Michelle Rose of Cloudwater Farm came to tea via a background in nutrition and an interest in gourmet foods and wines. “Agriculture had always been important to me, and I wanted to work creatively to grow and process tea. I bought 300 little cuttings in December 2001,” she remembers, “and my most memorable moment was seeing the 100 that survived (after 18 months in the greenhouse) firmly established in the ground. We said a prayer and then watched over them like children.” Michelle now hosts workshops and tours of her own tea garden on Kauai and plans to open her home as a tea venue for tourists. Visitors will be able to stay on the working farm, learn about the cultivation of the plants, and taste the teas.
Kimberly and Takahiro Ino grow tea at their Mauna Kea Tea Farm on the north side of Hawaii Island. Committed to environmental sustainability, they grow their tea without chemical fertilizers or pesticides. “We want to produce a tea of the highest quality, without compromise. And our sons’ upbringing on the farm will undoubtedly help them develop patience and persistence and a connection with the land, the neighboring community, and people of other times and ways of life.” Farm tours at Mauna Kea also offer visitors an opportunity to understand the Inos’ natural approach to growing and processing tea.
