ABOUT US
WHO WE ARE
David Rio is an award-winning, premium chai and tea company based in San Francisco, California, offering customers only the finest products domestically and around the world. Established by co-founders David Scott Lowe and Rio Miura in 1996, we first started as a line of specialty tea, coffee, and accessories through an all Japanese catalog, and transformed into America’s premier chai company. Today, David Rio is available in cafés, restaurants, and specialty food stores across the U.S. and in over 50 other countries.
We also opened our first retail location based in San Francisco, Chai Bar by David Rio, where David Rio products are served.
MISSION
At David Rio, we strive to be the global premium chai brand, exceeding customers' expectations, offering exceptional taste and quality, and delivering meaningful customer service. We also strive to earn the respect and trust of all business partners, giving back to the communities that are instrumental in our success.
Our objective is to be the premier brand in the industry and deliver a rich, indulgent chai experience that will keep even the most discerning chai drinker coming back for more!
HISTORY
David Rio was founded by Rio Miura and David Scott Lowe in 1996. They first began selling specialty teas, coffees, and accessories through an all-Japanese language catalog for export to Japan, Rio's native country. David Rio’s first chai,
Elephant Vanilla Chai®, was intended to be sold in Japan only, but immediate domestic demand from both individuals and wholesalers led David Rio to offer its chai in the US market. David Rio’s success with Elephant Vanilla Chai® inspired Scott and Rio to create a new chai with stronger spice notes and developed its second blend, Tiger Spice Chai®, which quickly became the company’s signature chai. Since then, David Rio has continued to create innovative flavors under its "Endangered Species Line" of premium chai products, to demonstrate its commitment to animal welfare. Each product is named after endangered, at-risk, or vulnerable animals.
With this deep commitment to animal welfare, David Rio donates annually to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)’s elephant and tiger programs. These donations contribute to IFAW's global initiatives, such as protecting endangered tigers and elephants around the world. David Rio has also supported the San Francisco Bay Area’s Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA since 2002, as well as partnered with Cat Tales Zoological Park in Mead, Washington since 1999, where the company adopted a Bengal Tiger, Atlas.
Today, David Rio's premium chai and tea products are available in cafés, restaurants, and specialty retail stores in over 50 countries around the globe. With its strong domestic and global presence, the next step in the Company’s vision was to create a retail café. In Spring 2015, David Rio opened the doors to Chai Bar by David Rio, a chai-centric café in San Francisco’s Mid-Market, so that locals and consumers from around the world could enjoy signature David Rio Chai products, as well as have the opportunity and excitement to share in David Rio’s newest offerings and products under
development.
OUR TEAM
Click on a name below to learn more about our team!
JOIN OUR TEAM
We are a growing company with a lean team of passionate individuals delivering the best in the beverage industry. Our team is made up of experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds across a wide range of functions. We bring our authentic selves to work every day and value each other’s contributions. We are a family-friendly company and pride ourselves on creating a fun and collaborative environment where we solve problems together. Our offices are based in San Francisco, In Mid-Market - half a block away from the David Rio Chai Bar.
OUR CULTURE
David Rio has a strong entrepreneurial culture in which new ideas, innovation, and initiative are all highly valued. Our team is constantly learning, both individually and as an organization, and values unique perspectives, insights, and opinions. We share a commitment to David Rio as an organization and under our Kaizen philosophy, we seek opportunities to make David Rio a great place to work. We are dedicated to customers and delivering high-quality products with minimal environmental impact. We value and encourage a positive work-life balance and celebrate each other’s contributions to the workplace.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
We are always searching for people who have a passion for their work and the desire to make an impact—in their careers, in the community, and in the world. We are looking for smart, kind and goal-oriented people to join our team!