Help Keep Wakari Tea Alive at Smorgasburg

Hi everyone! My name is Jacqueline, and I’m the founder of Wakari Tea — a small, Black woman-owned tea business rooted in passion, culture, and community. Right now, I'm raising funds to help keep Wakari going as we vend weekly at Smorgasburg, the largest open-air market in the U.S.

We launched in October after I lost my job at L'Oréal, and since then, I’ve put everything I have into building this brand from the ground up. While I'm proud of how far we've come, a string of rainy weekends and rapidly rising costs (matcha, milk, weekly fees, etc.) have made it really hard to stay afloat. I've also been unable to find full-time work since September, so Wakari is not just my business — it’s my only source of income right now.

I'm seeking to raise $10,000 to cover:

Matcha + ingredient inventory

Weekly vendor fees (nearly $1,000 per week)

Supplies + equipment (like a second tent)

Payroll for part-time help

Basic living expenses like groceries and transportation

From April 6 to May 4, Wakari made $10,000 in revenue — over 1,000 matcha lattes and 200+ cookies sold! That said, our operating costs are about $2,000 per weekend, which means we’re barely breaking even. With better weather and increased brand exposure, I’m confident we can grow our customer base, improve margins, and build something sustainable — but we need your help to get there.

Being at Smorgasburg is an incredible opportunity, especially as one of the only Black-owned matcha brands in the country. It would be heartbreaking to give this up when we’re just getting started. I have big dreams for Wakari — from opening a café to launching retail products — but right now, I need support to simply keep going.

To everyone who's stopped by the booth, cheered us on, or volunteered their time: thank you. I couldn’t have made it this far without you.

If you're interested in angel investing or participating in our upcoming friends & family round, please reach out!

We also do corporate events, catering, and private matcha bars, so if you'd like to support Wakari in that way, we’d love to work with you.

Thank you for believing in me, in Wakari, and in the vision.

Jacqueline

Founder, Wakari Tea

drinkwakari.com

@drinkwakari