Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Cowherd.
Hi Christina, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My husband Brad and I were both born and raised in Orlando and graduated from Edgewater High!
We served in Peace Corps Guatemala soon after we were married, and we immediately fell in love with the people, the language, the wide and lasting impact we could have working with people to empower themselves to change the health and economic viability of their families for the better.
While we were living in rural Guatemala, I had time to explore the ins and outs of vegetarian and vegan from-scratch cooking, and we also visited a Guatemalan tea plantation and were intrigued with the ritual and health benefits of loose-leaf tea versus tea bags.
And so the story of Infusion Tea began. While Orlando boasts a vibrant vegetarian and culinary community now, in 2004, vegetarian food and loose-leaf tea was hard to find. So, I set out to start our own vegetarian tea house where people could nurture themselves, meet a friend, and fall in love with the calming ritual of brewing tea.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
College Park is a wildly supportive and encouraging community, I’m so thankful to have started my business here! Even so, of course there have been obstacles along the way. The financial downturn of 2008 was very difficult for most restaurants to survive, and of course the pandemic of 2020 presented unique challenges. I’m grateful to have weathered those storms with the support of our staff and community. We recently celebrated 20 years open!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Infusion Tea?
We are an urban vegetarian teahouse with over 100 varieties of loose-leaf tea. All of our teas can be made hot or iced. We also carry coffee and flavored lattes made with local roaster Lineage Coffee, and excellent cold brew from Cups and Pups. My daughter Annabelle loves to dream up new specialty lattes for our menu — her latest: iced Gingerbread Toffee!
All of our menu items (soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps, pizzas and more) can be made vegan at no extra charge! We have worked hard to accomplish that. We also have tons of gluten-free options, and we are working to eradicate seed oils from any of our ingredients and dishes. You won’t find salads anywhere else with more toppings than at Infusion, because salads shouldn’t be boring!
We love our partnerships with A Harmless Bite Bakery, Morgan Hunter Desserts, Olde Hearth, and we stock a plethora of beautiful vegan and gluten-free pastries.
We also enjoy featuring local artists, and inside our space you’ll find a well-curated gift shop displaying the works of local writers, artisans, artists, and other makers.
Our café was designed with the idea of providing a space that is good for the whole person, body, mind and spirit. We want people to be comfortable and stay a while. In the summers, our family of 8 returns to the village where we served in the Peace Corps all those years ago and leads groups of travelers through our nonprofit, Faith Project International, in construction of wood-burning stoves in homes. 10% of Infusion‘s profits go directly to support this mission.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Our parents! They’ve helped us in every way imaginable: child care, cheerleading, assembly, moral support. My husband Brad, who dreams big, encourages widely, and is an excellent connector of people.
Our children have pitched in, made us laugh, and helped when it was needed. One of my greatest joys has been working the tea bar alongside my oldest two daughters.
Our amazing staff! Manager Darcyne is a jack of all trades, ready with a smile and a genuinely caring person with incredible capacity. AM Sarah is multitalented and thoughtful, accomplishing much with accuracy, friendliness, and grace. To our kitchen staff and baristi – thank you for making the magic happen day in and day out. You make all the difference to our guests!
Our fantastic neighborhood has rallied to support small business time and time again. Grateful!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.infusiontea.us
- Instagram: @infusion_tea
- Facebook: InfusionTea
