Steeped in Success: How One Tea Brand Found the Recipe to Scale

A family tea company turned small business proves that passion and perseverance pay off.

In 2016, a young woman named Darrah Patton in Los Angeles’ Park View neighborhood had a simple idea: to sell tea made with a family friend's recipe to pay for her art supplies and college expenses. While the modest endeavor of selling tea at local events was never meant to grow into a business, the product started to gain a loyal following.

The company name came naturally because each time Darrah handed someone a cup, she'd ask, “Will you try my tea?" And just like that, Try MY T was born.

Humble Beginnings

At the start, Darrah sold her tea locally but demand kept growing and, by the end of 2017, Darrah’s mother Dawn became CEO and took over the business. Dawn dedicated each day to promoting the company's mission of “providing the quality of life through the quality of taste."

The uniqueness of Try MY T lies in its purity. “It's real cold-brew iced tea made with a delicate blend of fruit and herbs with a clean taste, low caffeine and free from artificial ingredients," said Dawn.
“People really love the tea and say they feel something when they drink it, so we call it a mood elevator," Dawn said. “Customers tell us it makes them feel at home and like it's a memory in a bottle, and they keep asking for more."

As demand grew, what started out as a way to create supplemental income became a phenomenon. By 2018, the tea made history as the first non-sponsored beverage ever sold in a U.S. sports stadium—a feat in an industry dominated by giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

In 2020, Try MY T officially entered retail as a seasonal product in Whole Foods. It wasn't because they

had planned it, but because consumers demanded it.

However, success didn't come without challenges. The beverage industry was a big business, and scaling up wasn't easy. Funding was scarce, and manufacturing at a larger scale proved difficult. Friends and family believed in the vision, contributing funds to keep production going, but demand outpaced supply.

City National's Small Business Program Lends a Hand

Still, Dawn pressed on. In November 2024, when Dawn was preparing to sell Try MY T in Costco, she needed money for inventory and production. The West Los Angeles Community Development Corporation told her about City National's Small Business Ladder Up℠ Program.

As the company expands, Dawn continues to live by her motto: “Build it before you need it." She has hired a small but dedicated team, ensuring they perfect every step of the process before expanding.

Today, Try MY T continues to grow, proving that an authentic, high-quality product can carve out its place, even in an industry dominated by big brands. It's a testament to resilience, relationships, and the power of an idea that started with a single cup and a simple question:

“Will you try my tea?”