Our Story
Sara and Effie were two sisters who lived in the early 1900s in Sri Lanka. Sara was a warm hostess and opened her doors to everyone. Effie was her devoted sister and made everyone feel like they belonged. At teatime, aunts and uncles gathered, cousins arrived, neighbors stayed long after the sunset. Tea was poured and poured again. Theirs was the kind of gathering people never wanted to leave.
Sara's daughter Sita carried the gift forward, a gracious hostess in both Sri Lanka and Washington D.C., who found a way to set a beautiful table even in a small apartment here in the U.S. Because she understood what most people forget, creating beautiful moments does not require a special occasion. It requires intention.
Generations later, their great-granddaughter grew a cottage garden in Arizona and began blending tea in her garden. Each blend is crafted in Arizona and formulated with care in Sri Lanka. Born from what is growing, what is blooming and what the season inspires. The artwork on every canister is painted by her mother, Nilanee, a watercolor artist who captures the garden exactly as it blooms.
THE GARDEN
Our Arizona cottage garden is where the roses that inspired Garden Rose Tea grow. The strawberry plants that gave Fresh Picked Strawberries Tea its name grow here too. Each season brings new blooms, new inspiration, and new blends born from what the garden offers.
THE ART
The artwork on every Sara and Effie canister is an original watercolor painting by Nilani, the founder's mother and a gifted watercolor artist who has spent years capturing the beauty of botanical subjects. Each painting depicts the garden exactly as it looks, the roses in full bloom, the strawberries on the vine, the light falling through the leaves at golden hour.
When you hold a Sara and Effie canister you are holding an original piece of art alongside your tea. No two seasons look exactly the same and neither do the gardens that inspire them.
THE TEA
Our teas are small-batch blends crafted with intention. Each blend begins as an idea in the garden. From there it is developed with care and formulated by expert tea makers in Sri Lanka, where the finest black Ceylon tea is grown and processed. The hill country of Sri Lanka is mysterious and beautiful and produces the most amazing tea.
Every pyramid sachet is filled with quality ingredients, no dust, no shortcuts. Because a beautiful moment deserves a beautiful cup.
THE NAME
Sara and Effie. Two sisters. One extraordinary legacy.
They never knew their names would one day be the name of a brand. But they would have understood why. Because they knew, better than most, that the most beautiful moments in life are the ones we create with intention, share with warmth, and remember long after.
That is what we are here to do. Help you create the most beautiful moments. Intentionally.