women owned farm committed to developing safe passages for endangered elephants to migrate, sectioning off large portions of their land as elephant corridors,” Jessup said.

“The farm in Nepal works closely with the Red Panda Network to protect habitat and offer sustainable high paying jobs to their community as an alternative to poaching. And our farm in Columbia is the only tea farm in the area! They are a sanctuary for birds and work with local biologists on native bird surveys.”

Aside from the exciting give-back collaboration, tea was also an obvious choice for this next Good Store venture, since John is more of a coffee lover (as clearly illustrated by his enthusiasm for the Awesome Coffee Club), and Hank tends to gravitate more toward tea. 

Above all, though, the Good Store team was simply eager to find another high-quality everyday product that could do a little good.

“All of our products are designed to delight, and this tea is genuinely just so good,” Jessup said.

“You can taste the quality and care that went into the growing and blending of these teas. Lake Missoula has given us a product line that is easy to brew, even for someone brand new to tea, that is great hot or cold, and that will be a staple in your cupboard. And add to that the fact that 100% of profit goes to charity; what’s not to love?”

Keats & Co teas are available now for one-time purchases, subscription bundles, or as a sample pack.

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Header photos courtesy of Hank Green, Good Store, and John Green