As some of you may already know we've got an exciting plan for the coming years, we, at Suki HQ are trying to grow our very own Tea leaves right here in Northern Ireland! We're passionate about what we do and the product we delivery and what better way to learn than to grow our own right here in our wee country!! Northern Irish tea? yes please!
Back in 2014, we sat with our friends from ‘Just Live A Little’ surrounded by the fog of hilly San Francisco and reminisced as we shared our stories of the misted landscapes in Tanzania. The conversation quickly spiralled into a wild conversation of growing tea on their farmland in Portaferry Northern Ireland ... then we thought ‘Heck, why not!? Wouldn’t it be great to at least give it a go!’ And so it began ….
We put the wheels in motion early last year initially explaining our plans to Grow Northern Irish Tea to Will, our supplier and the tea plantation manager at Luponde Tea Gardens in Tanzania. This is where we get the rich malty tea leaves for our Belfast Brew and Breakfast Tea blends. After initially thinking we were living in a world of fantasy he later realised we could actually be onto something and so agreed to supply us with the seedlings for our Grow NI Tea Project.
The Grow NI Tea Project is a source of great excitement for our whole team, learning more and gaining hands on experience with the very plant that creates our favourite brew! A steep learning curve (we’re not all green fingered!) but an exhilarating one at that!
Oscar has been to Greenmount Agricultural College to get the latest on the lives of our Tea plant seedlings so far - watch his trip below
[youtube="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRBceaPut-w"]
You think we are mad right?? Northern Ireland Tea?! No way!! Well we are hoping to have a cup of our own home grown tea blend by 2020! Ambitious! but how cool will that be??
We want to learn everything there is to know about the tea plant, how it is grown, the different factors that affect the flavours and so much more, what better way than to (hopefully) have two acres of tea growing in Portaferry?? Meaning that some of ours teas will not only have been blended and packed in Belfast, but also grown right here on our doorstep! Now that would be cool!!
Keep up to date with our progress by following us across our social channels, using the hashtags #GrowNITeaProject #HomeGrownSukiTea as well as via the newsletter!
