Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Flores.
Hi Leah , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I realized I could retire from my career as a high English teacher and administrator, I became excited by the idea of taking a concept I discovered in my hometown’s loose leaf tea shop to the big city. It took several years and some intense negotiations to bring this vision to life, and now my passion is sharing the health benefits of organic, loose leaf tea, and there is rarely a day when I don’t feel completely blessed to be able to pursue this passion and help my community discover what the rest of the world has been enjoying for thousands of years. My business foray started with a franchise, but I quickly realized they could not support a store in a large market like San Antonio (their stores were all in small towns). I opened at the same time as four other stores in large cities, and unfortunately, they all failed within that first year. I was determined to survive, so when I was able to leave the franchise and go it alone, I took the opportunity. I rebranded from scratch, designing a new logo, menu and marketing plan. I pivoted from the franchise model of over-caffeinated, overly sweet drinks to focus on the healthy aspects of tea and educate anyone who would listen. It has been an uphill journey filled with networking, connecting, collaborating, partnering and mostly opening my doors to whomever and whatever expressed an interest in my shop. I pivoted to high teas, tea parties and leaned into what I saw was a real need for people to connect, spend time together and discover something completely new. This concentration on community and social connection also works for fundraisers, charity events and other activities that bring people together, so it has been a joy to support nonprofits and be able to offer a space and an occasion for people to work on their service projects. In the process of all of these changes and adaptations, I’ve discovered this business has something for everyone, children (I added a play area) parents, grandparents, retirees, veterans, church groups, ladies groups non-profits and the list goes on. I have been able to completely reinvent my original model and come closer to what I enjoy about tea, health, community and connection. It has been a very difficult 3 years of mounting debt and constant work, but I can see that every pivot, stress, and sleepless night has taken this endeavor in a wonderful direction. We had a 30% improvement from January of 2025 to January of 2026 and I am starting to feel like we might actually make it!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
From the beginning, my challenge has been marketing. From creating a CRM from scratch to learning the best way to run and pay for social media ads, I have done everything on my own with the guidance of paid mentors who coach me. After three years of trial and error, we are finally starting to see things moving in the right direction. Everyone tells you that “it takes time”, but the other half of that well known statement is it also takes money to buy the time. While a business is spreading the word, growing and gaining loyal customers, the rent still has to be paid, the inventory needs to be replenished, employees need to be paid, and most of all, the marketing has to continue.
Over the past 3 years I have had to invest all of my personal money and resources in order to keep the store open, and I have done everything myself with guidance where I could find it. The best part of this journey is seeing the excitement and interest on peoples’ faces when they discover the teas and fall in love with them. The largest part of the job is really educating people about what they don’t know they don’t know. Everyone has their own preconceived ideas about what “tea” is and most Americans have not had much experience with the variety and the health benefits organic loose leaf tea has to offer. I always compare this moment with the late 80’s when Starbucks introduced European style coffees to the US for the first time. Unfortunately, Starbucks is also responsible for putting an end to the first successful attempt at bringing loose leaf to the US when they bought and shut down Teavana just as they were gaining popularity.
Helping people discover the wonderful world of loose leaf is definitely both our biggest struggle and our biggest joy!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am thrilled to report that I am starting to be known as the “tea lady” here in San Antonio. Thanks to the support of people like you and your magazine, I have had some fun opportunities to get the word out and popularize loose leaf tea. Shelly Miles at San Antonio Living has also been a great partner in this journey. LaTEAda is one of a kind at this point. There are a few other spots in SA that offer high tea experiences, but they don’t have all of the loose leaf variety that makes the high tea so enjoyable at LaTEAda. There are some other loose leaf tea shops, but LaTEAda is able to create and offer tea based drinks that we feature throughout the year based on seasons and holidays. We are also able to offer cafe experience by partnering with other local and exceptional producers like Old World Bakery, The Royal Pasty Empanadas and Bundteas cookies. We feel so lucky to be able to offer their delicious products alongside our teas.
I am most proud of the way we have been able to pivot from the confines of our original franchise model and become a real destination for all sorts of gatherings that not only fit our aspirations, but also our space. We added a play area for kids early on as well as the high tea and tea party experiences that fill our rooms with every type of gathering imaginable. We feel that we are able to provide the perfect solution for people seeking community, relaxation and true human connection in a post-pandemic world where we are all feeling divided by social media screens. We have seen such genuinely joyful reactions to our tea parties and we are excited for those to continue and flourish.
Loose leaf tea offers a way for people to move away from the highly processed, artificial, chemical beverages we have been conditioned to want over the last 50 years. I am proud to be a source for people to access the teas and provide education about what they can do for our bodies and our minds. From fighting cancer to removing excess sugar to heart health and natural remedies there are hundreds of benefits that America sorely need. I am excited to help spread this message.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Learning, doing, solving and overcoming are the things that bring me real joy and that ever illusive feeling of accomplishment. Throughout this journey I have been tested at every turn, but my montra has been, failure is not an option. So I just keep pushing forward, trying new things, coming up with new ideas and trying to find what works. Doing all of this alongside my family and my son-in-law in particular who is my manager, makes the journey all that more rewarding. Part of our mission was to create a situation where he had more time with his boys and more control over his free time. Ultimately family is the reason underlying everything we have done, and that is the source of true happiness.
Pricing:
- Most Loose Leaf Tea is $5.95 per ounce
- High Tea Experience $45 per person
- Tea Brewing Classes Free
- Tea Parties $15 per person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lateada.net
- Instagram: lateada.sanantonio
- Facebook: lateada.sanantonio
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-flores-64275663
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Lateada.sanantonio
