The Nerada Tea Story

There’s very little more nurturing than a good cup of tea. Black, herbal or with a splash of milk, the ritual of brewing, jiggling, pouring and sipping is very calming. And in a world of heightened stimulus, the process of being present over a cup of tea, either by yourself or at the kitchen bench with a friend, is unparalleled. Yes, I’m a tea drinker, and clearly unbiased!

North Queensland? Nerada is Australia’s largest tea estate with 360 hectares planted on a single origin estate in Glen Allyn, Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands. A surprisingly little known local treasure, Nerada Tea is fresh, pesticide-free and has been a pioneer in the Australian tea industry and consistently at the forefront of tea production within Australia since the 1960s.

But did you know that world-class black tea was grown right here in Tropical

The Atherton Tablelands is a unique part of the world, vastly different to its coastal

counterpart and very different from any other tea growing region in the world. Rising more than 700m above sea level, the winning combination of rich volcanic soils, high altitude and ample rainfall provide the perfect conditions for growing black tea. Unlike many other tea brands, Nerada is an unblended, single origin tea.

Nerada’s Plantation Director, Tony Poynter, points out that “Tea is very much locality specific; it has a particular character due to its region.

Nerada will always be characterised as a uniquely Australian, Glen Allyn tea because of our growing conditions, soil types, climate, variety and altitude. We are close to the equator and thus it is very temperate, and so there is a perfect marriage most of the year where the fluctuations in temperature are often very small.” Visitors to the local area can visit the Malanda plantation, sitting at the Nerada Tea Room and enjoying the spectacular vista. Throughout the week visitors can learn more about the tea production process, enjoy Devonshire tea and scones or high tea. You may even be lucky enough to spot one of the rare Lumholtz Tree

Nerada is the largest Australianowned and produced tea in the world, delivering a minimum of 6 million kilos of fresh tea leaves to its Malanda processing facility each year, which results in approximately 1.5 million kilograms of black tea or almost 750 million cups of tea a year. That’s a lot of dunking. The tea is then transported directly to the Brisbane packaging factory and onto supermarket shelves, meaning fresh Australian grown tea can go from crop to cup within 35 days. With a time-frame like that, there’s no excuse to miss your daily constitutional. And for a bonus

little side of social conscience, in 2018 Nerada Tea received Rainforest Alliance Certification for the pesticide-free black tea, the first and only Australian agricultural entity to be awarded such certification.

So next time you’re in the supermarket, look for the distinctive green pack in the tea aisle. It’s one of the few Australian teas on the market and you can definitely taste the freshness in the flavour when you compare to the international offerings. Australian producers often do it tough and we need to keep the tea in Australia, supporting this beau-tea-ful treasure in our own backyard.

Nerada Tea Words by Sharon Timms