A secret recipe of black tea, peach puree, lemon, and fresh mint was carefully handed down from generation to generation and found its way from an old friend to Dawn Patton and her daughter, Darrah. What started as a way for Dawn’s daughter to fund her college education caught fire and exploded into Try My T, headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Dawn’s ambitious energy transcended through the phone, “We are the game changers in the iced tea ready to drink market! Our taste is very distinct, very full. It’s very experiential, very clean,” she continued, “It’s perfectly paired with sunshine because it’s happiness in a bottle.”
Try My T is just that: crisp and slightly sweet with a touch of mint. It’s truly a sunny day poured in a glass over ice.
Dawn and her daughter, Darrah
Try My T competed in the Global Iced Tea Championships at the 2017 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas and was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Ready to Drink Flavored Iced Tea category. They went on to the Winner’s Tasting Circle to compete for the People’s Choice Award… and won.
It’s been a fast-paced journey for Dawn ever since.
“I’m having an out of body experience. I guess I’ve been so busy I think it’s been secondary that I’m a woman and I’m a woman of color. But what I am conscious about is being a woman as a major player. I am a very serious competitor in the ready to drink iced tea space.”
Dawn continued, “I love entrepreneurs, I love empowerment of women. Let’s talk about the journey because it’s all about the journey. If I can help, if I can encourage and motivate, the women of the world, regardless of what color you are, I would tell them to just go out there and just do it. Don’t overthink it.”
Dawn was excited to attend The World Tea Expo this year to grow her brand and network with like-minded creative tea entrepreneurs.
“We’ve come so far in a very short period of time – not knowing what I’m doing, just following my passion, following the heartbeat of the brand and resonating with the people. That just drives me. I love people. I love seeing people happy and seeing people love the tea- to me that’s everything.”
Dawn hopes to have Try My T available in select grocery stores by Spring 2019. Follow her journey here.
All photos provided by Try My T.
