#RealMenDrinkTEA : A Father’s Day Tribute!

“There are those who love to get dirty and fix things. They drink coffee at dawn, beer after work. And those who stay clean, just appreciate things. At breakfast they have milk and juice at night. There are those who do both, they drink tea.” –Gary Snyder

Despite the notion that “real men don’t drink tea,” the drink not only has a long and surprisingly manly history, but its health benefits continue to make it a wise (& tasty) choice for all modern men. As a way to celebrate Father’s Day, we thought we’d share some of the manly history around TEA and chat with the DADs on our Millennia TEAm about Fatherhood!

3 Quick Highlights in the Manly History of TEA:

In Japan, tea became a major part of samurai culture with the development of the Chanoyu tea ceremony, or “way of the tea.” In the 16th century, warlord Oda Nobunaga kept several tea masters in his company and gave valuable tea items to his generals as rewards. His successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, would use the tea ceremony to discuss matters of state and made it a key part of his administration.

In World War II, the British invented a built-in kettle for armored vehicles so their tank crews wouldn’t have to expose themselves outdoors whenever they wanted a cup of tea.

The U.S. American Revolution began with one of the manliest tea parties in history! When the British passed the Tea Act of 1773, giving the East India Company a monopoly on the American tea trade, the Sons of Liberty dumped $18,000 worth of TEA into the Boston Harbor. This led to a series of events that set off the American Revolution.

So, ladies if you sit down to enjoy your TEA and get any pushback from the men – just let them know how manly and healthy of a drink it is for them ;)

We love our many TEA drinking men and dads throughout Canada, but we have 2 pretty special ones on our TEAm here at Millennia TEA. Since we’re breaking down how manly TEA can be, we also decided to ask the dads here to be vulnerable and answer a few questions in honour of Father’s Day! (note: these 2 opened up without any hesitation - breaking another stereotype that men don’t like to share )

Now for the fun part…

We introduce you to the men of Millennia TEA! Rory Bell is our President and Co-Founder and Bill Dorey is our Digital Specialist! We couldn’t share our fresh-leaf TEA with the world without them!

I’m Rory Bell, President and Co-Founder, Millennia TEA. Married to the lovely Tracy Bell, my co-founder and the Company CEO. Kids Sydney (13) and Lincoln (9.

What surprised you the most about being a dad?

The biggest surprise was becoming a Dad when I did 😊… I will say, even if you do plan on being a parent it’s like a box of chocolates. The most surprising/amazing part of being a dad is watching these little humans evolve – their mannerisms, their sense of humor, and seeing their/your eyes look back at you it’s impossible not to love and appreciate how fortunate I am.

3 words you hope your kids will describe you as when they are older?

Fun, Caring and Always loving

What’s your favorite activity to enjoy with your kids?

Boating – Watching them Waterski ,Tube and just being on the water with them. It’s all my all-time favorite thing really..

What scares you the most about raising children?

That you might miss something that you could have done better. Like lots of other business owners, we are just running most days to keep up. We drop the ball and aren’t always present with our children.. I think we’ll all be ok because our kids are AMAZING! But we question ourselves sometimes .. would it be better for them if we spent more time together?.. Who knows, they might say NO 🤷🏻‍♂️

What was your favorite hobby or pastime as a kid? I loved to build – forts, treehouses, camps and bike trails, always a project.. I still love building; the projects just got bigger 🤔.

When you were growing up, what’s one thing you dreamed of doing or something you wanted to change about the world?

I was always imagining.. I use to get in trouble at school for daydreaming.. There’s a joke in aviation (I’m also a career pilot) … about how school teachers would always say, “Quit staring out the window. When you grow up , no one’s going to pay you to sit there and just look out the window.” Fast forward a few years and I spend my days with my head in the clouds, quite literally✈️. The rest of my energy goes to helping build our dream.. I know it sounds weird but I always knew I would create something. I always wanted to make things better.. and I love our new Reali-TEA.

Hi my name is Bill Dorey. I was born in Saint John NB and I work as a Digital Specialist for Millennia TEA. I have a wife named Natasha and two daughters, Cassidy (15) and Isabelle (2 Months).

What surprised you the most about being a dad?

How much of a kid I am at heart. It’s awesome to have someone to hang out with and be a kid again. I get to re-live all those awesome moments and activities while passing it on and creating quality memories with my kiddos.

3 words you hope your kids will describe you as when they are older?

Loving, Strong, Dependable

What’s your favorite activity to enjoy with your kids?

Cassidy and I enjoy going on random adventures where we find activities to do in the city. We usually start with no plans and then make things up as we go. We always end up having loads of fun in the uptown area, eating some awesome food and of course shopping. Isabelle and I enjoy “Daddy Cuddle Time” from 5:30am until 7:30am every morning before I start work 😊

What scares you the most about raising children?

That they will emulate any of my bad qualities or behaviors as they grow into adults. I want them to embrace my good qualities and examples but it’s impossible to prevent them from picking up some bad habits.

What was your favorite hobby or pastime as a kid?

Sports in general. Basketball, Baseball, Soccer and track & field were my main hobbies and took most of my time outside of school when I was young.

When you were growing up, what’s one thing you dreamed of doing or something you wanted to change about the world?

I always wanted to be successful as an entrepreneur. Even from a very young age (8), I remember telling my parents that I was going to be a “Billionaire”. It’s funny how children measure success 😊. That ambition followed me through life and certainly fulfills a part of me as I try new ventures and execute ideas.