Hackberry Tea is a small business with a lot of help. What's missing from this list are countless hours of friends giving advice and support and buying those bags of tea when we weren't quite a business yet. This business is run by the people below, but it exists because of the selfless contribution of many unnamed friends and family members that just keep giving their time to help us grow.

Sarah Young

Production Manager

Sarah joined the Hackberry team in October of 2019 as our Production Lead and is the Head Roaster for our sister company, Sagebrush Coffee, as well. She was born in Torrance, California, but moved to the valley when she was just 3 years old. She lives in Gilbert and loves it. She has worked with kids before for many years and is also a certified nail technician. Tea and coffee are constant companions and drinking them is one of her favorite hobbies. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her friends, reading books, or doing anything that involves Disney!

Zoë Maiden 

Office Manager / Media Development

Zoë joined the Hackberry team in 2016 as the lead packager and office manager. After having her first child in 2019, she began working remotely, focusing on email marketing and product creation. Before working at Hackberry, she received her bachelor's degree in dance education and spent most of her time performing and teaching. Along with spending time with her husband, Seth, and her two children, Zander and Saylor, she enjoys exploring local restaurants and coffee shops, interior design, and watching reality tv and documentaries.

Jonathan Kellso

Media Development / Menu Development / Bar Manager

Jonathan, Matt’s oldest son, has been a part of Hackberry since the beginning. He has always been very creatively driven, dedicating the majority of his time to musical production, graphic design, photography, digital art, painting, etc. He is working towards a presence in the local Phoenix music scene under the moniker “Candy Soup.” At both Hackberry Tea and Sagebrush Coffee, he is the head of media development and is responsible for branding, packaging, videography, photography, and web development. Additionally, he manages the espresso bar at our Sagebrush Coffee location in Chandler, where you can try our tea in person! On a typical Friday night, you can catch Jonathan with friends producing funny videos and creating music.

Noah Kellso

Production Assistant / Barista

Noah, Matt's youngest son, is our production assistant and is in charge of all weekend shipments. Additionally, he works on bar at Sagebrush Coffee, where you can our delicious teas in addition to our sister company's coffees! Noah is currently taking college courses to get the prerequisites needed for Arizona State University's architectural program with the hopes of eventually pursuing a master's degree in interior design. In his free time, Noah is constantly finding new hobbies and enjoys listening to music. 

Kathryn Ware

Operations / Barista

Kathryn started working in tea in 2014 and has loved it ever since. She joined the Hackberry family during the summer of 2021 where she has been a great asset to our team. Outside of tea, she loves learning all kinds of art. Fiber art is currently her biggest artistic outlet and many of the things she wears in the shop are things she has made. Costumes, ceramics, wood, jewelry, and sculptures are other forms of art that she loves. In addition to art, Kathryn loves good storytelling, whether through books, theatre, music, video games, or tabletop games. Fantasy books and games are of particular interest. 

Kourtney Camm

Media Development 

Kourtney is our in-house writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Communication and has worked in the coffee industry for over three years. She is currently writing remotely as she ventures to Virginia Beach to additionally pursue a career in publishing. Kourtney loves reading, writing, painting, and spending time with her horses. She is also a travel fanatic and has been to 22 different countries, on time she even lived on a ship for four months! 

Gabby Krpata

Barista

Gabby started working at Hackberry in the spring of 2022. She just recently started college and has a big interest in forensic psychology and criminology. When she's not at work or school, you can find her at the gym, painting in her room, reading at a café, or at the comic book store with her dad. She is a big fan of Spider-Man and takes any chance she has to go to Disneyland!

Piper Sanchez

Barista / Kitchen

Piper has been working in the food and drink industry since 2017 and just joined our team here at Hackberry in the spring of 2023 to work on bar and in the kitchen at our sister company, Sagebrush Coffee. During her time in the industry, she has developed a strong passion for all things food, coffee, and tea. Outside of work, you can find her at home with her cat, painting, or planning a road trip somewhere new!

Isaiah Martin

Barista

Isaiah recently graduated high school and is now taking college courses and training to get his EMT certificate. He hopes to eventually become a firefighter or nurse. At Hackberry, Isaiah works as a barista and enjoys trying new teas and coffees when we get our hands on them. In his free time, he likes to draw and play the piano. 

Eden Kellso

Barista

 

Eden is Matt's youngest child and only daughter. She is a student at Hamilton High School and enjoys cooking and doing her nails in her free time. Her main role at Hackberry/Sagebrush is as a barista but she also spends time in the back of the shop developing our food menu. She is currently working towards her driving permit and is excited to be able to drive on her own soon! 

Shelby Peiser

Barista / Media Development

Shelby joined the Hackberry team after moving to Arizona from Chicago, Illinois, where she was born and raised. She loves food, music, animals, and traveling. A fun fact about her is that she spent six months traveling, three of which were spent caring for wild howler monkeys in Belize. In the future, she hopes to open her own cafe and visit as many countries as possible.

Nikki Nguyen

Barista

 

Nikki joined the Hackberry/Sagebrush team as a barista in early 2023. She is a student working toward her goal of becoming a general dentist. Nikki loves coffee, playing games, and learning about biology. In her free time, you can catch her visiting San Diego, where she's originally from, or resting at home with her dog, Scotch Tape! 

Jordyn Lindsay

Kitchen

 

Jordyn joined the Hackberry team in March of 2023 to work in the kitchen and use her background in food to help with menu development. Midwest born and raised, she has cooked at a truck stop, a church camp, and for various fraternities and sororities. She originally piqued an interest in the coffee industry after writing an ethnography in college about coffee shop culture and also hosting a weekly “tea time” in her dorm room. After graduating from Ozark Christian College, she and her husband, Levi, got married and moved to Gilbert, Arizona. When Jordyn isn’t cooking or baking, she enjoys hiking, reading, and playing various games - board, card, video, you name it!

Chris Ramirez

Kitchen

 

Chris joined our Hackberry family in March as one of our main kitchen staff members in our shop. He has a passion for food and drink and before joining us, he worked as a barista at Starbucks for a few years. In addition to being part of our kitchen team, Chris is a student pursuing his dream of teaching in a foreign country. When not at work or school, he likes learning about history, trying new coffee and tea places with friends, or playing video games. He also enjoys all things Marvel and has a passion for traveling!