Canada's First Estate Tea

VANCOUVER ISLAND TEA TAKES TO THE WORLD STAGE

There is a distinct lack of pretense emanating from Westholme Tea Company’s terraced estate and its proprietors that conceals the depth of knowledge, respect, skill, and quality of product nourished by the wetland below.

On their unassuming 11-acre plot, surrounded by the mountains that form the Cowichan Valley just south of Duncan, Victor Vesely and Margit Nellemann have nurtured not only the roots of their now hardy Camellia sinensis, but also those of their globally acclaimed business dedicated to a culture thousands of years in the making; Canada’s first and only commercial organic tea farm.

This labour of love has progressed not without a healthy dose of uncertainty and discomfort. Like wine, a tea’s terroir (the unique taste and flavour imparted by a locale’s soil, air, and temperature) is of vital importance and usually takes three to five years to develop from first planting. A testament to the duo’s dedication, Victor and Margit patiently waited through harsh temperature swings, unpredictable precipitation, and destructive wildlife, a full six years from the introduction of their first 200 seedlings to the soil in 2010 before being satisfied with the maturity of the resulting plants.

“In 2016 we harvested and launched our first Canadian tea to quite a bit of fanfare. No one else has created a Canadian terroir tea and waited that long. But to be true to the essence of tea and tea culture, and to respect the thousands of years of tea history, we did. And then, not only did we create a unique experience, we in some ways shifted tea history by being growers of tea this far north. It’s kind of fun. Like grapes anybody can grow grapes, but not everybody can make wine. That’s the other layer; the “PhD’s” that we’ve developed in making errors and mistakes to define and develop a Canadian tea which is unique and tastes like no other because of the space that it’s in.” – Victor Vesely

Six distinct classic and innovative tea styles are produced from this crop three or four times a year depending on the progression of the seasons. Harvesting of the tea leaves is done by hand by Victor, Margit and their team. A variety of processing including drying and cold-smoking is also performed by hand to produce familiar varieties such as white, black, green, oolong, and smoked, all imbued with the unique Cowichan Valley terroir.

In addition to their limited-quantity, Canadian-Grown Westholme-Terroir teas, Victor and Margit import a plethora of the finest organic teas from a trusted network of distinguished estates and purveyors. Organic spices, and herbs from around the world are also sourced for use in a myriad of always additive-free teas and tisanes blended in-house.

Like their tea, the estate itself has developed its own flavour, steeped in the warm nature of its self-taught founders. The estate is welcoming and calm, almost meditative. Below the rows of evergreen shrubs, a converted dairy barn houses the tea room, gallery and shop. This charmingly vintage structure also includes a studio where Margit crafts hand-cast ceramics with which to enjoy time-honoured tea traditions.

“We wanted to bring tea culture to Canada in a way that’s accessible, without the pretension a lot of people are daunted by. We want to meet people as they walk through the door, from the uninitiated to the folks who have climbed the Darjeeling steps. Tea is more about being, in a sense. Not necessarily in a Zen meditative way, but it brings people together. It’s usually about sitting and commuting with yourself and finding a peace that way, or with other people. Because, it’s not just what you drink but how you drink that is integral to tea culture.” – Victor Vesely

While Westholme shies away from wholesaling their teas, they do harvest fresh tea leaves to be sold at the local farmer’s market and used in their own culinary creations served at the estate. Victor and Margit also enjoy the occasional collaboration, the most notable of which is with Sheringham Distillery and their award-winning Kazuki Gin which features green tea leaves and flowers from the farm.

Since the estate’s humble beginnings in 2010, an additional 400 seedlings were planted in 2014 and 2015, bringing the current total to 800. International acclaim, and high demand have also encouraged plans for an expansion of the farm with an additional 2,000 plants. While the notoriety and added capacity are welcome, these are not necessarily what is top of mind for Victor and Margit when it comes to defining success. A connection to their community, and the sharing of these time honoured traditions and bounty are what keeps Victor and Margit motivated.

“I was doing a phone interview a while back and was asked about defining our success. There were people in the shop and the parking lot at the time and I heard this laughter. And it’s just this beautiful laughter, but more significantly, it was the staff laughing as well. You know, it got really emotional. And it was just a beautiful moment, like this is really what it’s about. It’s really about how do you create an environment that people come and enjoy, even bringing their children. It’s really about generations, and about honoring and respecting that where you’re standing is not just 10 years of tea growing, but it’s also thousands of years of history.” - Victor Vesely