No Grey Days — both the name of Asheville Tea Company’s signature cocktail at its upcoming fundraiser and founder Jessie Dean’s motto as she navigates the business’s next chapter.
“We’re at a point where we want to move forward and celebrate the recovery process for our community so far,” Dean told AVLtoday.
Asheville Tea Company experienced major disruptions when Helene hit, including the total loss of their facility.
“We’ve revisited the tragedy so many times in conversation, and it’s nice to do something more lighthearted,” Dean said.
The company’s fundraiser, Rebuild + Regrow, will take place at Haywood Common and The Whale this Saturday, March 29, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The family-friendly event will feature craft tea tastings, a donation-based blend-your-own tea station, a live DJ, and merch.
Guests will also get to taste tea in some new formats — the aforementioned tea-infused cocktail with gin, lemon juice, Asheville Grey tea syrup, and Cava or a specialtea scoop of ice cream from The Hop.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly toward Asheville Tea Company.
Dean said they’re hoping to be back in a new facility in Asheville at the beginning of 2026. Currently, the small team is operating out of AB Tech’s Small Business Center in Candler.
In the last six months, Dean said they’ve been able to hire back half of their employees from before the storm and continue to partner with local and regional farms to procure herbs and botanicals for their signature blends.
The company is continuing to work on a pre-order basis through its website and expects to fill spring orders soon.
“We have a long road to go still, but we’ve also come a very long way,” said Dean. “And we should raise a glass to that.”
