What is "Face to Farmer" Sourcing?
October 28, 2014
There is a class of Tea Merchant you probably are not aware of. They are quickly becoming a better choice for your tea supply. I’m dubbing them "Face to Farmer" Tea Merchants or "FF" Tea Merchants for short. These men and women source their teas directly from the true source and offer them to tea lovers around the world.
Unlike most companies, FF Tea Merchants don't buy from wholesalers at trade shows or anywhere else for that matter. Nope. They physically source their teas, establish relationships with farmers, determine the best teas and buy from them directly “Face to Farmer”. At the very least, they source teas from trusted others who also practice FF sourcing.
So with many big tea companies around, why buy from a smaller FF Tea Merchant? There are many reasons which are all good for you!
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You will get HIGHER QUALITY teas from FF Tea Merchants. The quality is much higher because the farmers he/she buys from are invested in their teas on a very personal level. Factory teas are machine picked by low wage workers who don’t really care. Would you?
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You will know exactly WHERE your tea comes from. An FF Tea Merchant will reveal the exact location because he KNOWS where it is because he/she bought it directly from the farmer. Most big companies can only tell you “Vietnam” or “Fujian Province” because they buy from wholesalers.
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You will know WHEN your tea was grown. A FF Tea Merchant will tell you exactly WHEN your tea was grown because he has a relationship with the farmer. He will reveal to you that a specific tea is a Spring, 2021 Alishan, for instance. This is important because, as a tea drinker, you can compare spring and winter harvests for instance. This is very important for all quality teas.
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You will know that your tea is SINGLE-ORIGIN. Large companies mix farms and years into a pile and sell it to you on the cheap. We sell tea from one farm and one crop. Only, this will reveal the terroir.
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You will get better customer service. After all, you’re dealing directly with the person who has the dream and not a corporate managerial chain.
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You will get a better price/quality ratio. This is a fact and I will write a blog post soon on how that works.
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You probably will get a better price on shipping. Beautiful Taiwan Tea Co. offers flat-rate $5 fast USA shipping for all the tea and tea ware you want.
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You will get tea that is environmentally and socially CONSCIOUS. These farmers care about their land because they want it to last. It’s their families land so they are invested. Also, with FF Tea, you are decreasing the incidence of peasantry on a family level because you are not paying a corporate boss structure.
Beautiful Taiwan Tea Co. is located in Zionsville, IN. We have practiced FF sourcing for the last 10 years. Unfortunately this model is only used by a handful of companies in the World. Would you consider purchasing from an FF Tea Merchant on your next purchase? You won't be sorry. With the Face to Farmer model everybody wins.
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