Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Martino.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Peter. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Capital Teas in 2007 in Annapolis, Maryland with the goal of providing customers an affordable luxury that was healthy – namely, specialty tea. From the beginning, we focused on natural and organic teas of the highest quality and began sourcing amazing teas from around the world. We also sought to make tea-brewing fun and easy with modern infusers and teapots, as well as to offer an inspirational and educational experience to our customers. We provided a multi-sensory approach in our stores where patrons can see, smell, and taste our teas while learning more about them from our well-educated team. Ten years later, we are still executing our mission daily and have twice consecutively been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest growing private companies. From our humble beginnings in Annapolis, Maryland, we now have 12 stores in Maryland, Virginia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. We view our two Florida stores – in Miami and Tampa – as crucial to our national growth and we are proud to serve a very demographically diverse community that shops at the Miami International Mall. We’re also very proud of our stunning tea collection and inspired tea products and hope that readers will “Stop and smell the teas” at our Miami store in the near future. Our teas are not only great for you, but they are also wonderful gifts, for as we like to say, you are giving the gift of well-being.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have been some up and downs in our business as there have been in most businesses. In the recent past, we expanded a bit too rapidly into some locations where the rent proved too expensive compared to the foot traffic. This was particularly true in a number of malls. So, we scaled back a bit to 12 stores now from which we are building a stronger base to grow again. We’re also substantially bolstering our online presence through our website at www.CapitalTeas.com, as well as in many social media platforms.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are known for having the finest collection of organic and natural specialty teas available anywhere. This truly sets us apart from most loose tea companies and is something which makes us all very proud.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was inquisitive, a bit of a romantic, very patriotic, interested in serving my country, and interested in starting a company. I also had an appreciation for great food and beverages. This emanated from my grandfather who was a Master Chef, and who introduced me at an early age to tea drinking. I was also an avid sailor, racing single-handed sailboats nearly every day all summer, I played Little League baseball, and I had an early passion for computers and software. My favorite subjects were History and Math, but I generally did well at all subjects. I was also an Exchange Student to Germany in high school; I traveled there for 5 weeks as a Sophomore, sparking my interest in international travel which has led me to visit over 40 countries.
Pricing:
- Specialty loose teas start at $8.95 for 2 ounces
- Hot Tea and Iced Tea Beverage start at $2.95
Contact Info:
- Address: Capital Teas, Inc. Headquarters
1814 Margaret Ave.
Annapolis, MD 21401 - Website: www.CapitalTeas.com
- Phone: 4102634555
- Email: peter@capitalteas.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/CapitalTeas
- Facebook: facebook.com/CapitalTeas
- Twitter: twitter.com/CapitalTeas
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/capital-teas-miami
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