Linda Cebrian-Rampen, Owner of Het Zyuderblad Tea plantation in the Netherlands
The best ideas often come at unexpected times. With me, it was on an escalator at Hong Kong airport with a bag of Chinese tea in hand. Bought in a hurry during my honeymoon transfer to Bali. There, on that escalator, with that tea in my hands, I suddenly knew my destiny - I am starting a tea plantation!
A simple thought, but also the start of an unexpected journey.
Years before that idea of a tea plantation popped into my head, my parents’ accountant asked me what I planned to do with the family farm. As the only child of my parents, I was the only one who could continue the company that had been in our family for several generations. My education and qualifications were as an illustrator and I had never been involved in running the farm. So what should I do with the future of it? I had no idea. But one thing was sure, I wanted to do something useful with all the land, barns, and machinery.
So my tea journey started. It brought me to several other tea plantations in Europe to meet botanists and growers in France and Italy who had worked with the tea plant for more than thirty years.
Also, I started my tea sommelier training at the International Tea and Coffee Academy to learn more about tea tasting and develop my personal taste in tea.
My network grew steadily, the first plants went into the ground and there was also a real 'first flush' of green leaf, the first harvest from my very own tea plants. I visited traditional tea countries too, taking tea tours in India where I visited the Tocklai Institute in Assam and tea gardens in Darjeeling and later on in China. I gained knowledge and confidence everywhere I went.
In my greenhouses, I have a real 'nursery' where young plants of different varieties are propagated. We are looking for tea cultivars that will grow best in the cool Dutch climate.
At this time the tea plantation is part of the old family farm. Alongside our asparagus and strawberries, there are also several thousand tea-plants in the ground. These are spread over three small tea gardens. We have complete control over the production process. Small-scale for now, but everything is being done to achieve high-quality, pure leaf tea.
Of course, historically the Netherlands is not a country of origin for tea. We like to drink it, but there is no real culture and tradition. Nevertheless, we see that interest in tea is growing fast. Especially when it comes to quality. This is completely in line with the modern trend of natural and healthy eating and drinking and wanting to know where our food and drinks are coming from.
My company is a place where tea knowledge, culture, and history are collected and, above all, shared. In these modern times it has become easier to bring good tea from traditional origins to the Netherlands and with the tea also comes the history and culture behind it. However, as European artisanal growers, we may allow ourselves to be ambitious: with well-produced tea grown in the Netherlands, we are also working to develop a genuine Dutch tea culture!
I can now let go of the thought "I am starting a tea plantation". Now I hàve a tea plantation - Het Zuyderblad, the first in the Netherlands!