Our Story

A smiling woman with short dark hair, wearing a denim jacket with patches and a bolo tie over a plaid shirt, holding a floral teacup and saucer, standing indoors near a window with wooden wall decor.

For as long as Avery Levesque, Founder of Radical Mullet Tea, can remember, he knew he was a boy but looked different. “I thought my belly button was a penis because it stuck out more than others’… I was confused for a very long time,” he jokes. “There was a kid in class who didn’t have fingers, so I always thought all bodies are different.” Avery had a flat chest, short hair, and looked like the other boys around him.

But when puberty arrived, everything shifted.

“How I appeared to others no longer matched how I felt inside.”

Avery Levesque, Founder of Radical Mullet Tea

A young person with dark hair riding a pink and white bicycle outdoors on a dirt path, wearing a white dress with red trim, red socks, and yellow shoes.
Line drawing of a mechanical part, possibly a robotic arm or machinery component, with detailed sections and shapes.
Child dressed in a costume with a red dress, a white cowboy hat, and a face mask.

That feeling stayed with him for decades—until he finally began his transition at age 41.

Starting his trans journey wasn’t simple. Navigating the healthcare system, managing the internal dialogue around gender identity, and coming out (again) all piled onto an already heavy emotional load. Even with access to resources, supportive people, and financial stability, Avery still found the transition process difficult and overwhelming.

At the same time, he saw how much harder it was for others. He remembers a conversation with a friend who was also transitioning. “I’m not changing my name because I can’t afford it,” they told him. That stuck.

Transitioning isn’t a straightforward path. Legal name changes can feel intimidating and financially inaccessible. Your name shows up everywhere—on your ID, your bank account, your vehicle registration, your insurance, even your grocery points card. Every change adds another fee. For many Two-Spirit, trans, and gender-diverse people, those costs become real barriers.

Radical Mullet Tea exists because everyone should have access to the support and resources to live authentically as themselves.

A woman holding a coffee mug with a cartoon face and sunglasses, wearing a purple fuzzy jacket and a patterned skirt, standing beside a table set for breakfast. Two people sit at the table, a woman with glasses holding a sparkler and a man drinking from a cup. The table has a teapot, flowers, and food items, and the background is a cozy wooden interior.

Revisioning Community Contributions

Avery and his partner, Jacq, grew up in families deeply rooted in the church. It was common—and expected—for people to donate a portion of their wages. In an act of gentle rebellion, Avery and Jacq committed to donating that same amount, but to causes they believed in.

Over time, as nonprofit work and unemployment shaped their lives, donating that way wasn’t sustainable. Radical Mullet Tea became a new version of that commitment: a practical way to keep supporting the community while building something of their own.

What’s Radical?

We’re a tea company that takes pride in doing things differently. We donate 50% of our profits to Skipping Stone, which supports trans people across Alberta through services like Trans ID Clinics, support groups, and system navigation.

The other 50% of our profits will be donated annual to Two Spirit led organizations which is a commitment that we make to the Indigenous people of live, play and take care of the lands that we benefit from.

We also care about where our tea comes from. It is ethically sourced and fair trade, because our values don't stop at community care—they extend to the people growing the tea too.

When you buy our tea, you’re contributing to real change, one cup at a time. You’re helping someone feel more like themselves. We think that’s pretty radical.

Mission & Vision

Land Acknowledgement

Radical Mullet Tea operates on Indigenous lands, specifically of Îyârhe Nations which include the Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney, the Tsuut”in a Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy which includes the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3.

We benefit from being here. That’s the truth.

So rather than treating this as a checkbox, we’re choosing more. Right now that means:

  • Committing a fixed portion of our annual revenue to two spirit-led organizations

  • Choosing suppliers and partners with intention- even when it costs more

  • Continue learning the histories of the people connected to this land, with openness to the full truth they hold