Born and raised in America’s heartland, Jeni Dodd has journeyed far from the plains of Kansas to remote tea-growing regions throughout the world in search of the perfect cup of tea.

The owner of Jeni Dodd Tea, a company dedicated to importing hand-crafted, unique specialty teas and offering tea education for groups and events, Jeni seeks to expand the public’s awareness of the specialty tea market and lead consumers to discover the exquisite joy of the leaf.

Over the last decade, Jeni Dodd has dedicated and committed herself to acquiring as much possible knowledge about the tea industry, tea culture and tea processing.  She is a Certified Tea Specialist through the Specialty Tea Institute and has completed all of STI’s Level IV courses offered to date. She earned a Certified Tea Master designation from the International Tea Master’s Association.

Ms. Dodd has taught future tea entrepreneurs and enthusiasts at the Specialty Tea Institute.  She has presented several times at World Tea Expo, as well as regional tea festivals throughout the United States.  She was a guest speaker at Nepal’s International Tea Day and Nepal’s 3rd International Tea Festival.  As a firm believer in trade – not aid as means to propel Nepal from poverty, Jeni currently trains Nepalese farmers and producers on the successful marketable quality and flavor profiles empowering competition in the global market.

In her pursuit of a comprehensive understanding of tea, Jeni Dodd has traveled to several countries of origin, including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, China, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina and Nepal, visiting hundreds of tea estates and tea gardens, observing and participating in the various growing and processing methods unique to each country and region.

While finishing law school in London, Jeni Dodd first developed a passion for tea.  Earl Grey was her ‘gateway’ tea and that eventually led to her appreciation of specialty tea.  While practicing as a corporate litigation attorney in New York City, she found that her desire to know more about tea outweighed her desire for the law and she formed Jeni Dodd Tea.  While she still does some legal work and never forgets her Kansas roots with enthusiastic support of her Kansas Jayhawk basketball team, her primary focus is growing her tea business and continuing to learn about and facilitate discovery of the endlessly fascinating world of tea.