Our brands
We have three tea brands – Kan Baw Za, Yoke The’, and Taung Thu Gyi.
Each has a special story to share. We also have Ywangan, our premium coffee brand.
Kan Baw Za
Kan Baw Za means “mountain” in the lands of Shan State in northern Myanmar. Our exquisite teas are from the beautiful mountains of floating clouds, deep red soils, forests, rivers, waterfalls and hundreds of years of the ethnic minorities growing tea.
The higher altitudes slow the growth, allowing the essential oils and incredible character to build in the leaves. Our brand acknowledges the heartland of tea is Kan Baw Za, “the mountains”, holding the secrets to tea and the many tea stories passed from generation to generation.
Our brand is almost 60 years old. We sell Kan Baw Za black and green tea.
Yoke The’
Yoke The’, meaning “traditional puppet” refers to Myanmar puppetry, part of our deeply valued and treasured ancient culture. In the 11th century, during the early Bagan era, puppetry entertained the royal families.
The royals brought tea to our Shan lands. We still believe puppets have spirits. The puppeteer is usually unseen, their art lies hidden and often unappreciated despite centuries of audiences relishing the performance and craftsmanship.
Tea farming too is a skill, combining years of experience and skill. As in the movements of the puppeteers’ hand, the slightest hand gesture can affect how tea leaves are picked. Yet tea drinkers of all ages celebrate the tea and not the tea farmer.
We believe that every cup of tea has a story to tell. The lives of the tea farmers are very central to our company. Our brand Yoke The’ was developed in 2016 and celebrates the tea farmers and all they do.
We produce organic green, organic black loose leaf tea, milk tea, and herbal tea under Yoke The’. This brand is 15% of our local and international markets.
Taung Thu Gyi
Taung Thu Gyi means “farmer”. This is perhaps our most special brand. The journey of tea has eight stages of production. Starting with our Shan growers planting, picking, and selling their fresh leaves to processors to blend and package.
The hardest and most undervalued part of this journey is the growing and tea flushes (harvesting). This is mostly done by women who work hard to ensure superb quality and consistency, investing time in training, and in their fields to reach the high-end tea markets.
Taung Thu Gyi is our commitment to turn this around. It is the farmer’s brand.
We give farmers access to our tea factory to process and pack their tea. It is then sold on the local market, as their own brand. Our company supports this brand, buying tea at market rates. The more cups of tea brewed with these tea leaves, the more farmers can grow and flourish.
We want our farmers to succeed. We established a fund to support new tea farmers and younger generations to get an education. We also have ongoing investments in our factory and operations to support the farmers to reach their full potential.
Read more about Taung Thu Gyi the farmer’s tea.
Ywangan
Ywangan is our premium coffee brand. It is named after the township in
Shan State where we grow our delicious, single origin Arabica.