It all started with a camellia tree.
Flowering, lush and green, it thrives in the Waikato. A lover of tea, Vincent was struck by the similarities between tea plants and the local camellias. The flourishing Waikato plants mean New Zealand is not just pure and clean, it is also the perfect environment to grow one teas that excel in aroma and taste.
In 1996, 1,500 rigorously-selected tea cuttings were imported from the best tea growing regions in Asia. Following a long quarantine from New Zealand’s Ministry of Agriculture, Vincent was left with only 130 plants. After careful propagation and a wealth of knowledge gained through the years, Zealong’s lush tea plants add up to just over 1 million and are spread over 40 hectares.