I am nobody special. Just a goof tryin’ to figure out this life like the next guy with the blessings I’ve been given. I’ve always been close to nature, and always enjoyed the company of others.
Currently I hail from small town Wyoming where my wife and I live, work, and enjoy a humble life living in an old cabin down by the river. We have deer every day, clean air, friendly neighbors, and mountains in all directions less than a mile away.
It’s a slower life here. People take the time to discuss a “how are you” for a solid 5 minute conversation, old men (including myself) spend many hours soaking in the hot springs within town and solving the problems of the world, and teenagers call you sir. In our little town, we have just about everything and anything a soul would desire. Except exceptional tea leaf.
My wife and I have had tea in our relationship from the beginning. The first time I met her parents, we found common ground over a pot of tea. Our dates were often centered around traveling to various locations to either try a new tea or to experience drinking tea in an exotic location. Even at our wedding, our gift to those who came was a small box of single-serving pu’er tea pods.
It wasn’t until we came back to the states as a first-generation immigrant family that we found people were giving back to us more than we could ever give them in sharing our knowledge and experience of tea. The response was so strong that eventually it was suggested to us that we make more of an effort to share the teas we have access to.
We did have one advantage. My wife possesses a Chinese family name of the original royal family of China. Additionally, she just-so-happens to be a tea connoisseur herself. These two combined have gained us access to some truly remarkable tea circles throughout Asia.
When we arrived back in the states in 2017, we were surprised to find that in our area there were few to no options of high-grade loose leaf tea. There were many options for tea blends from highly trained herbalists, which has its place. But no one selling any loose leaf tea to write home about.
And thus started our adventure to share our access with those around us whom we love. Word spread and soon people were offering to pay us if they could just get a bit more of our delicious tea.
I talked it over with my wife, and she suggested that we start with our relationship with a Master Fang. She had spent some time with him in Shenzhen while we were working there and thought that he was a very genuine person.
She explained how his family had done nothing but cultivate the highest grades of tea leaf for over a century, and how he’d spent substantial time throughout the world teaching farmers how to grow tea expertly and sustainably as not to damage the natural flavors held within the leaf.
I had a talk with Master Fang and found his peaceful heart to be well-inline with mine. Masters Fang’s mission is to share the highest qualities of tea to support a quality of life more difficult to find these days.
And so, our company began. We chose the name, hygge panda, because it encompasses what tea is for us. Hygge is a danish word that attempts to encapsulate a way of life that is best summed up in the word convivial. The definition of which is (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable as well as (of a person) cheerful and friendly; jovial. This is a condition that is both brought out by tea and played out in the countenance of a panda. It is our best effort to establish a starting point with which to affect the world in a positive way. The hygge panda way!
With regards and great reverence,
hygge panda