.tea

Link Freedom Group (LFG) aspires to become a best-in-class, vertically integrated domain name registration authority, see linkfreedomgroup.link. This TLD is part of a carefully curated portfolio of strings that LFG intends to pursue in ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD Program. In assembling this portfolio, LFG focused on securing meaningful, memorable, and commercially compelling strings that resonate strongly with end users and offer long-term growth potential. Over the past four years, LFG (Nova Registry) has successfully grown its flagship TLD, .LINK, from approximately 125,000 to more than 300,000 domains under management. This growth has been driven by innovative distribution strategies, the expansion of registrar partnerships, and a granular pricing model that has enabled .LINK to remain competitively priced while avoiding the significant fee increases implemented by some other registry operators. LFG’s experience in the domain name industry has reinforced one of the key lessons from the 2012 application round: long-term sustainability is strengthened through portfolio diversification. By spreading operational costs and mitigating revenue fluctuations across multiple TLDs, LFG is better positioned to withstand market volatility and invest in continued growth. Accordingly, LFG believes that even obtaining a subset of the TLDs for which it has applied will establish a diversified portfolio capable of supporting long-term economic stability, operational resilience, and sustainable growth.

The mission of .TEA is to provide a namespace associated with the applied-for string. The .TEA gTLD is intended to serve a broad range of registrants and users, including individuals, businesses, organizations, communities, projects, and other entities that identify with, relate to, or wish to be associated with the concept represented by the applied-for string. The purpose of .TEA is to enable registrants to establish online identities using domain names that correspond to this concept. To achieve this purpose, Pirin Tablet, LLC will make .TEA available for registration through registrars and other appropriate distribution channels; maintain a secure, stable, and reliable registry infrastructure; implement registration and operational policies that support the availability, security, and integrity of the namespace; and provide ongoing administration of the gTLD to enable registrants to register and use domain names within the namespace. The purpose of .TEA is sustainable over time because the applied-for string has multiple commonly understood meanings and broad applicability across society. As society, technology, and methods of communication evolve, organizations and individuals will continue to establish online identities associated with the applied-for string.

1. Mission and Purpose of the Applied-for gTLD .tea helps tea growers, blenders, merchants, and teahouses create a clear and memorable online presence for what they grow, brew, and sell, making it easier to be discovered and trusted by the people already looking for them. The extension names the category outright, so a visitor knows what a brand is about at first glance. It also gives culture and community brands a short, expressive address that fits the way people really talk about tea. Intended Registrants: Tea growers, blenders, and estates; specialty and loose-leaf tea brands; teahouses, cafes, and tasting rooms; importers, wholesalers, and subscription sellers; and lifestyle publishers, creators, and communities built around tea culture. Intended Users: Tea drinkers and hobbyists exploring blends, brewing, and origins; customers shopping for leaf, ware, and gifts; visitors booking teahouse experiences or tastings; and readers following tea reviews, rituals, and culture content. Related Activities Supporting the Purpose: • Awareness-building with specialty tea associations, festivals, and trade events. • Registrar distribution so growers, merchants, and cafes can secure short, on-topic names. • Registrant education showing how a category-specific address clarifies what a site offers. • Community outreach to tea creators, reviewers, and cultural organizations. • Responsible registry operations consistent with standard registry practice. .tea gives the tea world a naming layer that says exactly what a site is about before a visitor reads a single word. For a grower, a blender, a neighborhood teahouse, or a subscription brand, a name ending in .tea signals the category instantly, something a crowded generic extension rarely does. The purpose is to help people and businesses across tea, from single-origin estates to modern wellness blends, turn a name into a clear and recognizable presence online. .tea helps sellers be found by the right shoppers, helps teahouses and estates present origin and craft with credibility, and gives creators and communities a name that feels native to how people actually talk about tea. The goal is a focused, expressive space where a name works as both a destination and a signal of what a brand stands for. 2. Sustainability of the Purpose Over Time Tea sits inside a continuous economic chain that has operated for centuries and shows no sign of contracting: leaf is cultivated on estates, graded and blended, moved through importers and wholesalers, and sold to households, cafes, and hospitality buyers worldwide. Each link in that chain, from the smallholder farm to the corner teahouse, represents a commercial party with an ongoing reason to be identified, discovered, and transacted with. That structure is what keeps a category name like .tea relevant. The dominant driver here is economic activity. Tea is among the most consumed beverages on the planet, and its trade is not tied to any single market cycle or trend. Demand is renewed daily by consumption, seasonally by harvest, and continuously by new blends, formats, and specialty segments (matcha, herbal, functional, and ready-to-drink among them). Because value is created and exchanged at every stage, there is a steady supply of businesses that benefit from a name declaring their place in the category. Because the concept is anchored in a global commodity with steady demand, a fragmenting and premiumizing brand landscape, and deep cultural roots, .tea remains meaningful even as commerce channels and consumer habits shift. The name describes an enduring product and trade, not a passing format.

Mission The mission of .tea is to provide an open, distinctive and adaptable digital namespace for activities relating to tea, tea culture, associated products and services, education, hospitality, agriculture, publishing, creative content and personal interest. It supports tea-related websites, brands and projects across consumption, agriculture, commerce and culture, granting registrants a memorable online identity for commercial, cultural, educational and personal use. Registration or use of a .tea domain name does not constitute verification or endorsement of a registrant or of the origin, authenticity, quality or safety of any related product or service. Purposes 1. Provide a clear and memorable digital identity for tea-related websites, brands, content, products, services and projects. 2. Support commercial, cultural, educational, agricultural, hospitality, creative and personal uses associated with tea. 3. Improve the online visibility and discoverability of relevant information, products, services, content and projects. 4. Maintain an open and adaptable namespace as consumer needs, technologies and online practices evolve. Intended Registrants 1. Tea growers, producers, manufacturers, brands, retailers, teahouses, hospitality businesses and related service providers. 2. Educators, researchers, authors, publishers, museums, cultural organizations, creators and other participants producing tea-related information or content. 3. Tea practitioners, enthusiasts, collectors, bloggers, event organizers and individuals using .tea for personal brands or projects. 4. Providers of technology, design, packaging, logistics, equipment, publishing, marketing and operational support related to tea activities. 5. Other individuals and entities wishing to use “tea” for a lawful website, brand, work, service, product, project or digital identity. These categories describe principal intended uses and are not exclusive eligibility requirements. Subject to applicable requirements and published policies, .tea domain names may support a broad range of lawful tea-related uses. Intended Users Intended users include Internet users seeking tea-related products, services, information, educational materials, cultural content, hospitality resources and projects. Users remain responsible for evaluating the origin, quality, safety, accuracy and suitability of the products, information and services they encounter. Key Implementation Activities The registry plans to: 1. Offer registrations through ICANN-accredited registrars in accordance with applicable launch and rights-protection requirements. 2. Publish registration, renewal, dispute and abuse-reporting policies. 3. Conduct general awareness and outreach among tea-related businesses, cultural and educational organizations, creators, professionals and other potential users. 4. Address security and abuse matters in accordance with applicable ICANN requirements, registry policies and available evidence. These activities describe the registry’s general operating approach and do not guarantee registration volume, market adoption or specific commercial outcomes. Long-Term Sustainability The long-term relevance of .tea is supported by the continuing use of tea across agriculture, commerce, hospitality, culture, education, publishing, creative content and personal interests. Its range of potential applications allows the namespace to serve individuals, businesses, organizations, products, content and projects without depending on a single market segment or online trend. The registry’s financial model is based principally on registration and renewal revenue, supported by prudent cost management and financial planning. Relevant assumptions, costs and risks are addressed in the financial materials submitted with the application. The registry intends to operate .tea as a long-term digital namespace and maintain its security, stability and relevance as user needs and online practices evolve.

1. Mission and purpose. This gTLD will be operated as an open, unrestricted generic top-level domain. Its purpose is to expand naming choice in the DNS by making this term available at the top level for any lawful use chosen by the registrant. Registrations will be available to all registrants on a first-come, first-served basis through ICANN-accredited registrars, subject only to the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. The applicant will not operate this gTLD on an exclusive basis. 2. Intended registrants and users. Intended registrants are individuals, businesses, and other organizations worldwide seeking a short, meaningful domain name. There are no eligibility or name selection restrictions beyond those required by the Registry Agreement, ICANN Consensus Policies, and applicable law. Intended users are internet users worldwide who access domain names registered in this gTLD. 3. Related activities. The applicant is an established registry operator under contract with ICANN for 35 gTLDs, including .xyz. It has in place a qualified Registry Service Provider, distribution agreements with ICANN-accredited registrars across multiple regions, and all required rights protection mechanisms and DNS abuse mitigation practices. For this gTLD the applicant will onboard the TLD to its existing registry platform, conduct a Sunrise Period and Trademark Claims Period, launch General Availability through its registrar channel, and maintain ongoing registrar enablement, abuse monitoring, and compliance reporting. 4. Sustainability. Operation is funded by recurring registration and renewal revenue and does not depend on any single registrant, sector, or campaign. This gTLD will run on the applicant's existing shared registry infrastructure, so incremental operating cost is low and no minimum registration volume is required for viability. The applicant has operated gTLDs continuously since 2014.