Bigelow Tea, the #1 tea company in the U.S., has a manufacturing facility in Boise that was not only founded by a woman but is still run by a woman. Now, they’re celebrating 80 years in business and over 150 tea flavors. The company, which is family owned and based in Fairfield, Connecticut, has been in Boise since 1983 and continues to be one of the nation’s most coveted tea suppliers, always prioritizing the tea sipper.

But theirs is a story you may not have heard yet. “Nobody knows we are a family business, run by a woman, with one of our premier plants here in Idaho,” said third-generation president and CEO Cindi Bigelow. “We have enjoyed a great relationship with local accounts such as Albertsons for decades, and Idaho is one of our best performing facilities in the country.”

Bigelow Tea crafts some of the world’s finest green, black, and herbal teas, including the ever-popular black tea blend “Constant Comment,” created in 1945 by Cindi’s grandmother, Ruth Campbell Bigelow. By blending black tea with orange rind and sweet spices, Ruth was a true pioneer who reinvented tea in America, creating the nation’s first specialty tea in her New York City brownstone kitchen. “The official name on the side of the box is RC Bigelow, honoring my grandmother Ruth Campbell Bigelow,” revealed Cindi. “Today, machines weigh the tea for each bag, and then the tea is folded into filter paper, tied with a threaded tag, and sealed in a foil packet to ensure freshness, which we never compromise. 

Cindi’s commitment and love for Bigelow is a passion beyond her 450 coveted employees located in Boise, Idaho, Fairfield, Connecticut, and Louisville, Kentucky. Her leadership touches every aspect of the business, from product quality and packaging to distribution, environmental accountability—where the company is a Certified B Corp as well as a “Zero-Landfill” company—and social sustainability. “For example, if we have excess tea, we send it to a local composter to turn it into mulch,” she said. “In addition, if we have excess storage boxes, we donate them to the Idaho Foodbank to help distribute food.”

“I started traveling to understand what quality means,” Cindi said. “I have traveled to Sri Lanka and observed women plucking tea leaves with such care. I’ve also traveled to Chile, Vietnam, and Thailand to visit local farms. In Thailand, I visited a woman who had just started to grow butterfly pea flowers in her garden. This beautiful flower and the spirit of this woman inspired me. I love connecting to the world and helping women succeed. We’ve created a special tea from this flower, which is only exclusive at Walmart. Her story and the details of this premium tea can be found right on the box.”

With her custom-made tea drawer at home, Cindi is very diligent in serving and enjoying a beautiful cup of tea with family and friends. “People have fun picking tea from the drawer when they come over,” she said. “One of the things I so love about our teas is they can travel anywhere because of their foil pouch. Nothing protects the tea better! But one rule to know if you want to make a good cup of tea is you must start with cold water, then as soon as the water boils, pour it over the teabag.” She added, “At Bigelow, we make 2.3 billion cups of tea a year—I like to say 2.3 billion cups of joy.”