Bigelow Tea, maker of one of our favorite teas, Constant Comment®, is just down the road from us, over Ash Creek. We have driven by the giant teapot on the side of the Bigelow headquarters for years. Recently, curiosity finally got the better of us. We were interested in sharing a bit of their story with you on the blog, and asked if they'd allow us to do so. They kindly welcomed us to visit for tea.
Bigelow celebrated its 70th anniversary last year. It is a third-generation family of tea blenders. The orange-zest-infused, clove-tinged Constant Comment remains a family secret that only family members blend. Since starting out with that signature blend created by founder, Ruth Campbell Bigelow, the Bigelows have crafted over 120 flavors of specialty teas, with the highest quality ingredients. They've recently added a delicious collection of organic "steep" teas and Novus Full Leaf teas. As a gardener and tea lover, I admire and appreciate all the effort that goes into each bag.
The Bigelows not only make elegant tea, they are corporate stewards of the highest order. It is not only written in their guiding principles and responsibility mission to the community, to employees, to our troops, and to the environment and open spaces. It's ingrained in what they do and how they do it. I've seen this first hand in our community, where Bigelow sponsors several charity events and set up a shipping operation here in Bridgeport. And did you know? Bigelow owns the only tea plantation in the U.S. – The Charleston Tea Plantation – on Wadmalaw Island, outside Charleston, South Carolina. America's 127-acre tea garden has hosted a quarter of a million visitors over the past 10 years. Our close friends and their children visited there last year and loved the trolley tour and tea tasting. Here's a brief video about the tea-growing and tea-making operation there.
In the course of our visit at Bigelow headquarters, serendipity struck. I was asked about what I do for a living, so I shared my story. This unintentionally led to something I would never have predicted and after a couple subsequent meetings, I was given the opportunity to design this special tea tin! It contains 120 individually wrapped black, green, herbal, and decaffeinated teas. It was wonderful to collaborate with the talented team at Bigelow and now in every sip of their timeless teas, I'll be reminded of the lovely, dedicated, kind-hearted people behind the scenes.
All my best, Kate
