Ryl Tea

Our Founder, Blodin Ukella, never set out to build a beverage company – his roots as a war refugee ultimately led him there. In 1999, Blodin and his family were victims of the genocidal war in Kosovo, forced to flee their home and endure months of migration through Macedonia before arriving in the U.S. as refugees. They arrived with just $600 to their name and an uncertain path to citizenship. As they worked to rebuild their lives, one challenge stood above the rest: access to quality healthcare. In its absence, Blodin’s family relied on traditional wellness remedies—most notably çaj (tea). More than a beverage, tea was their medicine, their comfort, and a means of survival. Years later, Blodin unexpectedly entered the beverage industry and that’s when everything connected. Over a cup of his mother’s homemade tea, the mission became clear: to revive tea’s functional roots and cultural soul—reimagined for the modern world. That moment became Ryl Tea.