Amy Aed’s story

Aberystwyth University student brewing up business success after securing funding and office space to get premium tea business off the ground.

Amy Aed, 22, launched EISA Tea co., a premium tea business with a focus on social and environmental responsibility. The business started with the help of Big Ideas Wales, part of Business Wales and funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. The service is aimed at anyone between the age of 5 and 25 who wants to develop a business idea, including students and graduates.
With ambitions to get EISA Tea co. sold in cafés, delis and hotels from June, the business’ first products includes two pure teas and two blends. While the high quality white and green tea aims to attract traditional tea-lovers, the pair hope to draw new consumers in with two unconventional blends.
Talking about how EISA Tea co. originated, Amy said: “When the pandemic hit, we decided to do an online tea course to broaden our knowledge of the industry. After discovering even more about all the ethical issues associated with tea farming, we couldn’t even enjoy a cuppa without feeling guilty.

We recognised other tea lovers out there might also be in the same moral dilemma and soon realised that there was a gap in the market for delicious, flavoured tea with less of an environmental burden. This became the main motivation in ensuring our products are responsibly farmed and that EISA Tea co. is an ethical business.

Adding to EISA Tea co.’s ethical standpoint, Amy said: “We are a woman-owned and woman-operated business, and want to use our resources to directly empower women across the globe. Most of the tea farmers we plan on working with are women, and we have strict standards of gender equality across farms.”
Teas free from plastics, packaging made from biodegradable paper and a donation of its profits towards environmental causes are some of the sustainable pledges that make up EISA Tea co.
With an established tea blog and over 350 different teas sampled, Amy entered EISA Tea co. into Aberystwyth University’s annual EnterPrize competition, which was organised by the university’s Careers Service and supported Big Ideas Wales.