40 DRINKtech APRIL 2017 NEW ZEALAND As marketing manager for New Zealand’s only commercial organic tea-growing company, he’s paid to say that. Only, you can tell that he means it. Work your way through the majestic rooms of Zealong Tea Estate’s cavernous visitor centre located deep within the lush Waikato countryside at Gordonton, and you can well understand the pride with which those who work there hold themselves. “It’s pretty cool,” Kong says, glancing across the 48ha of plantation baking under the Waikato sun. “We’re lucky to be part of this. We can produce up to 100 tonnes of tea annually, with 60% exported alongside products from the world’s top 5% of tea companies. Our products go to China, Germany, Japan, the Middle East, Europe. That’s really special to be part of.” It’s all thanks to founder Vincent Chen, who noticed a flourishing camellia in his neighbour’s garden in 1996 and wondered whether tea could be grown successfully in New Zealand. It wasn’t a random thought – the Hamilton immigrant businessman was struck by the similarity of camellias to tea plants, and he was keen to make high-quality beverages for his family and friends used to better brews than New Zealand offered at the time. So off he went to Taiwan, bringing back 1500 plants that nearly all died during 10 months in quarantine. The 130 or so that survived were planted and nurtured on his Gordonton landholding, producing since then a staggering 1.2 million plants. When Chen opened his tea plantation to the world in 2009, he did so in the knowledge that his tea was organic and spray-free, grown in rich soil with clean FOR TERRIFIC Sen Kong’s face breaks into a wide smile when you struggle to describe the unique taste of one of Zealong’s steaming teas. “You know what,” he says proudly, “it’s happiness. That’s what you can taste.” air, tended by Asian masters in the tea-making craft…and totally unique. Not only that, Zealong is one of the very few fully IDO22000/ HACCP certified tea companies in the world. The company’s traceability systems identify batch-specific teas by day, block, picker and processing method. And, it’s the first tea estate in the world to celebrate annual spring harvest – for 20 days last November, its specially trained staff picked the top three leaves of each plant for harvest, then again in January ‘T’
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