Layoffs pushed Renee Rubens to rethink her career. She turned tea gifts into a business bringing in up to $30,000 a month

Renee Rubens started sharing premium tea with friends and clients long before it became a business. Today, her company, Symphony of Leaves Tea Company, brings in between $15,000 and $30,000 a month, depending on the season.

Her interest in tea began during a visit to a specialty tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. She discovered Chinese teas that tasted very different from the fruity tea bags she had bought at supermarkets.

She told Harness Magazine in an interview in October 2024, "I began to order and have their Chinese teas shipped to me regularly. Then I began buying books about tea and learning about varying grades of tea. I started taking classes to learn more about tea production." Rubens added, "Along with classes came the opportunity to build my network of other tea enthusiasts, who were equally committed to sourcing premium quality teas from producers around the world."


Rubens spent years working in corporate media sales, but repeated layoffs pushed her to reconsider her career. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she turned her interest in tea into an online business. She shared in the interview that, "I began to grow weary with the uncertainty of experiencing and or watching layoffs. Having experienced layoffs 3 times during my career, I no longer saw what I was doing as a path to retirement."

How Renee Rubens Turned Her Interest in Tea Into a Business

Rubens initially gave tea to friends and clients as gifts. As her knowledge grew, she saw an opportunity to introduce more people to premium loose-leaf varieties.

She launched Symphony of Leaves Tea Company with a website and a logo she developed with help from her cousin. The business sources tea from small farmers around the world.

Building the company meant learning to manage everything herself. Rather than taking out loans, Rubens funded the business with her own money and expanded gradually.

Rubens told Forbes that her approach in life is, “I kind of live by this motto of ‘grow slow so I don’t owe.’”

From Corporate Gifting to Retail Customers

Corporate gifting was an early focus for Symphony of Leaves. Over time, however, Rubens realised that some clients did not want to give tea year after year.

She began changing the company’s website to appeal to individual customers and increased its social media activity. She also used software to identify potential retail partners across the country.

As per Harness Magazine, the company had secured three new retail partners. During the interview, she shared, "As a member of the European Specialty Tea Association and the Japanese Global Tea Association, I meet producers regularly. Moreover, I have had the opportunity to meet many people in this industry. I get a lot of referrals."

Rubens said, "My community is HUGE and continues to expand," adding that, "Television exposure, branding at events like Usher’s tea party, getting into new doors are just a few of the opportunities I have had as a direct result of my community support," as quoted in the report.

Tariffs and Supplier Problems Have Added Pressure

Running the business has brought its share of difficulties. Higher tariffs have increased costs, while some small tea producers have stopped selling to US buyers.

Rubens said certain teas that previously cost $100 or $150 per kilogram became significantly more expensive, as per Forbes report. She responded by raising prices and looking for alternative suppliers.

She also lost money on printed marketing materials featuring producers whose tea she could no longer source. And the setbacks have made managing costs and maintaining supplier relationships an important part of her work.

Why She Spends Time Educating Tea Buyers

Rubens does more than sell tea, she also teaches customers about its quality, origins and production.

Through masterclasses, informational content and marketing, she explains what distinguishes premium tea and highlights producers who grow and harvest it, saying, “It’s not just what ends up in your cup, but it’s the journey that gets there,” as quoted by Forbes.

The business now requires considerably more of her time. What started as a commitment of 10 to 15 hours a week has grown to around 30 to 35 hours.

According to Forbes report, Symphony of Leaves brings in between $15,000 and $30,000 a month, depending on the season. The figure refers to the business’s reported monthly income, not confirmed personal profit.

Rubens has built the company without relying on business loans, growing from gifts for friends and clients into a business with a nationwide retail focus. Her journey has also required her to adapt to changing customer needs, rising costs and supply problems.