Chicago startup founded by alumni takes on Teavana

Dan Klein (left) and Patrick Tannous, founders of Tiesta Tea (Photo Courtesy of Tiesta Tea)

Friends since preschool in Arlington Heights, Ill., Dan Klein, ’10 BUS, and Patrick Tannous, ’08 UIC, were taking a semester abroad in different European cities in 2009 and decided to meet up in Prague. At a tiny teahouse, they tried loose-leaf tea infused with fruits and herbs. “Why aren’t more people in the U.S. drinking this kind of tea?” Klein recalls them wondering.

Read Our 2013 Interview with Tiesta Tea’s Founders