Meghan Markle appears to be using a retailer linked to Netflix to produce her As Ever herbal tea – which she sells for three times the price, MailOnline can reveal today.
The Duchess of Sussex‘s hibiscus, lemon ginger and peppermint teas seem to be made by a firm headquartered in Larkspur, California – 350 miles away from her Montecito mansion – and with a factory 2,000 miles away in Nashville, Illinois.
The company, called The Republic of Tea, already sells a range of teas on its website featuring the branding of Netflix drama Bridgerton and ITV series Downton Abbey.
The firm is believed to be the original supplier of all Meghan’s $12 (£9) teas and $15 (£11) flower sprinkles, and the website for the royal’s lifestyle brand As Ever states that orders will be ‘delivered from the Republic of Tea’s fulfillment centers’.
As of yesterday, metadata on As Ever’s website also read ‘Brand: ‘republic-of-tea” on the product pages for the teas and flower sprinkles, which first went on sale in April.
But after MailOnline contacted Meghan’s team for comment, this was changed to say ‘As Ever store’, in line with the other products such as her fruit spreads and crepe mix.
The Republic of Tea website sells ‘Natural Hibiscus Tea Bags’ for $11.50 (£8.45) for 36 in a tin or 32c (24p) per cup; or $70 (£51.45) for 250 in a pack or 28c (21p) a cup.
But on the As Ever website, hibiscus teabags are $12 (£9) for a tin of 12 with the As Ever branding, costing $1 (73p) per cup – three times the price on Republic of Tea.
It is not clear whether Meghan bought her tea directly from Republic of Tea and had it packaged separately, or whether the firm did the product, packaging and branding.
However, its round tea bags are natural and unbleached, while Meghan’s As Ever tea comes in triangular bags with a string, indicating that they are not identical products.
The Duchess of Sussex in her show ‘With Love, Meghan’ which came out on Netflix in March
The As Ever website has sold herbal hibiscus tea at $12 (£9) for a tin of 12, or $1 (73p) per cup
The Republic of Tea website sells ‘Natural Hibiscus Tea Bags’ with Nigerian hibiscus for $11.50 (£8.45) for 36 in a tin or 32c (24p) per cup; or $70 (£51.45) for 250 in a pack or 28c (21p) a cup
The brand also sells loose leaf tea, which can be then packaged into tea bags.
The Republic of Tea website also reveals it uses ‘caffeine-free Nigerian hibiscus’ – which is notable given Meghan visited the country in a ‘quasi-royal tour’ with her husband Prince Harry in May 2024.
The Duchess also revealed on her Spotify podcast Archetypes in October 2022 that she found out in a DNA-based genealogy test that she is ’43 per cent Nigerian’.
There is also a nod to the partnership in the website’s FAQs, under the ‘Products’ section, which has the question: ‘How do you bring your products to life?’
The answer is listed as: ‘We partner with best-in-class vendors to bring our product ideas to life – translating our founder’s recipes and bespoke concepts into beautiful, scalable goods.’
And in the ‘Shipping Policy’ section, there is a note saying: ‘Please note that our products are delivered from the Republic of Tea’s fulfillment centres.’
A representative for the Duchess declined to comment to MailOnline yesterday.
It comes three months after she released her Netflix show ‘With Love, Meghan’, which forms part of the Sussexes’ £80million deal with the streaming giant.
A second series is also on the way, and As Ever is a partnership with Netflix.
The Republic of Tea was founded in 1992 and now has a collection of 350 natural teas including ‘The Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story Teas’ at $15 (£11) per tin.
It was set up by Mel Ziegler, Patricia Ziegler and Bill Rosenzweig after the Zieglers founded fashion chain Banana Republic, which they sold to Gap in 1983.
Republic of Tea was then bought by entrepreneur Ron Rubin just 18 months after it was founded, and his son Todd Rubin became its president in 2015.
Last Friday, Meghan revealed a trio of new products under her As Ever brand as she launched a Napa Valley rosé wine, an apricot spread and a new honey.
The Republic of Tea also stocks a range of TVs with the branding of Netflix series Bridgerton
Teas inspired by ITV series Downton Abbey are also sold on The Republic of Tea’s website
In the ‘Shipping Policy’ section of Meghan’s As Ever website, there is a note saying: ‘Please note that our products are delivered from the Republic of Tea’s fulfillment centres’
The Republic of Tea has a factory in Nashville, Illinois – 2,000 miles away from California
The Republic of Tea headquarters are in Larkspur, California – 350 miles away from Montecito
The Duchess unveiled the fresh items as she also released a restock of six of the items from her first batch two months after all nine sold out within an hour.
The rosé is Meghan’s first foray into the wine market – with the product sourced from the famous region of California, up the coast from her Montecito mansion.
The 2023 wine, which will be available to buy from July 1 for an unknown price, has been described by her brand as having notes of ‘soft notes of stone fruit, gentle minerality and a lasting finish’ and a ‘bespoke blend’ which is ‘launching just in time for summer entertaining’.
One of the other new products is a $28 (£21) ‘limited edition’ orange blossom honey which Meghan said had a ‘beautiful golden hue, an enticing aroma, delicate floral notes and subtle citrus undertones’ and would be ‘a standout addition to your pantry’.
The other new item is the apricot spread – one in keepsake packaging at $14 (£10) and the other just in a jar at $9 (£7). Meghan said this ‘newest spread balances a delicate sweetness and a gentle brightness that lets this beautiful stone fruit shine’.
The apricot spread is one of the three new products launched by the Duchess of Sussex today
Meghan launched a new Napa Valley rosé wine as part of her As Ever business last Friday
Another new product last Friday was apricot spread in keepsake packaging (left) or a jar (right)
A promotional image for As Ever’s orange blossom honey which Meghan launched last Friday
Meghan’s As Ever products including her jam launched in April and rapidly sold out
Announcing the items, Meghan said: ‘We are pleased to share that many favourites from our debut As Ever collection are back – and, we’ve added something new. We hope you find some special treats that bring extra joy to you and your loved ones.’
In April the Duchess released her first nine As Ever products including raspberry spread in keepsake packaging for $14 (£10) or a normal jar for $9 (£7), with the brand describing the collection as being ‘infused with joy, love, and a touch of whimsy’.
Others were flower sprinkles for $15 (£11), wildflower honey with honeycomb for $28 (£21), a crepe mix and a shortbread cookie mix with flower sprinkles, both $14 (£10).
Three types of herbal tea also came out at the same time – hibiscus, lemon ginger and peppermint – for $12 (£9) each. All the products sold out in about 45 minutes.
The products restocked by Meghan last Friday were the three herbal teas, the floral sprinkles, crepe mix and shortbread cookie mix – but not the raspberry spread.
MailOnline has also contacted Netflix and The Republic of Tea for comment.
