We chat to Jenny D’Costa, Founder of Taprobane Tea Company.
Tell us about Taprobane Tea.
Taprobane Tea is a small, boutique, family-run tea company. We specialise in high altitude black and green teas hand-picked in the mountains of Sri Lanka. We also have a variety of luscious flavoured teas for all to enjoy.
What inspired you to start Taprobane Tea?
I was inspired to start Taprobane Tea because I could not find any tea in Australia that I truly enjoyed drinking. I also wanted other people in Australia to enjoy really delicious tea. So I decided to start importing premium quality Ceylon tea to Australia. We also began to put together blends of flavoured tea, which we ourselves enjoyed. The Black Tea with Mango and the Black Tea with Rose Petals are both family favourites.
Tell us about your career and background.
I was born in Sri Lanka and both my father and uncle were in the tea industry. My whole family loves tea and I started to enjoy Ceylon tea at a very early age. School holidays were often spent with my aunt and uncle wandering around the tea plantations that they managed. It was a happy time. Later during the Civil War my mother and father, along with my sister and myself migrated to Australia. I completed my schooling and earned a Doctorate in Science at La Trobe University. I subsequently became an Environmental Scientist. I retired from this field to concentrate on bringing up my children. A few years ago, I decided to follow in the footsteps of my father and import premium quality Ceylon tea to Australia.
Describe a typical work day for you.
My workday starts between 6am-7am and always with 2 cups of Taprobane Black Tea (my favourite). For the first couple of hours I respond to emails and review my plans for the rest of the day. Then I enjoy a walk with my dogs before breakfast and a shower. Then I head out to visit clients. I am usually home by 5pm when I feed my pets, have dinner with the family and often work until 10pm. We usually finish the evening with, you guessed it, another cup of Taprobane Tea.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
First of all, start with something you love. I am passionate about tea so I love working in my business. Second, seek lots of advice from other people who have started their own business. Third, if you start a business be prepared for lots of hard work.
What’s next for you, and Taprobane Tea?
We at Taprobane Tea are excited about two new flavours we are developing, a Black Tea with Violets & a Green Tea with Ginger. In designing the latter we are responding to frequent requests from our customers for a Ginger tea. Also based on frequent requests from the UK, we hope to start selling our teas there later in the year.
