Heirs to ancestral rituals, our Tea-Tribers are experts in teas and herbal teas, located in the four corners of the world.

They draw inspiration from local practices to create recipes that are as good for you as they are good for your mouth, made from whole leaves, stems and roots, sun-dried fruits and flowers, and medicinal plants.

Both correspondents and transmitters, they pass on the rituals that have lasted through the ages, and the recipes of local communities, healers and botanists, whose pharmacopoeia is based on their immediate environment.

These men and women enjoy a high degree of autonomy in their botanical research and recipe design, and use only pure, natural, beneficial ingredients (in line with our specifications).

Contrary to usual practice (a major brand sourcing from local wholesalers at the best price), TEA TRIBES has therefore brought together passionate people, farmers and gatherers, who form a kind of great cooperative without borders.

We work closely with them to ensure :

- good working conditions and fair remuneration for producers,

- control of the naturalness and purity of ingredients (based on certifications, wherever possible),

- and the identification of non-profit foundations and associations, to which we provide financial support, to help people preserve their traditions.

In addition to their on-the-spot commitments, our Tea-Tribers speak out on this site via articles, reports and podcasts, to give people the chance to see and hear their knowledge.




Julia Ryabchenkova, Tea-Triber for oriental Slavic and Siberian peoples

Julia remembers with malice the days spent with her grandmother, digging, pruning, watering and picking the plants grown in the small garden of their dacha. A few decades later (after the professional detours of adult life), she went back to school to study herbalism with an illustrious specialist: Soviet professor Corsun.

Julia went on to complete her thesis, launch her own brand of infusions (Teatox), provide occasional advice to various companies, and finally, in 2020, became a local expert for TEA TRIBES, a specialist in the Slavic and Siberian peoples, promoting all the ancestral local practices that fascinate her.

Ghanashyam Marda, Doctor of Ayurveda, Tea-Triber for the people of India

From his childhood, Ghanashyam was interested in grandmothers' magic box (AAJICHA BATWA) which contained home remedies. When he or his brothers and sisters had a cold, cystitis or even heartburn, his grandmother Kaushalya, then his mother Kamala, would arrive straight away with a concoction. They thus left their mark on the path that led him to become an Ayurvedic doctor. While studying, to his surprise, most of the remedies in classical texts were boiled herbal drinks. He found them recommended in the treatment of many illnesses.

They naturally took an important part of his treatments when he opened his own clinic. And an important part of his conferences on Ayurveda, when he travels through European capitals. His life partner, Madame Suraj, also a Doctor of Ayurveda, pushed Ghanashyam to further explore the field of beneficial plant-based drinks: she was even his “goad” for him to join the Tea-Tribers collective!

Hermine Nersisyan, Tea-Triber for the peoples of the Caucasus

Hermine is Armenian. From a young age, she enjoyed spending her free time immersed in nature, exploring the rich and varied landscapes of her homeland. Alongside her grandmother, she lovingly sowed, watered, and tended a wide variety of plants. Once harvested and dried, they were used in a multitude of ways: some became fragrant infusions, while others were added to traditional Armenian dishes, enriching them with natural flavors and cultural heritage. Her deep love for nature led Hermine to biology. After graduating from the Faculty of Biology at Yerevan State University and gaining experience in the pharmaceutical industry, she began studying herbal infusions, not only for their flavors and aromas, but also for their therapeutic properties. By meeting Jean-Luc and joining the Tea-Tribers collective, Hermine began a new chapter in her life, guided by her desire to honor the ancestral traditions of the Armenian people and by the healing power of nature.

Jorge Estuardo Lopez, Tea-Triber for the Maya people

Jorge is Guatemalan. He, too, owes his discovery of local herbs, the awakening to their different flavors and the taste for sharing to his grandmother. This upbringing undoubtedly nurtured his interest in gastronomy. In the early 2010s, Jorge became a top chef. He pays tribute to the country's flagship ingredients: cocoa, coffee, corn, chillies and countless other tropical plants and fruits.

Jorge is also interested in their health benefits, their therapeutic use by the Mayans and their transmission from generation to generation.

It was against this backdrop that Jorge and Jean-Luc met in the spring of 2020, and together they began thinking about a range of Mayan-inspired teas and herbal teas.

Anna Zaptalova, Tea-Triber for the Ukrainian Slavic People

Anna has been passionate about the use of plants for cosmetic purposes for many years. Wanting to broaden the scope of this type of application, she decided to follow a university course in botany, alongside her professional activity. She thus reconnects with her childhood, the blessed time when her grandmother taught her to find, pick and prepare plants with multiple virtues, whose secrets were passed down from generation to generation.

When Jean-Luc, with whom she had worked previously, told her that he wanted a Ukrainian infusion, and that it would be called KOZAK, Anna did not hesitate for a second and set out to find the best possible source.