"I taught my daughter the way my mother taught me. By the smell. By the color. Never by the cup."
— Leyu
Our Story
A recipe handed down, never written.
Leyu
Master Brewer
Meet Her
Her name is Leyu.
Our mother. Our grandmother. The reason every bottle exists.
Leyu was born in Gondar, in the old imperial north of Ethiopia, where Tej has been poured at every wedding, holiday, and reckoning for a thousand years. She learned to brew it the way her own mother taught her — by smell, by color, by the patience of the seasons. Never by the cup.
She later moved to Addis Ababa, where she made Tej for her neighbors, her family, and anyone she trusted enough to sit at her table. People began calling her brew ልዩ — "the special one." Today she lives in the DMV, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, still brewing every batch by hand.
We do not call ourselves a brand. We call ourselves stewards — of her recipe, her region, and a ritual that has outlived empires.
The Highlands
Where the honey is born.
All Leyu honey comes from the Ethiopian highlands of Gondar and Menz. At 2,400 meters, the bees forage on wild thyme, eucalyptus, and meskel daisies. Nothing in our bottle has ever known a chemical.
