Our Story
We decided that we would begin with tea from Japan, and that our approach would be to go to the source. We set out to find the number-one tea farmer in Japan. Our search quickly led to Shizuoka Prefecture, the heartland of fine Japanese tea. It wasn’t long before we discovered Yamama Masudaen, a century-old farm started by the grandfather of the current owner, Tsuyomi Masuda, whose family, by the way, has lived in the region for about 600 years. E&A founder, David Low, and Masudasan built a strong personal relationship over several months. Finally, they struck up a partnership, based in Hawaii, including the two of them and two other men, both highly experienced in product development and marketing. The idea was to bring the very highest quality teas from Asia to Western markets in the Americas and in Europe. In the coming months, we will apply the same technique of looking for the top tea growers in other regions. Our work will not be done until we find award-winning teas from India, China, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka.