When DAVIDsTEA reached out to me about photographing some local products I was admittedly a little confused, because they no longer have a business here in town. I soon realized they were working in collaboration with an amazing small local company called Tea Horse.

Tea Horse was established in 2017 by Denise Atkinson, Anishinaabe ikwe and her partner Marc H. Bohémier It is an Indigenous-owned artisanal tea company located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg Peoples in Northwestern Ontario. With its proprietary roasting process, Tea Horse has created and produces an industry-first selection of custom roasted wild rice (Ojibwe: manoomin) and tea blends.

Suffice it to say, I was super excited for the opportunity. Before I knew it I was out at Denise and Marc’s house in the country learning about their tea’s and capturing a wide array of imagery. It was such an amazing learning process for me, and of course, a lot of fun working with such a talented couple.

I’m excited to see where Tea Horse is in even a couple years. It’s just such a unique idea and I don’t think it’s being done anywhere else at the moment.