How to sell ritual tea in a world that only wants convenience?
In this episode of Tomorrow’s Bites, we sit down with Sergey, a curious nomad who went from underground DJ culture to building one of Europe’s most ambitious tea movements. After spending years traveling deep into China, learning the language, living with farmers, and sourcing from abandoned plantations and ancient wild tea trees, Sergey is now on a mission to bring real tea culture back to Europe.
This is not a story about trends or convenience. It’s about obsession, patience, and starting over.
We dive into:
- Why 95% of Chinese tea doesn’t meet EU standards, and how Sergey sources around it
- The difference between wild, ancient, and plantation tea (and why it matters)
- How speaking Chinese unlocked trust, quality, and long-term farmer relationships
- The brutal reality of starting from zero again after war and relocation.
- Why tea might be the healthiest replacement for alcohol, caffeine, and fast rituals.
And much more...
From scaling tea houses across countries to convincing farmers to stop fertilizing their land, Sergey’s journey reveals what it really takes to build a values-driven business in one of the world’s oldest supply chains.
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😊 The Guest: Sergey Shevelev
