Lost Pines Yaupon Tea
$2,500 Honey Fest Sustainable Agriculture Grant and $2,500 AFWA Grant: $5,000
Lost Pines Yaupon Tea utilizes yaupon — a local, sustainably-harvested plant that grows wild in Central Texas and is the only native caffeine source in North America. Unlike other caffeine sources from around the world, yaupon isn't watered or sprayed with fertilizers or pesticides.
Enjoyed as both a hot or iced tea and brewed like yerba mate, Lost Pines wild harvests yaupon from the Lost Pines Forest area of Bastrop, Texas, which experienced a massive fire in 2011. Overgrown yaupon underbrush is considered a huge factor in the Bastrop Complex Fire. Thinning yaupon helps the pine trees grow back and restores habitat.
The grant funds increased production, upgrade packaging, and purchase a hot bottling machine to bottle tea concentrates.