Update: This version includes details about Tama Tea's recent capital raise.

With less than a year behind them, the owners of Tama Tea have their sights set on expansion.
 
Wells Struble, who co-founded the café and retail shop with wife, Kelly, and Rocco Quaranto III, said the company’s plans to soon open three stores in the Washington, D.C., market.
 
“We’ve treated Wilmington as our proof-of-concept location because we live here,” Wells Struble said of the original location at 1127 Military Cutoff Road, Suite C in The Forum shopping center. “But we’re ready to take the next step and begin our expansion.”

The company also announced with the expansion details that it recently completed at $1 million capital raise.

“We did an extensive analysis of major cities across the country and concluded that DC was the perfect city for us to really launch this brand on the national stage," Quaranto said in a news release.
 
And with plans for expansion comes expanded menu offerings. The first to roll out is the new drink menu which has double the number of signature drinks and a heavy focus on matcha, a finely ground green tea powder loaded with antioxidants.
 
Tama Tea is also now offering its eight best-selling iced teas on tap. Brewing larger batches of these teas each morning allows customers to be served more efficiently, Wells Struble. And each cup comes with a free in-house refill.
 
In celebration of the new drink menu and upcoming expansion, Tama Tea will host a New Signature Drink Menu Launch Party on Aug. 5. The store will offer free drinks from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and then 50 percent off for the remainder of the day.
 
Recently added food items such as French macarons from Olivia Macaron in Washington, D.C., and matcha white chocolate covered strawberries have been very successful, Wells Struble said. Customers can expect new food items such as tartines and salads to roll out in the coming weeks.

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