Did you know that there is a real tea plantation in the Netherlands? The Zuyderblad is a tea garden in Soerendonk. Situated in the south of the Netherlands. Owner Linda makes beautiful black and green teas.

Linda grew up on a farm. When the accountant asked her what she wanted to do with the farm, she knew one thing for sure, she didn’t want to give it up. There were a number of options. Continuing with asparagus, strawberries and cows, a campground or converting the farm into a mini conference center.

She didn’t find any of these ideas very appealing, so she let the idea go for a while. During her honeymoon to China, she ended up at the Hong Kong airport with a bag of Chinese tea. That’s when the idea came, I’m starting a tea plantation! This is where the search for knowledge began. A botanist in Italy and the owner of a tea plantation in Switzerland helped her on her way. Italy and Switzerland are not the Netherlands. What works in these countries may not work in The Netherlands.  This means she has to experiment a lot. What works and what doesn’t.

Making tea is an art. She traveled to China and India to expand her knowledge. But here too she faced the same challenge. How do I make tea from leaves that grow on plants in the Netherlands? An enormous challenge that has already led to very nice teas!

The amount of tea she can make from her plants is very limited because the tea plant grows very slowly in our climate. This slow growth rate may not make for a lot of tea, but it does make for a very tasty tea!