About us

We are Alex Balcer and Andrea Legg, a couple with a penchant for fine quality tea, adventure, community living, and sustainable social change.

  We spent many years touring the world with Cirque du Soleil and Cavalia Odysseo, Alex as a technician and Andrea as a performer. As we travelled, we sought out all types of teas—from smooth sencha green tea in Japan to earthy yerba maté in Argentina to classic Earl Grey in London.

   When we set up our home in the mountain town of Nelson, BC, we wanted to harness the power of quality tea and give back to the community. We started Virtue Artisan Tea to provide delicious high-quality tea, directly sourced from small artisan growers in Asia using earth-friendly practices.

 A portion of all our proceeds goes towards the program 1% for the Planet which we have directed to supporting Friends of the Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society. We feel it is so important to take care of our own backyard, the beautiful Kootenays!

Thank you for your support!

Andrea, Alex and Mateo and Isaac