Arya Tea Bar makes GreenMarket debut as one of this season's new vendors

The West Palm Beach GreenMarket is known for bringing together local farmers, makers and small businesses, and this season, five new vendors are joining the lineup.

On Saturday, WPTV reporter Christy Waite showcased one of them.

WATCH Arya Tea Bar Makes GreenMarket Debut as One of This Season's New Vendors

Arya Tea Bar, a downtown West Palm Beach tea shop, specializes in matcha drinks, loose-leaf teas and fruit refreshers made with clean, high-quality ingredients.

Owner Sophie DeWaal says tea has always been a part of her life.

"I have drunk tea my whole life. I have only ever had coffee literally three times," DeWaal said.

At her Clematis Street storefront, customers can find classic teas, specialty matcha drinks and loose-leaf teas sourced from around the world. DeWaal said she carefully selected teas she believes are the best representation of their type, including hibiscus, black tea, Earl Grey and Japanese floral teas she discovered while visiting Japan.

Arya Tea Bar also offers fruit refreshers that can be made with either tea or lemonade. The drinks feature house-made fruit purees and freshly diced fruit.

"When matcha became a thing, I was like, this is amazing. There is so much cool stuff you can do with it. If you use high-quality tea, you can use clean ingredients and not fill it with a bunch of sugar and still get a really nice drink."

Popular menu items include strawberry, mango and lavender matchas, along with the shop's bestselling salted date matcha.

"The salted date matcha is one of our most popular," DeWaal said.

Arya Tea Bar opened its Clematis Street storefront in January, but DeWaal's connection to the GreenMarket began long before she became a vendor.

She said the GreenMarket was one of the reasons she decided to move to West Palm Beach and was thrilled when she learned Arya Tea Bar had been selected as a vendor this season.

"I feel like I got into the Harvard of farmers' markets," DeWaal said. "I moved to West Palm because of the GreenMarket."

Now, she's excited to introduce her products to a whole new audience.

"I am so excited to meet everyone and meet the people who are interested in what we have to offer. I think it's really unique," she said.

The business also carries a personal connection for DeWaal. Arya Tea Bar is named after her horse, Arya, a nod to the years she spent horseback riding and show jumping in Wellington.

As one of five new vendors joining the West Palm Beach GreenMarket this season, Arya Tea Bar is bringing its unique blend of teas, matcha, and fruit-forward beverages to one of South Florida's most popular weekend destinations while continuing to grow its presence in downtown West Palm Beach.