How White Heron Tea & Coffee Built a Cult Following

Japan...9/11...and farmer's markets?

Most Seacoast stories don't involve these components.

But for Jonathan Blakeslee, the owner of the very popular White Heron Tea & Coffee, they're critical elements of a story that you have to hear to believe.

From the roasting room at White Heron located in the West End of Portsmouth, founder/owner Jonathan and I discuss:

Jonathan's Japan experience (00:00)

Living and working in the Pacific Northwest (06:20)

The origins of White Heron (09:41)

Organic, fair trade, and sustainably sourced (16:10)

Follow the podcast (22:13)

Opening in Portsmouth in 2013 (23:48)

Advice to future shop owners (31:38)

Jonathan's concerns about the industry (35:54)

Opening in Eliot in 2020 (47:58)

What's your mission? (53:03)

Jonathan Blakeslee is the founder and owner of White Heron Tea & Coffee. Born in Portsmouth in 1969, Jonathan also spent his formative years in North Hampton and South Berwick. In lieu of attending college, Jonathan spent two years with the Coast Guard in Japan. After that, he spent several years working at top-ranked restaurants in Seattle and Portland (OR) before returning to the Seacoast in the mid-2000s to start White Heron.

This podcast is hosted, written, researched, and produced by Troy Farkas⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. FOLLOW the show on Apple or Spotify to support the show. It's free :)