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Meet Mrs. Yeh, our farmer from Yuchi township
The 1999 earthquake on September 21 marked a turning point. The family home had crumbled at the time, the Nantou region had been severely impacted, and no pictures of her grandparents remained. The generation of Mrs. Yeh's grandfather primarily established taro and orange orchards. Tea trees were only planted in a small area, and machines were used to harvest them. Tea greens were purchased at a meager price and sold to public tea producers.
After the Earthquake, when Mrs. Yeh was studying at university, Tea Research and Extension Station began to assist farmers in Yuchi Township to grow black tea. In the same period, black tea started gaining popularity again, and Mrs. Yeh's father started selling tea. In the meantime, her cousin also began to grow the tea farm organically and entered the organic supermarket of Shin Kong Group. Therefore, Yeh’s cousin persuaded the family and parents to invest in organic farming and apply for the MOA label, Mrs. Yeh recalled.
After graduation, Mrs. Yeh worked in a big city until she moved back to her hometown after she got married. At that time, her parents wanted to transform into an organic farm and needed someone to help fill out the application documents. This was the time when Mrs. Yeh officially entered the world of black tea. Mrs. Yeh recalled that when the decision was made, actually her father did not support the idea, because organic farms require a three-year transition period, and the harvest volume would be much less than conventional farming methods. It took actually a long period of convincing, but her father gradually agreed with the concept of organic farming that is friendly to the environment and healthy for children, and she was able to persevere.
“It has been nearly 15 years since I returned to my hometown, and my children have grown up.“ - she recalls. These days the family goes together to the tea farm to help harvest tea seeds, fertilize, and be small farmers on holiday. During the tea industry expo, the children will also participate in setting up stalls and making tea with Mrs. Yeh. Her son is interested in making tea and can discuss the differences between tea soups with her. At present, her parents manage the tea farm, and Mrs. Yeh is responsible for marketing and sales. Marketing is one of the most challenging tasks for small farmers. How to open access and sales channels is a challenge for every small farmer. At Tea Bud, we are proudly taking on this task and introducing you to such fantastic farmers from Taiwan like Mrs. Yeh and her hard-working team.