SANTA CLARA —One woman is mixing natural, handmade ingredients to create drink varieties, and she’s here to spill the tea.
“I’m trying to keep it simple,” Ariel Faber, the owner of The Desert Teahouse, told St. George News. “Earthly things that you are steeping in water that are good for you.”
Faber said she takes pride in her simple ingredients and delicious flavors that will keep customers coming back for more. While living in Oregon, she was a barista who managed front cafes. Learning from the best, she said her drink recipes come from a Thai woman who personally taught her everything she knows.
Making boba every morning, she was chosen to open the business owner’s first franchise store in Grants Pass, Oregon. Things changed in August 2021 when her parents, who lived in Southern Utah, decided to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada and were looking for someone to rent their home, at which point she decided to pack up and make the move with her family to Utah.
After many friends and family asked her to make her famous boba from Oregon, she realized there were no boba shops in town, and she wanted to change that. She began selling her drinks out of her own backyard. In a span of three months, her business, The Desert Teahouse, went from backyard pop-ups with BackDoor Pizzeria to a booth at the St. George Downtown Farmers Market.
The Desert Teahouse offers a variety of boba tea drinks – a treat made from tapioca pearls – along with non-boba drinks. The most popular item on the menu is “Tiger’s Milk,” which consists of oat milk and a brown sugar drizzle. Only using the freshest and most natural ingredients, Faber said all drinks on the menu are dairy free.
“It will always come with oat milk,” Faber said about her drinks. “It will always be vegan-friendly. I will always make my own syrups and sweeteners. You will not have color additives, no preservatives, no powders. It is going to be fresh, handmade and hand steeped, and it’s going to be created with a lot of love.”
Caffeinated teas include Thai Tea, Black Tea and Earl Grey. Caffeine-free options feature a variety of hand-steeped juices, which are created with her own mango water base and mixed with things like pineapple puree and coconut milk. All simple syrups are handmade and never store-bought. Herbal sodas on the menu have included lavender and basil, along with fruit sodas such as peach.
While other boba places are classically made with pre-made powders and milk, Faber said she has found her niche and created her following by offering natural, fresh options. She steeps all her teas within hours of her booth opening at the St. George Downtown Market, where she can now be seen on Saturdays.
“It’s a really family-friendly environment that I’ve found, which has made it possible for me to keep going,” she said about the downtown market. “It’s a community I’ve gotten into. It’s not just owning my own business. I’ve created friendships and connections and people that my kids can look up to as business owners as well.”
As for future plans, Faber said she has considered opening her own food truck and would love to open a food court with other vendors down the road. She’s thankful for the small business community in Southern Utah, which she said has allowed owning her own business to be a wonderful experience for her and her family.
Stop by The Desert Teahouse booth at the St. George Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Follow @the.desert.teahouse on Instagram for more information.
Photo Gallery
Guava Lemonade by The Desert Teahouse is shown on display at a wedding, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
"Island Punch" by The Desert Teahouse is made of raspberry leaf, lemon grass, hibiscus, mango and pineapple sweetener and is topped with jasmine and hibiscus flowers, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
A drink by The Desert Teahouse is made of Earl Grey tea, agave, steamed oat and orange zest, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
A Lemon Gingerberry drink by The Desert Teahouse is seen for sale at a local market, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
"Cereal Milk" by The Desert Teahouse is pictured with an optional dairy topping, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
The "PBJ" drink by The Desert Teahouse is made of oat milk, strawberry puree and peanut butter drizzle, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
Ariel Faber works The Desert Teahouse booth at a local market, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ariel Faber, St. George News
The Desert Teahouse owner Ariel Faber puts together a boba drink in her home kitchen in Santa Clara, Utah on Feb. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Pre-cooked boba is seen on the counter of Ariel Faber's kitchen in Santa Clara, Utah on Feb. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Fresh boba is seen on the counter of Ariel Faber's kitchen in Santa Clara, Utah on Feb. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
"Tiger's Milk" by The Desert Teahouse includes boba, oat milk and a brown sugar drizzle, Santa Clara, Utah, Feb. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
"Tiger's Milk" by The Desert Teahouse includes boba, oat milk and a brown sugar drizzle, Santa Clara, Utah, Feb. 9, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
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