Handcrafted tea blends for the American patriot; US sourced products supporting veterans and first responders

Mar 18, 2023

PHOTO PROVIDEDSome of the tea products from Artillery Tea Co.

BELLEFONTE — If you’ve been looking for a company that supports veterans and first responders and is based locally, look no further than Artillery Tea Co.

Mike Britton, founder and president of Artillery Tea Co., saw a need in the community to give back to veterans and first responders. Along with his brothers, Chris and Joey Britton, Mike created Artillery Tea Co. to fulfill that need.

Having launched this past July out of Bellefonte, Artillery Tea Co. is partly veteran-owned — with Joey being an Army veteran — and aims to serve the veterans and first responder community by donating a portion of their sales to relevant causes.

They have a large connection with veterans and first responders spanning generations. Britton said his grandfather, father-in-law, grandfather-in-law, uncles and youngest brother are all veterans; his great uncle was chief of police, as was his uncle.

"Originally we were all huge fans of coffee. It started keeping me up at night, so I had to cut it out. I was specifically a fan of Black Rifle Coffee, but I was looking for companies tied to a veteran or first responder cause. When I had to cut it out, I looked for the equivalent in tea and there was nothing," said Britton.

PHOTO PROVIDEDJoey Britton

The Brittons wanted to provide a tea company that aligned with their values for those who either don't like coffee, can't drink coffee or just love tea.

"We want to serve a premium tea product to people who love America and want to support veterans and first responders — to have a high quality product with a cause," said Britton.

They offer all natural whole tea leaves in plant-based tea bags and packaged in tins. They boast that their product contains no plastic or glue, as well as no tea dust and no artificial flavors. With Artillery Tea Co., you get the whole-leaf experience with the convenience of tea bags.

"These are whole-leaf products," said Britton. "What you buy in the grocery store is mass-produced and their products are ‘tea dust’ which is a byproduct of whole leaf production. They produce whole leaf and put them in other things, but what falls through the conveyor is put into their tea bags. It's not as full bodied as you get with whole-leaf."

Their tea tins all have clever names relating to military history, such as Gadsden Green, a peach apricot green tea depicting the famous Gadsden "don't tread on me" flag; Howitzer Heavy, a vanilla chai cleverly named after the Howitzer artillery weapon; Morning M.O.A.B, a breakfast blend sharing the name of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb; and Bombardier Black, a citrus earl gray tea named after the Bombardier military aircraft.

PHOTO PROVIDEDMike Britton

Each tin makes around 30 cups and the online shop lists the all natural ingredients, taste notes and caffeine level.

"It's more sustainable," said Britton. "After I got started doing this, I can't drink grocery store tea anymore."

They wanted to keep their product "as American as possible" and ensure that their teas are blended and packed in the United States.

Britton explained the process of tea-making, saying, "A lot of tea doesn't grow in the United States — it's not the right climate. The manufacturing partner we work with in Pennsylvania sources their tea from multiple different parts of the world — mostly India and Sri Lanka. Everything we make is blended and packed in the U.S."

For every tin purchased from Artillery Tea Co., a portion of proceeds goes towards supporting different veteran and first responder causes.

PHOTO PROVIDEDChris Britton

Two specific non-profit organizations that Artillery Tea Co. donates proceeds to are: Project Lakeview and 5th Squad.

Project Lakeview is an organization that strives to honor police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who have been killed in the line of duty. The organization was named after three firefighters who passed while fighting a fire on Lakeview Road in Delaware; Captain Christopher Leach, Lieutenant Jerry Fickes and Lieutenant Ardy the Hope.

They don't just raise money for the families who have lost their loved ones, they use their donations to fulfill experiences and help families create memories by providing a means to begin the healing process.

More information about this non-profit can be found here: projectlakeview.org

The second organization, 5th Squad, was established in 2016 by four founding members of 184th ESC. The club started on the idea of doing for others. They shifted from a club to an organization, using their vision of helping to make the world a better place. Their main focuses are God, country and family. They’ve started and sponsored two charities, Ruck for Rugrats and Box 22.

Donations go towards supporting veterans facing poverty or homelessness, and offers immediate assistance for housing, food and other basic human needs.

More information about this non-profit can be found here: 5thsquad.com

"We want to partner with different non-profit veteran organizations to really make a difference," said Britton. "We see and hear a lot of stories about how veterans and first responders are struggling."

"We’re trying to really get the word out about your shop. We want to do as much local stuff as we can — we’ve all lived in Pennsylvania our entire lives," said Britton. "We want people to know who we are, where we came from and why we’re out there."

Currently they only have an online shop, but are planning to sell their products at events such as the Boalsburg fair. They also attend local craft shows, vendor shows and fall festivals.

You can find more information about the company, their mission and their products as well as updates on their website at artilleryteaco.com or on their Instagram and Facebook accounts, @artilleryteaco.

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