Kola [koh-luh]
Origin: Sinhalese (Sri Lanka)
1. Greens or leaves
2. The color green
South Asian rituals made easy, for everyone
I grew up in Sri Lanka, where every day like clockwork, my Amma (mom) and Thaththa (Dad) shared Sri Lankan Milk Tea together, twice a day. Each morning, I had to have Kola Kanda (which became our Super Green Latte), a nutritious drink Amma spent hours making. (This is why we say "Got it from Amma!" She truly deserves the credit.)
Fast forward to my move to America. Everything was new and foreign. As I grew up, I found myself craving the comfort and nutrition of the foods I grew up with. I quickly realized I lacked not only the ingredients and know-how (oops!) but also the time to labor over these beautiful wellness rituals. It became clear that our rituals needed to evolve to fit our modern lifestyle and remain accessible. Otherwise, they risked fading away.
That's how we started crafting the easiest, freshest, most nutritious, and delicious lattes that anyone can make at home.
How we source: representation from seed to shelf
One thing was clear: the surge in South Asian wellness rituals wasn't benefiting the cultures and communities they originated from. We wanted to change that. Even decades after colonization, some parts of the tea and spice industry in Sri Lanka remained unchanged — like no land ownership for farmers, and products changing multiple hands before reaching the customer.
We set out to work directly with farmer collectives in Sri Lanka who grow our spices, like world-famous Ceylon Cinnamon, Turmeric, and Moringa. Our goal was to bring together fresh, high-quality ingredients for our blends because it matters — for our customers and all the way to the farmers. By cutting out middlemen in our supply chains, we can pay above-market rates while securing the freshest, zestiest spices.
We source Ceylon Tea from small-holder farmers in Sri Lanka, grown in the Ella and Deniyaya areas. The terroir makes this hand-picked tea perfect for every sip. In an industry plagued by human rights issues, we take pride in our sourcing methods. Our farm partners inspire us daily, and by giving back economically and supporting community education, we enable our customers to positively impact our farmers' lives.