About Me
I grew up in a small Wyoming town called Encampment. The kind of place where everyone knew your name, the air smelled like pine and sunshine, and life moved at the easy pace of small-town days.
One of my favorite places anywhere was The Sugar Bowl Soda Fountain. It wasn’t just a shop. It was where people gathered, stories were shared, and time seemed to slow down on purpose. My grandma would take me there for a treat, and I can still picture it so clearly. The clink of glasses, the counter stools, and that comforting feeling that you belonged.
That’s where the name The Sugar Bowl comes from. Not just a place, but a feeling that stayed with me long after life carried me far from Wyoming.
The idea for The Sugar Bowl Collection came years later, during a trip to Oregon.
We arrived with the same pace we’d grown used to. Always moving. Always thinking about what was next. Oregon didn’t meet us there. It moved slower. Quieter. One afternoon, standing at a crosswalk in a small coastal town, a car stopped and waved us across. Such a small thing, but it felt like the world was gently telling us to slow down.
That moment stayed with me.
It reminded me of Encampment.
Of the Sugar Bowl.
Of how life feels when you’re present enough to notice it.
That’s when The Sugar Bowl Collection truly came to life. It’s built on the idea that a cup of tea can hold a memory, a story, or a quiet reminder to breathe. Each blend is inspired by the people and places that shaped me. Mountain mornings. Misty coastal walks. Childhood treats and long conversations around the kitchen table.
I believe tea is more than something you drink. It connects us. It brings warmth when life feels heavy, comfort when the world moves too fast, and a touch of nostalgia when we need to remember where we came from.
So welcome to The Sugar Bowl Collection.
Pour a cup. Take a breath. Stay awhile.
There’s a story in every sip. Maybe even yours.
— Teresa Bender
Founder, The Sugar Bowl Collection