Our Story
Our founder, Henry, has always felt drawn to the East. His journey began with the opportunity to learn Mandarin at school, a language and culture which swiftly became a core of Henry’s academic studies. 2018 saw Henry’s first experience of Yunnan’s exquisitely unique specialty coffee, and that very first sip was all that was needed to set out on the path of exploration that would lead quite naturally to the founding of Imperial Jade.
Henry's first experience of Yunnan coffee was during his travels in 2018. It was one of the most memorable cups of coffee he had ever tasted, and upon his return to the UK he looked in every coffee shop and delicatessen he found, yet his search for Yunnan coffee yielded few results.
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So, he took it upon himself to source the finest coffee Yunnan had to offer, hoping to recreate that first, most memorable experience of tasting Yunnan coffee for the first time. It had also crossed his mind that he might share this mysterious bean with others who would also appreciate its exclusive qualities.
"I took it upon myself to source this coffee directly from the farms in Yunnan and to promote and share the unique characteristics of this coffee. The more I learnt about Yunnan - the incredible mix of culture, the abundance of wildlife and plantlife, the deeply spiritual history of the province - the more enthusiastic I became."
"My journey quickly evolved into being about more than just coffee."
Sourcing high quality coffee from the other side of the world was not easy, but, with the help of a quality tester based in China, Henry was introduced to a bean appropriately called "Purple Cherry" from a farm called ZhiXiang Estate. However, whilst preparing to place an order, the UK plunged into lockdown as the scale of 2020's pandemic was realised. Things were starting to look very uncertain, but this time in limbo offered the perfect opportunity to learn.
Henry threw himself into researching coffee as well as learning about the province of Yunnan. The more he learned about the origin of this unique coffee, the more Henry saw its potential as a source of knowledge and inspiration that would bring a whole new perspective to our role within the Earth's natural system.
With a clear vision for the future of Imperial Jade in mind, Henry began his journey as he intended to continue, with environmentally responsibility at the forefront of every decision made.
The spirit of Yunnan is at the very core of our business. We are proud of the steps we've taken so far, but there is still a lot more for us to achieve.
"The province’s rich natural ecosystem is proof that we can form a lasting and sustainable relationship with the natural world, rather than at the cost of it. Yunnan is our inspiration to reconsider our motivation and embrace a more sustainable perspective."
