Specialty Story/TEAorganique in partnership with 1823 Tea Lounge by Ronnefeldt are delighted to offer a unique tea experience that is truly based on 100% Thai-native products.
These tea are single-estate organic or hill-tribe wild heritage grades from Northern Thailand. We will collaborate in product development and innovation to promote healthy tea, mountain conservation, community development in support of greater eco-social mission for ethical production and long term sustainability.
These tea are single-estate organic or hill-tribe wild heritage grades from Northern Thailand. We will collaborate in product development and innovation to promote healthy tea, mountain conservation, community development in support of greater eco-social mission for ethical production and long term sustainability.
Kanjana, Director of Special Story, is a Creative Entrepreneur with over 20 years of experiences in industrial design and brand consulting. Her passion for building an ethically and socially responsible society has led her to join force with TEAorganique to work with hill tribe communities in Northern Thailand. Leveraging her knowledge, she applies the art of design and branding philosophy to bring these projects to the market, preserving the traditional livelihoods of these hill communities as well as forest conservation, “one cuppa tea at a time.” Daniel Choo (right) with over 25 years of management consulting experiences in the Asia Pacific region recently founded TEAorganique. He spent last few years exploring these mountainous regions in Northern Thailand to understand and study their ways of life and approach to hill agriculture. It led him to believe there are plenty of potentials that these mountain people can strive for great aspirations and goals, given their natural resources in the mountain. Subsequently, he initiated a few charity cum community development projects to help them to improve and develop products for organic markets. Sutthirot Chiratchayathitichot (middle) is the tea farmer in Mae Salong whose family started tea plantation 30 years ago and has converted into organic since 2011. His farm is certified under ACT for IFOAM, EU and USDA. |
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to educate, assist and develop small-holder hill farmers spread across in the mountainous region bordering Northern Thailand and Myanmar to achieve sustainable economic activities that will improve their communities and conserve their natural habitat and environment.
We aims to define and develop a new paradigm to disrupt the conventional food supply chain to help these disadvantaged hill farmers to engage beyond the confines of their local markets. Many of these hill farmers are unable to sell their produce to further markets due to either remote distances and/or lack of product development. Hence, Specialty Story/TEAorganique created this unique “mountain-to-cup” platform to bridge and connect the hill people with the eco-conscious consumers.
Our Projects and Milestones
To realize this mission, project initiatives were taken in the first two years (2017-2018) to explore with selected farmers in Mae Salong and Mae Ai respectively in Chiangrai and Chiangmai provinces of Thailand.
For example, our organic tea farm located above 1,100 meter elevation in the beautiful remote mountain of Mae Salong has over 30 years of tea growing history. We cooperate with hill tribes to harvest mountain gingers and flowers, coffee and rare old tea trees in the wild that have been there for generations. During these 2 years, numerous projects were also launched in Mae Ai such as natural and organic farming were introduced for high value culinary herbal plants such as ginger, turmeric, black ginger, lemongrass, etc. that are already part of the hill farmers agricultural produce; zero-energy drying technology such as chimney solar tunnel dryer that has a higher processing capacity and efficiency; vacuum packaging for food safety and extended product shelf life; product development of these hill produce which can complement each other and enhance their uniqueness for marketability – culminating in the official launch of these products under TEAorganique at South-East Asia BioFach 2018.
We are proud to achieve these significant milestones within 2 years to work with the hill people of Northern Thailand to bring these products that are grown in their natural and wild environment of remote highland. These products allow the consumers not only to benefit from their natural goodness, but also support the conservation of the high mountain environment, preservation of their cultures and sustain their economic activities.
Our mission is to educate, assist and develop small-holder hill farmers spread across in the mountainous region bordering Northern Thailand and Myanmar to achieve sustainable economic activities that will improve their communities and conserve their natural habitat and environment.
We aims to define and develop a new paradigm to disrupt the conventional food supply chain to help these disadvantaged hill farmers to engage beyond the confines of their local markets. Many of these hill farmers are unable to sell their produce to further markets due to either remote distances and/or lack of product development. Hence, Specialty Story/TEAorganique created this unique “mountain-to-cup” platform to bridge and connect the hill people with the eco-conscious consumers.
Our Projects and Milestones
To realize this mission, project initiatives were taken in the first two years (2017-2018) to explore with selected farmers in Mae Salong and Mae Ai respectively in Chiangrai and Chiangmai provinces of Thailand.
For example, our organic tea farm located above 1,100 meter elevation in the beautiful remote mountain of Mae Salong has over 30 years of tea growing history. We cooperate with hill tribes to harvest mountain gingers and flowers, coffee and rare old tea trees in the wild that have been there for generations. During these 2 years, numerous projects were also launched in Mae Ai such as natural and organic farming were introduced for high value culinary herbal plants such as ginger, turmeric, black ginger, lemongrass, etc. that are already part of the hill farmers agricultural produce; zero-energy drying technology such as chimney solar tunnel dryer that has a higher processing capacity and efficiency; vacuum packaging for food safety and extended product shelf life; product development of these hill produce which can complement each other and enhance their uniqueness for marketability – culminating in the official launch of these products under TEAorganique at South-East Asia BioFach 2018.
We are proud to achieve these significant milestones within 2 years to work with the hill people of Northern Thailand to bring these products that are grown in their natural and wild environment of remote highland. These products allow the consumers not only to benefit from their natural goodness, but also support the conservation of the high mountain environment, preservation of their cultures and sustain their economic activities.
Tea Selected by 1823 Tea Lounge by Ronnefeldt
The tea chosen for this launch are each unique in its own
Single Estate Organic
Osmanthus Oolong桂花乌龙 is an all-time favorite blend due to its climate condition that let the osmanthus trees flower from Nov till Jan coinciding with the spring harvest of the Oolong tea in Mae Salong, resulting in an exceptionally refreshing cup of tea reminiscent of the blooming spring in the mountainOriental Beauty东方美人is a highly sought after premium Oolong tea due to its unique characteristics of green leafhoppers that feed on the tea leaves during spring time which is only possible in an insecticide free environment, signifying the true nature’s certification by the tea bugs. This tea is known for its honey-lychee aroma with a sweet note.
Hill Tribes Wild Heritage
Lahu Red Tea古树红茶 is a joint cooperation under fair trade practice with Lahu hill people who have been living in this mountainous area at elevation of 1400m+, near border of Northern Thailand and Myanmar. These are Assam tea trees grown in the wild as part of the natural heritage of the Lahu hill people. Typically, these are made into puer tea (普洱) but rarely are they made in to red tea. Due to its unique aroma, we have created this rare and unique red tea - only 1 shoot 2 leaves (一心两叶) are handpicked and harvested in early spring. Its aroma is forest berries with a round body and finishes with a sweet alpine note
Akha Raw Puer 古树生普 is the rarest of them all in our tea portfolio which is made from the 800+ years old wild heritage tea trees growing deep in the rainforest mountain at elevation 900m+. In partnership with Akha hill people, these leaves are harvested once-a-year in spring and then best made into raw puer to preserve their unique signature profile of bold flavor and tantalizing aroma which evolve over time as they age. It is regarded by the Chinese tea connoisseurs as a heavenly blessing to be able to savor this rare tea.
The tea chosen for this launch are each unique in its own
Single Estate Organic
Osmanthus Oolong桂花乌龙 is an all-time favorite blend due to its climate condition that let the osmanthus trees flower from Nov till Jan coinciding with the spring harvest of the Oolong tea in Mae Salong, resulting in an exceptionally refreshing cup of tea reminiscent of the blooming spring in the mountainOriental Beauty东方美人is a highly sought after premium Oolong tea due to its unique characteristics of green leafhoppers that feed on the tea leaves during spring time which is only possible in an insecticide free environment, signifying the true nature’s certification by the tea bugs. This tea is known for its honey-lychee aroma with a sweet note.
Hill Tribes Wild Heritage
Lahu Red Tea古树红茶 is a joint cooperation under fair trade practice with Lahu hill people who have been living in this mountainous area at elevation of 1400m+, near border of Northern Thailand and Myanmar. These are Assam tea trees grown in the wild as part of the natural heritage of the Lahu hill people. Typically, these are made into puer tea (普洱) but rarely are they made in to red tea. Due to its unique aroma, we have created this rare and unique red tea - only 1 shoot 2 leaves (一心两叶) are handpicked and harvested in early spring. Its aroma is forest berries with a round body and finishes with a sweet alpine note
Akha Raw Puer 古树生普 is the rarest of them all in our tea portfolio which is made from the 800+ years old wild heritage tea trees growing deep in the rainforest mountain at elevation 900m+. In partnership with Akha hill people, these leaves are harvested once-a-year in spring and then best made into raw puer to preserve their unique signature profile of bold flavor and tantalizing aroma which evolve over time as they age. It is regarded by the Chinese tea connoisseurs as a heavenly blessing to be able to savor this rare tea.
Organic Tea Farm Management and Challenges
The challenges in managing and maintaining an organic tea farming are many, especially weeds that also thrive during the rainy season and require tedious manual labor to remove them from top to bottom of the plantation hill nearly each month from May till Oct. This cost alone is about 500 baht per one kg of tea.
The challenges in managing and maintaining an organic tea farming are many, especially weeds that also thrive during the rainy season and require tedious manual labor to remove them from top to bottom of the plantation hill nearly each month from May till Oct. This cost alone is about 500 baht per one kg of tea.
Bugs and insects are being captured for studies by the Thai Royal Project to assess what and which types of them thrive in the organic environment that can be beneficial or harmful to the tea trees. At the same time, it is reassuring to observe the presence of bugs and insects only if it is insecticide-free environment.
Wild Heritage Conservation and Challenges
Harvesting wild tea trees is a physical challenge – getting into the forest that can take a couple of hours of trekking, often fighting against leeches, bugs, ants and insects, and then climbing up the trees to pick the young leaves, then climbing down and trekking to another big tree which could be another half-an-hour or more away. Consequently, it is a low productivity and low yield of about 2kg of fresh leaves per tree. If not properly incented, the villages may cut them down for use or clear them for coffee growing.
Wild Heritage Conservation and Challenges
Harvesting wild tea trees is a physical challenge – getting into the forest that can take a couple of hours of trekking, often fighting against leeches, bugs, ants and insects, and then climbing up the trees to pick the young leaves, then climbing down and trekking to another big tree which could be another half-an-hour or more away. Consequently, it is a low productivity and low yield of about 2kg of fresh leaves per tree. If not properly incented, the villages may cut them down for use or clear them for coffee growing.
As one treks along the forest path, one can see many devastations by the villagers to cut down these ancient tea trees which are native in this part of the region, just so they can grow coffee trees that are non-native here. It is well-documented that tea trees originate centuries ago in this mountain ranges from Yunnan, Myanmar, and Northern Thailand. They have been propagated by the hill tribes as they moved and migrated throughout the centuries. If conservation effort is not made, Thailand will lose this natural heritage once destroyed.