In Tregothnan’s nearly 700-year history, there have been plagues, pestilence and wars - now distant periods of history that we might read about in books. In another 700 years, the team at Tregothnan might read about the year 2020, when the whole world came to a standstill to unite in defeating the global pandemic. Lockdown posed different challenges to everyone, but perhaps the most testing was to be prohibited from seeing loved ones, family and friends. So, we turned to the one thing that can always soothe stress and ease anxiety. We drank tea. Lots of it.
In fact, sales of tea soared throughout the tumultuous time. Grocery stores reported an increase by £24m in tea and coffee sales in the past three months, and an additional £19m on biscuits – marking a shift away from waiting in line for your skinny, decaf, tall cappuccino, towards popping the kettle on. The small team here at Tregothnan struggled to keep up with demand for online sales, with 12 times as many orders for the Most British Tea in History as normal. People were consoling themselves with a cup of tea, sharing their favourite brews online with friends and family via video calls.
Tea is the world’s favourite drink, not just here in the UK but around the globe. At Tregothnan we see a lot of orders going to the US, the Far East and across Europe. We have Tregothnan tea drinkers from Germany to Japan and many places in between. During lockdown we’ve had heart-warming messages from nurses in New York, saying they get through every long shift by focusing on a cup of our Earl Grey at the end. In fact, we’re currently creating a British and American blend made with tea from Alabama and here in Cornwall – it will be the first time it’s been done and should be ready in time for autumn’s arrival.
With the lift of lockdown, Cornwall has welcomed an influx of visitors with many more people choosing a staycation rather than going abroad. From early July our Wild Escapes cottages have been fully booked, with the housekeeping team working around the clock to maintain the high standards of hygiene and cleanliness our guests have always come to expect.
Although Britons are still operating with a certain degree of caution, we’re starting to see a lift in the number of people taking tea out of home. Trade is returning to life with a raging new thirst and 2021 is already shaping up to be an exciting year for Tregothnan. We continue to expand travel routes from Cornwall across the country and beyond with GWR and Eurostar. We begin work with the Iconic Luxury Hotels group and look forward to making bespoke blends for collaborative projects with world-leading watch makers and Hollywood studios…