Lou Thomann, Yaupon Tea Company (Savannah, GA)

You never know when something will capture your imagination and change your path forever. Lou Thomann was an ex-rice trader and historic building restorer living in Savannah, Ga. when he he decided to join a nature tour on Ossabaw Island, and that was the day he learned about Yaupon Holly, a native caffeinated plant known and revered by indigenous tribes but mostly forgotten in collective modern culture. Lou's life changed that day. He's now an expert on the yaupon holly, a farmer of it, and an evangelist for it, from speaking at the Atlanta Botanical Garden to developing programming at the Georgia Native Plant Society, and he's one of co-owners, along with his wife Lori Judge, of Yaupon Teahouse + Apothecary in Savannah, Ga. It's the storefront for the massive farming, research, and propagation operation centered on the native plant that has helped write Lou's next chapter.