Spotlight | Tea Discovery Drives Retail Growth

Spotlight | Tea Discovery Drives Retail Growth

From Tea Biz by Dan Bolton

March 20, 2026 · 15 min

About this episode

Amy Freeman discusses the growth and unique approach of The Spice & Tea Exchange in the specialty tea retail market.

Few specialty retailers have expanded as successfully—or as thoughtfully—as The Spice & Tea Exchange https://www.spiceandtea.com/. Founded during the depths of the 2008 financial crisis, the brand has grown from a single shop in St. Augustine, Florida, into a nationwide franchise with more than 90 locations. | At the heart of that growth is CEO and co-founder Amy Freeman, whose approach combines entrepreneurial discipline with a strong belief in hospitality, storytelling, and sensory retail. Instead of standardizing stores into uniform outlets, Freeman has created a model that promotes local experimentation, community engagement, and hands-on exploration of spices, loose-leaf teas, and culinary ingredients. The company offers over 600 exclusive products, curated by both in-house spice masters and spice masters at franchise locations.| In this Tea Biz Spotlight interview, Amy discusses expanding a franchise network while maintaining authenticity, lessons learned from the pandemic, and why immersive retail and education remain vital for the future of specialty loose-leaf tea.| BIO: Amy Freeman, CEO and Co-Founder of The Spice & Tea Exchange, leads with a philosophy rooted…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Bolton

Guest: Amy Freeman

Topics covered

  • retail growth
  • franchise expansion
  • specialty tea
  • community engagement
  • entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • specialty tea
  • franchise
  • retail
  • community
  • entrepreneurship
  • hospitality
  • sensory retail

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Spice & Tea Exchange

Places: St. Augustine, Florida

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