Danville’s downtown renaissance continues to gain momentum as Elmwood Inn Fine Teas announced plans this week to move their international tea business to 135 North Second Street.
Owners Bruce and Shelley Richardson founded the Perryville company in 1990. Their business imports, blends, and packages tea for gourmet and retail stores, national parks, and catalog companies in every state. One of their newest clients is the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, opening June 24. Bruce Richardson was recently named Tea Master for the historic project. He is designing the tea service and the packaged teas for the iconic attraction rising out of Boston Harbor.
In 1996, the Richardsons launched their publishing division, Benjamin Press. They are the largest producer of tea books in North America, collaborating with such international publishers as The National Trust of England. Those offices will also be located in the new facility.
“We outgrew our buildings in Perryville a couple of years ago and began looking for expanded production and warehousing space,” said Ben Richardson, the owner’s son and office manager. “The larger downtown location allows us an opportunity to add retail space to our expanding wholesale offices and packaging facility.”
The new location will include a showroom of all the Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press products with a tea bar for sampling teas blended on site. The Richardsons hope to have construction completed in the coming months and expect to open in late spring.
