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Entrepreneur smells new opportunity in tea

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2016-09-09 10:37Shanghai Daily Editor: Huang Mingrui ECNS App Download
Lu Ming Tang is housed in a two-century-old pavilion.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)

Lu Ming Tang is housed in a two-century-old pavilion.(Photo/Shanghai Daily)

Chinese people appreciate Hangzhou Longjing green tea for its delicate and gentle taste. But Frenchwoman Marie Amiand has found a new use for these beloved leaves in a range of new skin care products.

Before launching her own Hangzhou-based cosmetics empire, Amiand has lived for many years in Shanghai, where she described herself as a regular coffee drinker, consuming three to six espressos in an average day.

But one day about four years ago, a doctor wrote her a prescription for tea to treat an accumulation of heavy metals in her body. Soon afterward, she boarded the bullet-train to Hangzhou, where the most prized Longjing-variety leaves are grown and harvested in the Longjing Tea Village.

"When I heard birds twittering in the luxuriant tea mountains, I fell in love with this place," she recalled. "Escaping from bustling and busy Shanghai, I feel truly relaxed here."

As Amiand's health improved with medical treatment — and plenty of tea — she learned much about these special leaves.

"White tea is rich in Vitamin A, green tea boasts anti-radiation polyphenols, and dark tea features theafalavin that reduces blood fat," she explained.

With 10-plus years of experience working in the cosmetic industry, she quickly hit upon an idea to extend the use of Chinese tea.

"Some cosmetic brands have developed tea-series products, but there's no brand that only makes products with tea ingredients," said Amiand.

After three years of research and development with a top Japanese laboratory, she established her own brand, Lu Ming Tang. The brand already operates two locations in Hangzhou, one of them in Longjing Village, inside a two-century-old Pavilion-style shop that features a plague with calligraphy from Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799). On the second floor, above the main sales area, is a teahouse serving desserts and drinks.

Last week, the brand's products also hit shelves at over 100 Sephora outlets.

Today China, tomorrow the world

Marie Cream is the brand's signature product. The milky green cream is made from Longjing tea leaves, hawthorn, soy bean milk and other vegetable ingredients. Packaged in a glass container shaped like a tea bowl, the cream has a light natural tea smell and includes tea polyphenols and vitamin C to block radiation and air pollution.

The brand also offers a mask employing Pu'er tea, a night cream made with white tea, and a cleanser with Oolong tea.

Amiand, who also describes herself as a "serial entrepreneur," spent about four years developing the brand from conception to launch. Most of this time was spent on researching natural ingredients and their skin care properties. For better results, one of the brand's production rules is that only leaves from a single tree be used in each item.

She also met tea growers across China in order to learn more about tea culture and find the best ingredients. In the end, she settled upon Longjing tea leaves harvested by members of the Hani minority group in Yunnan Province. Plucked from millennium-old trees, these leaves are also used as ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine recipes.

Another product from Lu Ming Tang is the detox paste made with Pu'er tea, bamboo coal, black rice, date and sesame. The formula is adapted from a doctor's prescription — Pu'er tea prepared with dates are said to eliminate toxins from the body and facilitate blood circulation, according to TCM practitioners.

Amiand's ambitions stretch beyond China. From the start, she's seen global potential in her tea-infused products. Her plans now include expanding to Hong Kong, the UK and the US, all of which are home to well-established tea-drinking cultures.

"Westerners respect culture and craftsmanship, and our mission is to carry tea culture and its diversity on international level," said Amiand.

  

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