La Via del Tè Firenze dal 1961

Region: Tuscany

The company history

The company was set up in 1961 through the enterprising spirit of Alfredo Carrai. Alfredo was so fascinated by the world of tea that, despite his tender age, he decided to accept the challenge of introducing into Italy the consumption and culture of a drink that was practically unknown at the time. The desire to enhance his knowledge of the second most-widely drunk beverage in the world led him to perform numerous journeys in quest of the rarest teas and the finest harvests, without ever losing the awareness that there is always another tea waiting to be discovered and savoured. Alfredo’s first trips to China read like a daunting adventure story, beset with a thousand difficulties, in search of white teas or the precious teas of Yunnan, the first tricky negotiations with the plantations of Darjeeling, the emotion at the tasting of the first Gyokuro… And then there’s the satisfaction of opening up the true world of tea to the Italians, accustomed to the sporadic consumption of black tea in bags. From the first packages of the SNAKE label (later changed to SNAK), to the importation of tea in the packaging of the country of origin, through to the creation in the 80s of the brand La Via del Tè as a tribute to the Japanese tradition of the Cha-no-yu, which has its foundation in the Chado, that is “La via del tè”.

Today

After more than fifty years the family business – in wich each of the children guides a sector - is still inspired by the same passion of the beginning, and all steps , from sourcing the best tea crops to blending and packaging, are carried out with utmost care, looking both at innovation and the Florentine craftman tradition.

Product list

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