Dragonwater was founded in 2003, at the time my son, Max, was born. It's a simple story really. While my wife was in labor at the hospital, I was frustrated and disappointed at the selection of teas I was subjected to. I'd long ago lost a taste for coffee, and I could not get through the night without some caffeine. So I drank tea that had expired years ago and was not much to speak of in its prime, I'm sure. It was there in the hospital that the idea for Dragonwater was born. In the wee hours before my own son would come into the world.

In the weeks that followed, my wife and I discussed the idea of forming our own tea company. One with standards. Where only the best teas in the world would grace the shelves. Where one never had to wonder what they were going to get or how fresh it was going to be. Everything would be fresh and of the highest quality or it would be thrown away, period.

As a software engineer and my wife a graphic designer, we had the skills to launch an online business. And here there could be no sacrificing of quality. Our website had to be friendly, because we are friendly. It had to be easy to use. No buried links. No flashy ads. It had to be pleasing to the eye, but not at the expense of usability. And it had to educate as well as sell. Tea is a vast and deep terrain. There are many things to learn, many paths to follow, and so much to enjoy. Our continued heartfelt thanks to Marie Thacker for her excellent design work that helped to bring this vision to fruition in our website, dragonwater.com.

In 2005, my wife and I quit our jobs and began work full-time on the tea company. The company has grown so much in the first 2 years. It needed us both to grow further. And working together has brought my whole family closer. Something I wouldn't trade for any amount of money in the world. My wife does the graphic design. I do all the programming, marketing and sales while finding time to do what I love, discover and create new teas and tea blends. My son offers inspiration when we get tired from the long days. And we all do order fulfillment. Max even helps stack the boxes for shipping.

What's next for Dragonwater? We hope to have a positive cash-flow by the end of 2005. If all goes well, we plan to move into a new warehouse in late 2006 and hire our first employees. It's not about making a million dollars here. It's about making a living doing what you love with the ones you love and sharing that passion with every one of our customers. We hope you enjoy our teas, and we thank you for supporting our family.

Sincerely,

Gary, Michelle, and Max Gause

UPDATE: In early 2007, four years after we began this journey, we have finally realized our dreams. We now have a new warehouse, complete with factory and office space to fill our needs for years. And even more important, we have funding. Real funding. And our warehouse is being filled up with new teas from all over the world. Max is now four years old, growing right along with the business. I wonder what he'll think of it all when he gets older. What this journey that is now so entwined with his life will have meant. But that is for another generation. And I've got plenty of work to do. Thanks to all of our customers for making us a success. You will be remembered.

UPDATE: 2009 was a tough year for us. The economic downturn, coupled with rising interest rates on existing debt and lack of new credit, has taken its toll on our business. We have been forced to reduce our product line dramatically as we streamline our business. We hope that 2010 will be a year of recovery, and that soon, we will be able to add back products so sorely missed by us and our customers. Thank you for bearing with us through this difficult time.

UPDATE: 2010 has seen recovery. And hope. We've begun adding products back to our lineup. Sales are growing, finally. We have a long ways to go to get back to where we were before the recession. But we are here, still. And we are smarter. This time around, we are going to do it right. Better than before. We've been given a second chance, and we plan to take advantage of it. Every customer, every dollar, every second matters. This is our life! This is all that has ever mattered. If we didn't know it before, we know it now. That's for certain. This is our life.

Contact Info:
Dragonwater LLC
440 Stein Ln
Camano Island, WA 98282

Sales: sales@dragonwater.com
Support: support@dragonwater.com

Fax: 1-928-441-6688


Dragonwater Tea Company has been mentioned in several articles including the Martha Stewart Wedding Guide and GQ Magazine!