JT DIRECT, INC is helping proud independent American business people carry on a tradition of home shopping that started in 1899.

Today, our affiliated route salespeople still carry on the tradition of delivering quality grocery and catalog merchandise to American families directly in their homes. Quite a few of these independent merchants have worked for The Jewel Tea Co., The Jewel Tea Home Shopping Service and JT's General Store.

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Jewel Tea Over a century ago, two men rented a horse and wagon and started peddling coffee, tea and spices to neighborhood residents. In those days coffee was sold mostly in grocery stores, where it sat in bins or large tin canisters for weeks after it was roasted. They decided to deliver coffee fresh from the roaster along a route of regular customers, calling on each every two weeks at a time. As a reward for shopping with Jewel Tea, customers could collect FREE dinnerware based on the amount of their  purchases. This was the Autumn Leaf Dinnerware made by Hall China Co. This dinnerware is now a treasured collectors item.

Jewel Home Shopping Service The partnership continued to thrive and grow, until it became a large, nationwide corporation. In addition to the home shopping routes, the corporation owned grocery stores, convenience stores, manufacturing and other operations.

JT's General Store  In the early 1980's the company was merged with another. The route drivers and employees banded together to form a Co-op to continue the home shopping routes. The Co-op was formed to supply the coffee, tea and many other products that were sold to thousands of satisfied customers throughout the country.