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Affecting everything : COVID-19 cracks the tea cup, too
EMMA SKIDMORE, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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1of3A sign at the Fuku Tea House in Pittsburgh, tells customers that they can only have one topping in their drink due to the national tapioca shortage on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The tapioca pearl shortage has affected bubble tea sales nationwide. (Jack Myer/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)Jack Myer/APShow MoreShow Less
2of3Unique and rare teas line the shelves at Blue Monkey Tea in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Shipping difficulties have affected tea sales nationwide. (Jack Myer/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)Jack Myer/APShow MoreShow Less
‘Affecting everything’: COVID-19 cracks the tea cup, too
By EMMA SKIDMORE, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteJuly 13, 2021 GMT
PITTSBURGH (AP) Margaret Harris has stockpiled $50,000 worth of tea in her basement.
Ms. Harris, owner of Blue Monkey Tea Co. in Squirrel Hill, has been in the tea business for 20 years. In March 2020, as the pandemic hit, she realized there were going to be supply chain issues. She relies on shipments from places like China, where COVID-19 was quickly disrupting business as usual.
“I had to take a loan from the banks, and I ordered extra stash of teas,” she recalled. “We could barely move in our storage room because we had so much stuff.”