2024 HTCCF Speakers

Sibahle Teas is a Black woman-owned specialty tea company founded in 2020 by fellow tea lover Regina Brewton. With a name like Brewton, naturally, Regina wanted to encourage others to Brew-Tons of tea! Having struggled with a sugary cola addiction, Regina turned to healthier drink alternatives and discovered the diverse range of teas available, including those from Africa. Regina founded Sibahle to shine a light on teas from the continent and to make teas from Africa more accessible. As a certified tea specialist, and currently pursuing her tea Sommelier certification, she focuses on sourcing sustainably grown, orthodox teas directly from smallholder farmers in Africa. Sibahle Teas' premium quality teas are naturally sweet and nutrient-dense, offering healthy benefits to their customers. Their range of teas includes traditional whole-leaf teas of the Camellia sinensis plant and herbal teas like honeybush, buchu, and rooibos from South Africa. Sibahle, a Zulu word meaning "we are beautiful," truly celebrates the beauty of Africa in every cup of tea. Regina lives in the Bronx, NY with her husband and two daughters.

Stacie Robertson, owner and founder of Tea Market in Kansas City. Founder and Owner, established 2002

  • STI Certified Tea Specialist

  • Master Tea/Botanical Blender

  • Certified Holistic Health Coach

  • Online Merchant: Retail; teamarket.com

  • Wholesale; teamarketwh.com

  • Small Business Coach Consultant

  • Wellness Lifestyle Educator | Consultant

  • Teacher | International Professional Speaker | Afternoon Tea Event Planner

Jennifer is Wisconsin’s only certified tea specialist from the Specialty Tea Institute. She is an experienced presenter and teacher with multiple speaking credits. Her early introduction to tea came at her Grandmother’s knee.

She carries fond memories of drinking tea with Grandma following delicious homemade family meals. As a young adult, Jennifer discovered loose-leaf teas in Seattle that developed her palate even more. In 2005 she enrolled in the Specialty Tea Institute in New York City and immersed herself in the world of tea. Jennifer had found her passion and became acquainted with owners of tea estates, tasted teas not available in the United States, and learned from the experts. 

Jennifer owned and operated a teahouse in Milwaukee for three years before relocating to Northeast Wisconsin. Having visited a plantation in South Carolina, witness the Japanese tea ceremony, saw the Korean women’s ceremony, was one of eight people to represent the USA tea industry in two world tea conferences in China, and having enjoyed a samovar in Russia, her dream is to travel the world visiting plantations in India, China, Taiwan, and Japan. She has contacts with small farms in origin countries and gets many of her teas directly from them with a focus on procuring high-quality teas that are organic, fair trade and ethically sourced.

Mrs. Little is the creator of Mrs. Little’s Tea and Toy House, a whimsical shop in Hamilton Missouri. A former math teacher, Mrs. Little combines her passion for teaching and tea with her long time practice of reading tea leaves. 

Erika Jensen of The Chocolate Season is known for infusing midwestern approachability with European artistry and innovation in all her luxury truffles and confections.  She has been recognized by Pastry & Baking North America, Food Network, and the Skimm’; and her accolades extend to IPTV’s Iowa Ingredient, Stitch, Google Small Business feature, Goldman Sachs 10ksb, Nebraska Life Magazine, FACES of Lincoln as well as becoming a premier Valrhona Circle V partner.  Jensen loves creating outlets of gratitude and appreciation for others through fine chocolate experiences. 

Growing up in a family with 40 years of experience in the tea industry, I never thought I’d want to be part of it. Life has a way of bringing you back to your roots. After earning my finance degree, I started a corporate career. However, in 2016, I couldn’t resist the pull of the tea world and began our venture, Nepal Tea Collective.

It feels like fate that I was born on International Tea Day and now work in the tea industry. I’m Pratik, a third-generation tea producer and the co-founder of Nepal Tea Collective. For the past six years, I’ve been focused on promoting Nepali teas and helping farmers and producers in North America, while also using tea to drive social change.

Tim Smith is the Chief Leaf at The Tea Smith in Omaha, NE.  The Tea Smith brings the world of fine teas to those wishing to enjoy and expand their appreciation of tea and integrate tea into their daily routine as part of a flavorful and healthful lifestyle. 

Over the last 20 years, Tim has enjoyed wonderful partnerships and travels with tea growers, producers and experts in this great industry so we can bring the freshest and finest teas and herbal blends to our supporters. 

Tim has been invited to present collaborate and judge at numerous venues including World Tea Expo, the Midwest Tea Fest as well as the Virtual International Teafest.  In addition, he was recognized as Top Tea Infusionist at the World Tea Expo

Alan & Marlys Arnold, owners of Adventures with Tea, have been cooking with tea for more than two decades and have developed hundreds of tea-infused recipes. They've published many of them in their eMagazine and blog, taught cooking classes, and are also the authors of the Tea Explorations Journal.

Agnieszka Rapacz is Chicago Teahouse's esteemed owner and a revered Tea Sommelier. With a rich journey that took her across the tea terrains of the world, she is poised to share tales and tastes that only a genuine aficionado could offer. Delight with us as Agnieszka pours her passion and expert insights into the delicate art of tea for an event of immersive flavors.

Katie Alfheim is a bean-to-bar chocolate maker and the owner/operator of Conch: Chocolate Experience in Columbia, MO. Her goal as a chocolate maker is to share the beauty of chocolate and its possibilities with everyone while highlighting the natural flavors of cocoa from different regions of the world. Katie is also a coffee and tea enthusiast, and you can find her exploring many local coffee and tea shops.

Anesce Dremen is a U.S. writer and educator often found with a tea cup in hand, traveling between the U.S., China, and India. A first generation college graduate and domestic violence survivor, Anesce studied in four cities in China with the support of the Critical Language Scholarship and Gilman Scholarship. She was a Fulbright fellow in India. Anesce’s work has been published in Tea Journey, TChing, Global Tea Hut, Stillhouse Press, Gordon Square Review, SPAN Magazine, Shanghai Poetry Lab, and The Bombay Literary Magazine, among others. She is pursuing a MFA - Creative Writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Follow her at AnesceDremen.com & @AnesceDremen  

Emilie Jackson is the co-owner of Emilie's French Teas - A French Tea Room & Tea Shop located in Kansas City. Originally from France, Emilie Jackson speaks English, Spanish and French fluently. Before settling in the United States, Emilie lived in France, Portugal, England and Mexico where ancient healing traditions are still alive. After working in International Business and Marketing for over 15 years, Emilie decided to pursue her dream of entrepreneurship and opened Emilie's French Teas in 2017. She has a passion for cultures and traditions from around the world, especially tea rituals. Visitors to the French Tea Room quickly find out that her enthusiasm for the Art of Tea is contagious. Emilie loves sharing her passion for tea so please don’t hesitate to stop by and ask her about tea, tea and wellness classes and/or private tea parties.

James Orrock of Single Origin Teas

Tom Hill, a lifelong Tea Drinker & Potter, combined his two passions to become the owner of Steep N' Clay Tea House & Pottery Shop located in Elgin, IL. Tom has produced pottery for over 25+ years with his degrees in Ceramics. Tom Hill is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others, teach and mentoring at some studios such as Lillstreet Art Center, Beverly Art Center, Pottery NW, Northwestern University and others around the country. Tom has previously worked in production pottery while in NY, after doing the daily grind of making the same pieces over and over again he had enough, vowing to produce "cousins instead of identical twin," pieces. His pottery reflects a deep connection to the earth, with each piece bearing the imprint of his hands and the spirit of the clay. His award winning pottery has been exhibited in galleries across the country, attracting collectors and enthusiasts alike. Steep N' Clay was inducted in the Illinois Made Program. Illinois Made celebrates small businesses who help craft Illinois by hand, inspiring visitors and fellow Illinoisan to discover more about the state by experiencing firsthand the passion that makes it thrive with its style & creativity setting our locally made goods apart.

Dan Robertson is the founder and owner of The Tea House, World Tea Tours, International Tea Cuppers Club, robertson*tea in Naperville, Illinois, and the newly established Tortuga Tea Company in Mexico.

As an importer, wholesaler, blender and purveyor of premium teas and accessories, he is involved with many levels of the tea industry. He is a regular contributor to various tea trade periodicals, web blogs and tea news services. Known for his informal and engaging style, Dan shares his passion for tea, lecturing around the world for businesses, educational and private groups, tea industry trade shows and events and has been a regular speaker at the World Tea Expo, Hong Kong Intl. Tea Fair and the Indian Tea Forum in Darjeeling, India. In 1995 he began his own tea business, drawing upon the resources and knowledge he had developed during his travels. Since then he returns to China nearly every year either to meet with suppliers, discover new teas, study or research. Since 1996 he has been organizing and leading the acclaimed China Tea Tour, where tea lovers from around the world get first hand experience in tea making, history, culture and business. Expanding beyond the Far East, he launched World Tea Tours in 2007 offering tours to tea producing and cultural areas around the globe.

An authority on tea culture, history, production and trade, Dan also conducts professional tea tasting classes and instructs courses in the Chinese tea ceremony. He serves as a judge for distinguished tea competitions including the Hong Kong Intl Tea Fair’s Tea Competition. As founder and director of the International Tea Cuppers Club he facilitates access to and experience of premium teas from across the globe and is headmaster of the International Tea Training Center in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. His DVD, The Art of Chinese Tea – The Tea Ceremony, is a demonstration and tutorial on the gongfu style of tea making. Dan writes for and has been a Contributing Editor for TEA a Magazine, The Daily Tea, Tea Journey and serves as an industry advisor for the World Tea Academy. He is also one of the founding members of the Chicago Tea Festival. His next book, Cultures of Tea, is a photographic discovery of the tea producing world. He is a prolific singer-songwriter and composer, an occasional poet and author of several children’s stories.

William Fondren of Hive + Harvest

Brian Carroll of Carroll’s Irish Bitters

Noli Ergas of Sugimoto Tea never really "got into" tea; it just grew on him. From drinking southern sweet tea while growing up in Texas, life in Japan brought familiarity with their standard daily teas (sencha, genmaicha, mugicha, etc.) as well as the traditional tea of Japanese tea ceremony (matcha). Habit grew into interest which grew into passion. Now, he is one of the few outside Japan certified as a Japanese Tea Advisor by the Japanese Tea  Instructor Association.

Rebecca Grzeskowiak has been with The Tea Smith for over 10 years, coming from an artistic background and even training in stunts and stagefighting.  She enjoys sharing her passion for tea with our retail and wholesale customers alike.  Not only is she passionate about tea education for all, but has worked to create many of The Tea Smith unique blends, offers the sought after opportunity to create custom blends for wholesale clients, hosts live or virtual guided tastings and educational sessions for both retail and wholesale customers, and has spoken at the World Tea Expo, and Midwest Tea Festival, and various events partnering with different businesses.  She has a voracious appetite for knowledge and a love for plants and herbs, and has worked with certified clinical herbalists to create functional herbal blends on The Tea Smith’s current tea menu.