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Shaka Tea produces ready-to-drink herbal teas, crafted from sustainably sourced, native Hawaiian māmaki leaves. The company leverages this indigenous superleaf, traditionally valued for health benefits, into refreshing tropical infusions. This highlights māmaki's botanical properties, distinguishing their product in the functional beverage market through pure ingredients and Hawaiian cultural heritage.
Harrison Rice and Isabella "Bella" Hughes co-founded Shaka Tea in 2015. Their insight stemmed from an appreciation for Hawaiʻi’s agricultural heritage and māmaki’s cultural significance. The team sought to introduce this ancient Hawaiian superleaf to a broader audience, recognizing its potential as a healthful, restorative beverage connected to the land.
Shaka Tea targets health-conscious consumers seeking natural, low-sugar options with functional benefits. The company fosters land stewardship, partnering with local farmers for sustainable māmaki cultivation and native ecosystem restoration. Shaka Tea envisions sharing Hawaiʻi's authentic spirit, building a brand embodying wellness, environmental responsibility, global community support.
Shaka Tea has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Shaka Tea has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Shaka Tea has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in December 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1, 2019 | $1M Seed | — | Greycroft, LDR Ventures, MAC Venture Capital, Trust Ventures, Clark Landry, John Legend, Kyle Widrick, Scott Belsky, Troy Carter | Announced |
Shaka Tea is a Hawaiian beverage company (not a technology company) that built a branded line of māmaki‑based herbal teas and ready‑to‑drink (RTD) beverages focused on sustainable direct‑trade sourcing and scaling Hawaiian-grown māmaki to U.S. and international retail channels[6][1].
High‑Level Overview
For a portfolio company (how Shaka Tea fits that profile)
Origin Story
Core Differentiators
Role in the Broader Tech / Beverage Landscape
Quick Take & Future Outlook
Quick take: Shaka Tea built a distinctive, mission‑driven beverage business around Hawai‘i’s rare māmaki leaf and achieved rapid retail growth and acquisition, but later operational wind‑down shows the difficulty of commercializing niche botanical supply chains at scale—its legacy is a tested model for linking native‑plant restoration with consumer products, even if the brand didn’t sustain long‑term independent operations[3][1][2].
(If you want, I can compile a one‑page timeline of key milestones, a brief competitive map of functional RTD tea brands, or dig into reported reasons for the 2024 shutdown.)
Shaka Tea has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Shaka Tea's investors include Greycroft, LDR Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, Trust Ventures, Clark Landry, John Legend, Kyle Widrick, Scott Belsky, Troy Carter.