When brother and sister team Ahmed and Reem Rahim came up with the idea for Numi Organic Tea 10 years ago, they weren’t necessarily thinking about it as a beverage business. They were more excited about the chance to introduce a favorite childhood treat — Dry Desert Lime — to the American market. The Middle Eastern dried lime was the inspiration for one of the company’s first products, Dry Desert Lime, and began a series of tea innovations from the Oakland, Calif.-based company.
“We were inspired by a dry lime we drank as kids,” Reem Rahim says. “We’re from Iraq originally, and that tea we always thought was delicious and loved it, and thought what a great product to introduce to the states.”