We had the good fortune of connecting with Eleise Jacobs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eleise, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

It is said that the best way to determine which business to start is to find a problem, and solve it. With House of Hibiscus, the plan always involved tea, but the question became: “what is the tea solving?”
There are many teas in existence, and have been for thousands of years, but one thing seemed to be missing in the market. Almost every region of the world has some form of tea as part of their identity – but what does American tea look like? While iced tea would be a great argument, it’s primarily connected with the Southeastern United states. After mulling it over and learning more about native plants, invasive plants, the pitfalls of monocropping, as well as researching the tea traditions of the Indigenous peoples, the problem seemed clear. Largely, people were unaware of the fantastic edible plants that naturally came to be around them – though loss of knowledge, industrialization, and lack of connection to the environment. The thought became: “Could an increase in cultivation and knowledge of native plants be caused by creating blends of tea using those ingredients? Would people be eager to learn, especially when engaged through culinary experience?” I’m hoping the answer is yes.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Years ago, working in a now closed tea store was, in many ways, much the same as working in any other store. I learned what people liked about tea and what they found challenging. It was valuable experience that is being put to use again, but the true passion driving House of Hibiscus is a love for the art of flavor.

Standing behind a counter, with a relatively unlimited supply of tea, hot water, and ice –  the fun was all in the blending. Even the same set of ingredients could produce wildly different results when used in different measure. Notebook pages were filled with recipes and creative names. It’s truly the most fun I’ve ever had at work, which is no small reason why tea has remained a large part of my life.

Lessons are still being learned left and right, but as far as the brand or story – I just think it’s a wonderful time to be in the world of tea. Americans are re-discovering it in large numbers, and HOH is happy to help facilitate. The primary goal of our blends is to use at least one ingredient native to North America (or as close as I can get to it – our list of contacts is slowly growing) and to have well-rounded blends with balanced flavors and high quality sourcing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

It would definitely depend on the friend and their interests – but to name a few places:

-NCMA
-RBF
-Pizzeria Del Toro
-Peng’s Asian Cuisine
-Second Empire
-Duke Gardens
-Zinchouse
-Umstead Park

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a shout-out to the folks at the SBA. I cannot emphasize what a valuable resource it is for Entrepreneurs seeking help getting started. I also want to thank my friend Becca Williams, who will soon be joining on in an official capacity, for all of her support and creative energy.

Website: https://www.HouseOfHibiscus.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/house_of_hibiscus_botanicals

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/house-of-hibiscus-fine-organic-teas-a25864259/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087548325129

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutNorthCarolina is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.