About Us

Tea Desire opened their first tea store in May 2005. Tony and Heidi Aupers the founders of Tea Desire are experienced entrepreneurs. They bring European and Canadian market experience to their tea stores where they stock the finest loose leaf teas and tea ware.

Growing up in Holland and Germany, a Specialty Tea Store was part of our culture. After we moved in1996 from Europe to the interior of British Columbia, much to our surprise we were not able to find any Specialty Tea Stores to fill our needs for a good cup of tea. All we found was boxes with low quality tea bags in grocery stores. Being entrepreneurs and tea drinkers most of our lives, we knew that they wanted to open a tea store, but the time was not quite right yet. For the next 11 years we operated our business in the hospitality industry. In the years to come we noticed that the demand for better quality tea was arising. After intense research, we decided in 2004 that the time was right to open a store and by May of 2005 we opened our first store in Vernon, BC offering the finest loose leaf teas and tea ware to our customers. By constantly looking for the best quality of tea in the market place we now have access to exceptional rare loose leaf teas. Teas are mainly imported from century old suppliers in Europe with a long standing reputation for the highest quality. Tea Desire hopes to bring back loose-leaf teas to their
stores offering better quality and taste, which unfortunately had been pushed aside by the supermarkets and convenient lifestyles of North Americans.

We like to compare the cultivation and consumption of tea to that of wine, factors such as color, aroma and after taste will affect the enjoyment of tea and most importantly, the quality of a cup of tea depends on its preparation. There is no reason to be afraid of having a good cup of tea since both of us and our knowledgeable staff will provide our customers with all the information they need to have great results.

We are also passionate about educating consumers about tea, including how to brew tea according to the type of tea or blend and as well how different qualities and blends of tea taste and affect people. Individual stores will occasionally offer tea tastings and seminars.

All tea - from black to white are from the same family botanical plant called Camellia Sinensis; tisanes are a variety of flowers, berries, seeds, peels, leaves, roots and spices from different plants. Rooibos, Mate, Chamomile, Rose Petals, Liquorice Root and Peppermint are a few examples of tisanes.

Experience the new era of tea, make time for yourself and your well being.
Regards,
Tony and Heidi Aupers