A dupe of Meghan Markle’s herbal tea seems to be available direct from the company that appears to manufacture it for almost a quarter of the price Meghan charges, it was claimed Wednesday.
The practice of purchasing “white label” goods and repackaging them for a brand is common. However, the revelation that Meghan’s herbal tea might actually be being made in Illinois by a firm called The Republic of Tea could arguably be damaging to Meghan’s authenticity.
Meghan, who recently launched a rosé wine, has often sought to give her wares a homespun feel. She has emphasized the fact that her jam, for example, was first made in her home.
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However, the Daily Mail reported Wednesday that Meghan’s commerce team made a grade-school error by leaving telltale metadata on product pages for the tea reading: “Brand: republic-of-tea.” The same metadata reportedly appeared on product pages for Meghan’s signature flower sprinkles.
The Mail claimed that after they approached Meghan’s team for comment, the metadata was changed to say “As Ever store.”
The Mail says that Meghan’s own website says tea orders are fulfilled by The Republic of Tea, whose own website sells hibiscus tea for as little as 28 cents per tea bag.
On the As Ever website, hibiscus teabags are $1 a pop with the As Ever branding, almost four times the price on Republic of Tea. The As Ever product is currently sold out.
The Mail notes that Meghan’s tea bags are triangular, with a string, as opposed to the round tea bags on The Republic of Tea website.
The company also makes products branded with the identity of another Netflix production, Bridgerton, and says on its website: “We partner with best-in-class vendors to bring our product ideas to life—translating our founder’s recipes and bespoke concepts into beautiful, scalable goods.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Meghan’s team for comment.
