Meet the Maker:

Deborah Halstad

By Victoria Shawgo

At RoyalTea Shoppe, owned and operated by Deborah Halstad, tea is made loose leaf by hand with all natural, organic ingredients inspected and quality checked prior to every batch. Halstad is a third generation entrepreneur who began her tea business in 2017. As a young child, she loved tea parties and would often imagine some day owning her own tea shop. Today, her tea shop is a reality, but in a less traditional sort of way. Because her business is fully mobile, Deborah is able to bring the high tea experience to her customers at venues of their choice. Her services are perfect for weddings, bridal showers, birthday parties and other special occasions. Her tea time catering is fully customizable, offering everything from a full service, set up and tear down experience, to simply offering an alternative beverage to coffee. The full service experience includes tea ware and finger sandwiches, tea treats and scones made by Halstad’s sister, Raquel, as well as a variety of teas. But these aren’t just any teas. Halstad’s loose leaf teas pack a flavorful punch and are all personally hand-crafted.

“It’s really fun because it’s an endless process,” she explained. “You can come up with so many different combinations and that’s what I really love about it.”

She specializes in dessert teas, such as her German Chocolate Bergen Tea, but will also create custom flavors for customers who have a specific taste in mind. Aside from her full service catering, Deborah also offers her teas at local markets, like Plant City’s Last Friday Downtown. Markets are one of Deborah’s favorite places to serve her teas because of the face-to-face interaction she is able to have with her customers.

“We really focus on making the costumer feel like ‘royaltea’,” she shared. “They can have all their questions answered, they can get the product they’re looking for, and they can even customize the product.”

The teas are packaged beautifully in a gift-ready resealable bag that includes a scripture verse on the front.

“I’ve had such a a positive response to the scripture verses,” she remarked. “I want to bring [the Lord] glory and honor through my business and really I’m just stewarding the business that He’s given to me.”

For those who may be interested in stocking larger quantities of her tea, Deborah offers wholesale for bulk product and also offers retail products for boutiques and coffee shops.

Whether you are interested in sipping a unique cuppa hand-crafted by a local artisan, have an occasion that could be made special by offering fine teas and delicate treats, or have a business that would like to offer custom teas, RoyalTea Shoppe can meet (and exceed) your expectations, all while making you feel like royalty. Deborah can be contacted through Facebook and Instagram as well as through her website theroyalteashoppe.com.