The Takeo family has been farming tea for nearly a century, and in 1985, tea farmer Kazuo Takeo began taking a great interest in the effect that agricultural chemicals was having on the environment. The change in the growth of a bamboo grove next to their tea fields was particularly troubling to him, and at the time, environmental pollution such as acid rain was making headlines.

Takeo-san began to doubt the safety of his pesticides and fertilizers, and so began the decade long process to first convert all his tea fields to organic cultivation, then the multi-year process to certify his tea fields as organic in Japan. Since 2000, the Takeo family has sold only certified organic tea, and today, son Hideyuki (pictured above in black with Yunomi Tea Merchant Ian Chun) continues the legacy created by his father.

Message from Takeo-san

As much as possible, we'd like to create tea that is as close to its natural state. Are chemicals safe to use in agriculture? We don't really know, but we feel it is better to be safe because you can't peel off the skin on tea like you do with fruits. You, our customers, should have the safest tea leaves that we can make.