Stories & Updates

The Rise Journal

Health benefits, brewing tips, company stories, and everything yaupon.

Rise Yaupon at Environmental Xperience: A Different Kind of Tea Story

Yaupon holly is North America's only naturally caffeinated plant traditionally brewed as tea. Long before coffee and imported tea became staples in American culture, Indigenous peoples across the Southeast brewed Yaupon for energy, wellness, and ceremony. Today, almost every caffeinated drink Americans consume travels thousands of miles across oceans before reaching a cup. Coffee comes from South America, Africa, or Asia. Traditional tea comes from Asia or India. Even many herbal beverages rely on imported ingredients. Yaupon is different. It grows naturally right here in the United States. No ocean crossings. No international shipping chains. No rainforest clearing for production. Just a resilient native plant growing in its natural environment across the American South. At Rise Yaupon, our tea is wild harvested from naturally growing Yaupon holly. Because the plants grow naturally in the wild, there is no need for pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. That work is done by several teams of second-chance employees — people who are rebuilding their lives and gaining meaningful work through harvesting and production opportunities.

Hunter ColemanMay 13, 2026