Harney & Sons continues to expand its horizons

MILLERTON — Harney & Sons Fine Teas continues to make its mark in the Millerton community as well as in the world of fine teas. Most recently, the company partnered with 2-year-old Manhattan start-up company Bundle Organics to produce a tea blend for pregnant and nursing moms.

The new tea line was officially launched by Bundle Organics — a company already know for its organic juices — on Wednesday, March 30, co-founder of Bundle Organics Kwany Lui said.

“Harney & Sons are such great blenders and tea experts,” Lui said. “We were familiar with their brand through their SoHo store and had a couple of their co-brands up on their website.

“We highly respect their expertise, and felt we should partner up with them. We’re so happy they were interested in helping us create our teas.”

Bundle Organics’ pregnancy and lactation support teas are designed specifically for pregnant and nursing moms and are naturally caffeine-free, according to Lui.

“Our two pregnancy blends are thoughtfully designed with whole-food based, OBGYN-approved ingredients to address moms’ needs during all stages of pregnancy,” Lui added. “The lactation support tea includes ingredients traditionally used to help boost milk supply for nursing moms.”

Harney & Sons Fine Teas has grown much during the past 33 years, according to company Co-Vice President Mike Harney.

The company saw its beginning in 1983 in Salisbury, Conn., when the late John Harney Sr., then at The White Hart inn, developed a passion for the craft of blending fine teas.

Starting production out of his basement, he began his own journey in mastering the craft of tea blending, never imagining that his small home-run business would turn into a global operation. Today, the business is headquartered in Millerton, filling 90,000 square feet of warehouse space and employing more than 155 people.

The tea company is not new to the idea of collaboration — it is one of its many legacies.

“They came up with their blends,” Co-Vice President Paul Harney said of Bundle Organics. “As tea merchants, our goal was to make it taste great, like any of our teas.”

The company has grown from its original six teas to more than 300 blends.

“We’re a little bit of an incubator,” Mike Harney said of all the collaborative efforts with new and already-established companies. “We have some operational experience, but we don’t know everything. Sometimes [partnering up with other companies] brings in different thinking than we would normally have.”

According to Paul Harney, their company has blended an estimated 250 pounds of tea for the new Bundle Organics tea line for pregnant and nursing moms.

“It’s been great working with Harney & Sons,” Lui said. “We worked on [our tea blend] for quite some time. It has been a labor of love for both companies.”

Twenty-two-year employee Brenda Shadic said it has been a pleasure to work for the Harney & Sons tea company.

“They are a great company to work for because it’s a family-owned business, and they treat their clients as such,” Shadic said.