2023 has been a truly special year for us here at Webster's tea. As a company committed to continuously growing and offering the best, most delicious tea, we experienced many joyous milestones. All of which wouldn't have been possible without the support and encouragement from you, our tremendous customer - thank you for supporting us, and making our favourite moments possible! 

Here’s a snapshot of this year's highlights that we’re mighty proud of... 

• 2023 marks our second year of the Tea Shop at 7 Clarke Road, Te Puna, Tauranga. We’re so thankful for the opportunity to connect with our local customers who visit to chat and replenish their tea supply. 
• We introduced two new members to the team! Ash formally joined us in May, who lovingly takes care of graphic design and customer service. We also welcomed the wonderful Jaimee, who handles production through to dispatch.

• Having released our beautiful new packaging just a few weeks ago, your positive feedback has been overwhelming and truly encouraging! This refresh is something we have been working away on for quite some time. We wanted to offer something that spoke to you, matched the premium tea inside, all while keeping it fresh and tasting its best. We couldn't be happier with the result and are so pleased you love it too!
• Rather excitingly, Ash and I got married in Fiji! It was the most brilliant week celebrating love, life and family. As a family business, it’s special Ash is officially a Webster and we get to share this journey with you. 

Also, here's a peek at the fun tea tid-bits also worth celebrating.

• The stats are in! We did it guys, over a million serves of tea were sold this year. It's a fair assumption that we’ve saved close to that many tea bags being consumed by replacing them with our better tasting tea. By supporting Webster’s, you’re not just elevating your own tea daily ritual, but also looking after our planet in support of organic production. 
• On that note, Webster’s Tea officially became BioGro certified! While our tea and ingredients have always been certified organic, being Biogro certified ensures that our customers receive the highest quality organic products with the added confidence of third-party certification.
  
  

• We've done the math, and your favourites are still English Breakfast and our unique Earl Grey - you guys can’t get enough of it!
• We released larger 200 serve bags, for those who adore the ritual of tea just as much as we do. These are the perfect quantity for decanting into our nifty tins and having some left over. 
• Café Breakfast was added to our black tea range. This blend boasts a full-bodied flavour with distinct malt undertones, making it a perfect choice for lovers of strong black tea.
  
  

• To celebrate Christmas, we loved creating Gingerbread, the first of our small batch, limited release teas. Look out for more coming soon!
• Of all of the 11 recipes we shared, the most popular was Meema’s Ginger Crunch.
• Our most read blog post was the story of how it all began.
  
  

To wrap things up....

We will be closed from the 24th of December, and opening back up on the 9th of January. For our holiday, we’re planning an enjoyable break with the family exploring beaches along the east coast, and will be embarking on our first family camping experience in Ohiwa - wish us luck! During this time, you will still be able to order through the site and orders will be dispatched as soon as we’re back on the 9th.

And to tease you with good things to come in the new year, we’re excited to unveil a super fruity tea for summer, followed by a lapsang souchong (black tea) with more releases and accessories to follow. You can also look forward to a handy subscription service, and plenty more delicious recipes here on the journal. 

As we bid farewell to the year that’s been, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you, our treasured customer. On behalf of the Webster’s team, I wish you and your loved ones the best holiday season. May your days be filled with sunshine, rest, and of course, many wonderful cups of tea in between it all.

- Mark