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Kiran's Story

I created Hampstead Tea to bring you organic teas that are ethical and delicious. When I moved to the UK from India I desperately searched for great tasting tea that had no pesticides or plastics and I just couldn’t find any. Skip forward to today and at Hampstead Organic we’re incredibly proud to be continuously assessed as:
The Most Ethical Tea Brand’ by the Ethical Consumer. 

Here's How it Started

Hampstead Tea Founder Kiran
Missing home one afternoon in July 1989, having just moved to London from India, I took time off from mothering 2 little boys, and dropped in to the Tea board of India’s London office. There was the usual warm welcome and a flurry of tea cups, and in Rajah Banerjee walked, full of his infectious enthusiasm for his beloved Makaibari Tea Gardens in Darjeeling.

“No nasties in my soil” he declared and his comments instantly resonated with me.

I urged him to tell people about his vision of natural tea cultivation, he replied “YOU tell people if you feel so strongly about it”. The challenge was too good to resist and I launched into the world of tea growing (a huge change from being the strategic consultant!), and organised for the estate to be certified organic.  
Then came the big leap – biodynamic status for Makaibari – a first for tea gardens.
Hampstead Tea Founder Kiran
Biodynamic farming is my passion, it ensures that you put more in than you take out. The animals, plants, people and soil all work together in harmony to create a forever living environment. Biodynamic is super organic.
I went home and packed 5 chests of organic Darjeeling leaf tea into paper bags and took them to shops, businesses and cafes around London. There was a bit of an uproar from some - “loose leaf tea, no one drinks leaf tea these days”. But I was determined in my message of all-natural tea.  
But, others made space for my hand filled packs. Just a year later Hampstead Tea was awarded best in category at the Organic Food Awards, for my Organic Darjeeling Whole Leaf Tea and it was presented by HRH Prince Charles. 
Hampstead Tea Kiran awards
Since then Hampstead Tea has grown far beyond what I dreamed while packing tea in my kitchen. Our range of organic teas are stocked all over the world and we have won multiple awards for great taste and quality. Everything we produce is organic, our tea gardens are biodynamic, teas are Fairtrade, the majority of our packaging is Plastic-Free and all our teas bags are compostable. 
When we work with the earth, treat it and our people well, mother nature rewards us with strong, healthy crops and excellent tea.
 
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