Connie Lacobie

Connie was born and raised in Hong Kong, and moved to Houston to attend college. There she rapidly became involved in many international student clubs, helping to spread better understanding and appreciation of world cultures. This has been a theme of her life for decades, from raising children to appreciate their multi-culture background, to volunteer ventures and her own business.

In the early 2000s she became Ten Thousand Villages Houston's bookkeeper, where she learned about Fair Trade principles and products. Along with some volunteer friends at TTV, she saw an opportunity to combine fair trade ideas with her multi-cultural interests, by opening a tea house. After a successful showing of her home-made chai at Houston's International Festival in 2004, she started Té House of Tea the next year, showcasing over a 100 teas, as well international foods, including vegan and vegetarian items. Té rapidly became a popular community center in the Montrose area of Houston, attracting writers, artictists, musicians, residents from around the world (after all, tea is the most popular drink world-wide!), and, perhaps most surprisingly, dancers: Té became the site of a very popular Friday-night milonga (tango social dance) for 8+ years, and a popular Saturday-night "fusion swing" and blues dance for ten years. Monday night Open Mic also became a popular tradition for local musicians, poets, and spoken word artists.

Feeling the effects of constantly standing and the long work hours common to the restaurant business, Connie decided to sell her business in 2015. Unfortunately, she never found a suitable buyer, so she closed the retail business in December, but kept her tea interests alive by focusing on online sales and wholesale opportunities. She now supplies 5+ local shops with her teas, especially her specialty blends that have been popular with Houstonians for over a decade.