There is a Korean American who became a pioneer of evangelizing Asian-Fusion tea. The man is named John Paul Lee, the CEO of Tavalon Tea Bar which operates in Bloomingdales department stores. Tavalon Tea Bar was featured in major U.S. newspapers and TV networks like NY Times, NY Post, and CNBC as well as being introduced as a famous tea bar through the popular cuisine magazine, Bon Appetit. Tavalon tea bar is expected to expand its stores into 40 different Bloomingdales locations. In the beginning stages, we faced financial challenges, says Lee who joined hands with frozen yogurt company, Yolato, to produce tea yogurt and also worked with various beverage companies to create chic, new products like mojito (cocktail & green tea) and citron mimosa containing champagne and citron tea. We wanted to introduce various tasty teas to New Yorkers whom, compared to Europeans and Asians, do not encounter many good teas due to the popularity of coffee, says Lee who has dreamed of owning his own company for a long time.

After graduating from James Madison University with degrees in finance and CIS in Virginia, he was hired by the consulting company, Accenture, where he acquired the necessary operations know-how for three years. He quit work after devising a business plan, and a year later, he opened Tavalon tea bar in Manhattan Union Square with the money he saved while working for Accenture. Lee, being very proactive in lifestyle, sleeps two to three hours each day and spends his time doing market research and preparing for the opening of tea bars. He also brought tea sommelier Chris Cason on board to expertly develop tea menus targeting different age groups.

Tavalon has developed a marketing strategy to combine the image of tea with music as a way for everyone to enjoy tea with more cultural familiarity. In order to market tea as a new fashion statement, Lee hired 100 DJs who used to work for the most popular clubs and bars in the heart of New York City. These DJs perform, mixing songs from jazz to hip hop for customers visiting Tavalons tea bar.