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Even if you happen to’re not a tea drinker, you’re probably aware of BOH.
You might have recollections of visiting the plantation in Cameron Highlands and studying about how tea is planted and harvested.
You may even know that the identify BOH is derived from Bohea, referring to the hills in Fujian Province, China, also called Wuyi Hills, which was the place tea was thought to have been found by Emperor Shennong.
That, and BOH additionally occurs to imply treasured happiness in Mandarin.
Surely, nobody can be shocked to know there’s a protracted, storied previous behind this homegrown model, however how a lot of its historical past do individuals truly know?
Well, the journey begins from over a century in the past, again within the Eighteen Nineties…
The man who began all of it
Back within the Eighteen Nineties, John Archibald Russell, higher often called Archie, discovered himself on the shores of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
Only six years outdated on the time, he had been travelling along with his father and 4 brothers. However, after his mom later misplaced her life in a tragic carriage accident, the household despatched Archie again to England for his early years of training.
After his training, he returned to Malaya and commenced a profession within the mining business.
Now, it could be simple to write down Archie off as some random Britishman. However, the person was truly very a lot immersed within the native tradition and was reported to be fluent in 5 Chinese dialects in addition to Bahasa Melayu.
According to BOH’s web site, Archie made a reputation for himself by constructing a railway station and beginning companies in lots of sectors.
A real diversified entrepreneur, he was concerned in tin mining, coal mining, manufacture of matches, development, and actual property.
So, how did he start venturing into tea leaves, of all issues?
A secure commodi-tea
In 1929, the Great Depression struck, affecting many nations throughout the globe.
It was at this level that Archie determined to begin planting tea at Cameron Highlands along with A.B. Milne, a veteran planter from Sri Lanka.
The Britishman’s plan didn’t simply stem from some private choice for tea, however quite, it had been a really strategic one.
His granddaughter and present CEO of BOH Plantations, Caroline Russell, informed CNDC in 2015 that one motive the enterprise was arrange in 1929 was as a result of “tea is one of the global commodities that didn’t come under big pricing pressure.”
“It’s already one of the cheapest beverages in the world; people will still drink tea even if their wallet is under pressure,” Caroline defined.
So, with that, the virgin jungle terrain of Cameron Highlands was remodeled into the primary highlands tea backyard in Malaysia.
Lots of ups and downs
In 1933, Archie died of tuberculosis in Singapore on the age of fifty. He was unable to witness the success of BOH, however the enterprise lived on, because of his widow, Kathleen, who insisted the plantation be retained regardless of monetary hardships the household was going via.
Another impediment got here within the type of World War II, when the property fell into Japanese occupation and was largely deserted.
BOH’s web site states that the enterprise later resumed underneath the fingers of Archie’s son, Tristan, who joined the corporate when he was solely 21 years outdated (circa 1953).
However, it doesn’t share that earlier than that, Tristan truly left along with his mom to South Africa throughout World War II. At 18, he moved to London and studied at Oxford University, then on the Royal Agriculture College in Cirencester.
Eventually, Tristan finally discovered his approach again to Malaysia. At the time, it was the Malayan Emergency, and Cameron Highlands was thought of prime ambush territory for a lot of communist terrorists.
“Troops were stationed around the plantations to try and help protect the estate and the workers, while Tristan had to sleep with a pistol under his pillow for security,” BOH’s web site states.
According to ExpatGo, who joined Tristan for tea in 2012, the person’s first put up was as junior assistant to BOH’s supervisor on the time, Bill Fairlie, for 500 {dollars}, which was fairly the wage then.
He learnt the ropes rapidly and after 18 months, he was transferred to move workplace. Tristan was instrumental in bringing the “Mr BOH” mascot to Malaysian tv, amongst different issues.
Once Malaysia gained independence in 1957, many British planters left the nation, however the Russells remained.
And they’ve remained till right this moment, having expanded the plantations to over 8,000 acres—making it the most important tea plantation in Southeast Asia.
The third era
In 2003, Caroline Russell, the granddaughter of Archie, took her put up because the CEO of BOH.
Of course, she didn’t simply develop into the CEO in a single day. She was 22 when she joined the corporate, having simply accomplished a level in enterprise research. At first, she labored within the advertising division, then was appointed as normal supervisor.
“BOH is a family business that runs in our blood,” she informed World Tea News in 2021. “I didn’t expect at age 22 that I would spend the next 30 years at BOH, but I love it and I’m still here.”
With her on the helm, she expanded BOH’s vary of teas and worldwide gross sales. After her father, Tristan, retired in 2019, she was named the chief chairman.
These days, BOH appears to be placing in nice effort to undertake sustainable packaging for all of its merchandise, which factors to a transfer in the proper course because it continues to broaden its choices.
The tea plantations of BOH are ones which have witnessed the rise and fall of our personal nation, having weathered many tough occasions alongside Malaysia.
More than that, it has additionally grown with our nation, producing new merchandise that younger Malaysians take pleasure in, reminiscent of inexperienced tea lattes and an iced tea collection. The firm additionally only recently collaborated with honeyB, a homegrown glowing honey beverage, to launch a fizzy canned honey tea drink.
As the corporate inches in the direction of its one centesimal anniversary in 2029, we sit up for seeing the way it will proceed to remain related and create modern but traditional merchandise for all Malaysians to take pleasure in.
- Learn extra about BOH right here.
Featured Image Credit: BOH Plantations
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