From a dining room startup to a veteran-focused brand
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a husband-and-wife team in Columbus, Georgia, launched a specialty beverage business that blends American-themed products with a clear mission: creating meaningful jobs for veterans. The founder, Iraq War veteran Roger Owens, and his wife Aimee began selling hibiscus tea and other blends from their dining room after searching in vain for an American-themed, veteran-owned tea company.
Products and distribution
What began with loose-leaf teas inspired by regional flavors and American history has expanded into premium coffee and a wider line of blends. Offerings include Georgia peach and Florida key lime blends, coffees tied to national parks and historic sites, and several patriotic-themed products created in partnership with national initiatives celebrating the country’s heritage.
The company reports distribution through museums, presidential libraries, state parks, historic destinations, specialty retailers, and direct-to-consumer shipping—including to Alaska, Hawaii and military addresses overseas.
A mission beyond a product
Central to the business model is hiring veterans and helping them regain purpose and teamwork after military service. The owners emphasize that they want to offer more than employment: they aim to rebuild the social and mission-driven experience many veterans miss after leaving the armed forces. Expansion plans include adding new retail locations designed as community gathering points where customers can engage over tea or coffee.
Market and strategic context
Specialty coffee and tea remain strong segments in the U.S. beverage market, with consumer interest in provenance, story-driven branding, and regionally inspired flavors supporting premium pricing. For veteran-founded brands, a values-based narrative and a hiring mission can resonate with consumers seeking to support businesses that give back to military communities.
From a growth perspective, opportunities and challenges include securing investment or strategic partners to scale retail footprints, managing inventory and supply-chain complexity for both tea and coffee lines, and differentiating in a crowded specialty beverage market.
Why veteran hiring matters for business and community
Employing veterans can deliver benefits to employers and to veterans themselves. Employers often cite strong leadership, discipline and teamwork skills among veteran hires. For many veterans, meaningful employment that reinforces purpose and community can ease the transition to civilian life. Federal and nonprofit resources exist to help veteran-owned businesses and to support veteran employment efforts, and businesses that emphasize veteran hiring can tap into those programs for training, recruitment and sometimes funding.
Practical next steps and considerations for founders and investors
- Clarify the brand’s long-term retail strategy: pop-up shops, specialty stores, or partnerships with national retailers and museums.
- Build operational systems that handle both tea (often requiring different sourcing and packaging) and coffee (roasting relationships, freshness logistics).
- Document the veteran-hiring impact as part of the brand story—metrics and veteran testimonials can strengthen investor pitches and consumer trust.
- Explore federal, state and nonprofit programs designed for veteran entrepreneurs and veteran hiring to access grants, training and recruitment channels.
Sources and further reading
The reporting summarized above was based on a recent news profile provided from Fox Business. For background on resources and context referenced in this piece, see the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) business resources for veterans (https://www.sba.gov), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (https://www.va.gov) for veteran employment and transition assistance resources, and national labor statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov).
Bottom line
The story of a Columbus-based, veteran-founded tea and coffee brand highlights a broader trend: entrepreneurs are increasingly combining product innovation with mission-driven hiring practices. For consumers who prioritize values in their purchases and for investors looking for businesses with clear differentiation, companies that authentically blend brand story and social purpose can present compelling opportunities—provided they execute effectively on operations, distribution and scaling strategy.
