In these times of digital overdosing, one entrepreneur is bringing people together over a cup of tea.
Charles & Company, founded in 2018 by Lawrence Charles, created a line of teas for people to enjoy together, and also serves its tea at private events.
The company sells about 20 different types of tea. Its mission is to build a luxury brand that “owns teatime” in a few different ways, and provide an alternative to the go-to coffee beverage for many Americans.
To help propel its growth, the company was recently accepted to Next 1B: Founders, an accelerator hosted by McKinsey that aims to build the "next generation of billion-dollar Black-owned brands." And late last year, Charles & Company was recognized as the Best British Inspired Luxury Organic Tea Company by LUXlife, a luxury lifestyle magazine.
“People call it the Ralph Lauren of tea,” Charles told L.A. Inno. “I like to think of it as the Rockefeller of tea.”
Charles & Company has received about $100,000 to date from friends and family, Charles said. Those funds helped open a fulfillment center in Santa Ana. Charles & Company saw revenue just shy of $250,000 in 2022, he said.
Foundation
Charles was born to a single mom in Canton, Ohio. A budding entrepreneur, he started a barber shop as a teenager. By 19, he was doing promotions for a hair clipper company.
He worked his way through design school, and after graduation he was selected as head designer of a television series.
After being in a Tommy Hilfiger fashion show with actress and model Rebecca Romijn, she invited him to work for the line in New York City as a model and spokesperson. And that’s where he was first introduced to tea. He would frequently take respites from the whirlwind world of fashion to drink tea in cafes in Greenwich Village and the Upper West Side.
A growing line of tea drinks
Recently, Charles & Company started to expand its tea portfolio based on its customer requests, he said. The company is expanding into new realms, including sports drinks, seltzers and spirits.
Charles launched its NXL brand, a line of nootropics made with tea. Nootropics are natural or synthetic substances that can improve cognitive functions. The first line is called NXLFuel and it’s designed for athletes who perform in high-stakes gaming and chess competitions.
“Every athlete deals with an invisible force that limits their ability to perform,” Charles said. “High-level competition places performance-interrupting level stress upon an athlete. By recharging the brain’s neural cells, NXLFuel reduces the underlying neural interference that causes performance anxiety… allowing athletes to perform at elite levels.”
Charles consulted MIT-published research to develop compounds of minerals and vitamins that the brain needs to operate at a high level, including iron, zinc, magnesium and selenium.
He plans to create a crowdfunding campaign for NXLFuel soon to fund a production run. He hopes to raise $20,000.
The company is also working on a line of tea seltzers, which will be available in 12-ounce cans in flavors like Cuban Mango.
One of the first restaurants in SoCal to make a purchase order was Malibu Farm, for their Malibu, Newport Beach and San Francisco locations, he said.
After he releases the first full batch, he plans to work on tea liqueurs next.
Events
Since inception, Charles & Company has been either working as a partner with a party host to do tea service or working with catering partners to provide tea.
Some prominent venues Charles & Company has presented tea include the Montage Laguna Beach, the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and the British Consulate in Los Angeles.
In March, Charles provided tea service during an Oscars party at the Baker Mansion in Beverly Hills.
