About Avantcha

Advancing tea
from a simple refreshment,
to a deeper, connected
and delicious experience.

The world’s finest tea leaves produced in harmony with nature, the most exciting innovations in taste, and our own considered, minimalistic teaware

Inspired by rapid food innovation in the 21st century, founders Markus and Marina started AVANTCHA in 2014. Together they combined their love for design, food and tea by sourcing the highest quality teas, herbs, flowers, and fruit from across the globe, in the most conscious and sustainable ways.

By taking care of every part of the tea journey, from product through to experience, Markus and Marina have created a tea brand unrivalled in flavour, quality and style, capturing the attention of all those who appreciate and pursue considered things in life.

Today AVANTCHA has brand offices in UK (London), Switzerland (Hergiswil) and Thailand (Bangkok). Dubai, strategically located between Asia and Europe, is the logistic headquarter of the brand.

A scene from a tea tasting for new teas by our leadership. Markus, Marina and Chris.

Our Sustainability

With nearly a decade behind us, we continue to focus on connecting consumers to the stories of the farmers and communities that produce our range of teas.

We place emphasis on advancing and upholding sustainable tea production practices that have a low impact on the environment, as well as investing in new technologies.

Our extensive range of organic-certified teas, biodegradable silk tea bags, and naturally-farmed, rare teas are indicative of this and, while they further enhance the overall experience, they also ensure that we can all enjoy the experience of tea for years to come.

To us, sustainability means a future for our Earth. Clean farming is not only good for our health; it protects the soil, wildlife and farm animals and the entire ecosystem

ORGANIC CULTIVATION

We will prioritise buying organic teas as much as possible, though only when the taste is truly exceptional. Some tea farmers have been refining their methods of agriculture for hundreds of years, and many non-organic teas taste significantly better as a result. As the tea world moves into a more organic approach, we’re balancing how we buy, and who we buy from, to ensure we have a range to suit all and can continue to support farmers.

AVANTCHA teas are organic certified, AE-BIO-140. You will find the logo on the majority of our packaging. In the case where not all ingredients were available in organic form, we mentioned the percentage of organic components on the back label.

Read More On Our Journal ‘Examining Organic Tea’.

NATURAL FARMING

We put a lot of effort into ensuring that we can source our teas in sustainable ways, that we offset our carbon footprint and that we are continuously looking for ways to source degradable or compostable packaging in our supply chain.

Our teas are EU compliant, organic certified (EU) or under our own label “Natural Farming’ with available test reports. We strongly believe in organic and natural farming, as pesticide-free products are not only healthier but also consider the medium and long-term effect of agricultural interventions on the agro-system. This style of farming:
– Builds healthy soil
– Combats erosion
– Facilitates a healthier water supply
– Encourages biodiversity

Read More On Our Journal ‘Examining Organic Tea’.

NATURAL FLAVOURING

The superior taste of our scented blends is due the natural flavourings we use in tea blending. Natural flavourings are concentrated derivatives from real food ingredients. We use natural flavours that had been in compliance with EU organic standards until these changed in 2022, requesting that these natural flavours also be certified under organic labelling.

While the food industry adjusts to this significant change (it can take up to three years to qualify as organic) we have found a distinct lack of high quality organic essence that impart the same taste, despite extensive testing. To preserve the stunning flavour of our teas that are so-loved, we will continue to prioritise and balance organic principles with the best quality essences

BIODEGRADABLE PACKAGING

Our tea bags contain the same quality tea as our loose leaf collection and are packed in biodegradable material.

The tea bags are made from plant based material called polylactic acid (or PLA). PLA is made from vegetable based material, often cornstarch or sugar cane. PLA is NOT derived from petroleum and will not leak harmful plasticizers into your brew.

This material is designed to biodegrade in a high heat, commercial composting environment. AVANTCHA tea bags will not break down in your cup of tea, even if left for many hours or days.

No glues, staples or metals

The tea bags use long cotton threads and paper tags that are heat-sealed.

Markus in a tea garden in Huangshan, China.

Strengthening our relationships at origin and working with our producers every year, to ensure full transparency around our teas

When and where possible, our team heads to the tea gardens to work directly with our producers to ensure that we continue to build excellent relationships. This is not only important at a human level, but ensures we can secure the very best teas of the season, discover the stories behind the people and gardens, and have a full overview of conditions and production.

Developing relationships in this way means that we can have a better understanding of the supply chain and help drive value along the way, making certain that everyone is rewarded for high quality tea production, from garden to that first sip.

A video of a skilled tea master rolling green tea leaves. China

Our Clients

We have established long-standing business relationships with our clients over the past decade, creating experiences for guests to truly savour and engage with the very best that tea has to offer – from unique tea programmes, to inspiring events, and bespoke products… we have the agility to create what is needed to impress. Visit our Business pages to learn more, or contact us for a chat.

AVANTCHA BUSINESS

Working with like-minded brands and businesses that are passionate about great taste, and meaningful experiences

AVANTCHA milestones
We’ve Come So Far

The launch of AVANTCHA

From day one, we source organically certified teas. Strong focus on supplying B2B businesses while establishing EU organic certified distribution and packing facility.

2014

2015

Lauch of Online shop

The launch of our online shop, with the first order arriving on June 20^th, 2015!

Warehouse in Dubai

AVANTCHA moves to a centralised warehouse in Dubai.

2016

2017

First hotel client

A proud year with the signing of our first hotel client.

Tea Bar Al Quoz

Opening of our Tea Bar & Shop in Dubai

2018

2019

Pop-up Store

Opening a pop-up store in Dubai Mall

Open new offices

AVANTCHA expands! We open offices in the UK, Switzerland and Thailand

2020

2021

Growing portfolio

Our client portfolio continues to grow. Today, it includes Cartier, Gucci, Panerai and Jager Le Coultre (gifting and events). Prestigious hotels such as the Four Seasons, Burj Al Arab, Waldorf Astoria, EDITION, Mandarin Oriental, Jumeirah Group and Hilton Luxury Collection also serve our teas.

Developing presence and sustainability efforts

AVANTCHA has an international team in UAE, Switzerland and the UK. We are also actively working on developing our presence in Thailand and Hongkong while continuously extending our range of organic teas and improving our sustainability efforts.