Meet the owners

Meet Victoria

Lifelong tea devotees Victoria and Edvard Rothe have transformed their passion into thriving business, Tea Apothecary. We visit the artisan independent to discover exquisite and affordable loose-leaf teas

What inspired you to launch Tea Apothecary in March 2022?

Victoria: A lifetime of tea drinking! I was born in Siberia and breakfast was rye bread with butter and tea, social life was tea and evening routines were tea. Russia has historically really good tea because of its connections to India and China so our tea culture is really well developed and there’s an understanding of quality so tea was always a lifestyle thing.

How did you channel your passion into a business in Cambridge?

It was a decision I came to when I was working as a management consultant in London and then for family reasons, we moved to Cambridge and everything aligned. We started Tea Apothecary on Cambridge Market, then slowly expanded our territory to Ely Farmer’s Market, Christmas markets and fairs, and there was enough demand to indicate that we were on to something!

You opened a bricks and mortar Tea Apothecary on Magdalene Street in August. What attracted you to the premises?

The plan was always to have a shop because tea is about experience. We liked the history of the shop; it’s a 700-yearold building, and love being amongst a community of lovely independent businesses.

We’d love to hear more about your delightful product range…

We sell an exciting variety of high-quality loose leaf tea blends using the finest ingredients sourced from farmers certified by ethical tea partnerships. There are two sides to the shop with a dispensary where you can buy loose leaf tea by weight, and then a gifting section where the tea offering is elevated, with beautifully-boxed teas in bright teal, pink, jade and gold packaging, which look luxurious and enticing. We also sell beautifully glazed teacups, jugs and pottery by local potter Aga Robak, gorgeous cushions and prints and postcards by local artists plus ethicallysourced Arthouse Chocolate. Our ethos is to promote independent businesses and promote artisan, whilst supporting good causes.

What are some of the exciting flavours blends available in the dispensary?

My favourite is Blissful Sleep, which is a soothing chamomile, lavender and rose tea with a touch of fennel for sweetness. We have Geisha Green, a Sencha tea from Japan which has lime, lemon and orange dried fruit rinds; Holy Smoke, which is a smoky Russian Caravan blend made with Lapsang Souchong and Ceylon leaves; and Cosmic Berry is a dark berry tea, which is fruity with an undercurrent of caramel.

You have teas aimed at different feelings, don’t you?

Yes, because tea, for me, is about the way you feel. Like our sign says, it’s about ‘Tranquillity, Positivity, Serenity’, so should promote a positive state. We have black teas to promote focus, which are lightly stimulating but because of the way that tea is metabolised don’t give you that jittery kick because they are balanced with flavonoids and antioxidants. Then we have mint-based and liquorice teas to aid digestion, based on frequent questions from customers looking to settle IBS, bloating or stomach aches or simply feel lean and light. We also have teas to help with restful sleep as sleep is currency in today’s society.

How has the welcome been from customers?

People often pop into the shop just to say it looks beautiful or they tell me they smelt the tea aroma wafting down the street, which is really lovely feedback! We offer hot drinks to take away and are holding fun, tea-focused events such as Tea and Tarot and tea blending workshops.

What are your hopes for the business?

Our goal is to democratise loose leaf tea and make it a ‘go-to’ drink for those nice moments in the day. We want to make our Cambridge store a real community hub, so we have a piano that people can come
and play and are planning lots of events to bring something positive to Cambridge. If we achieve that; if people know of Tea Apothecary, like it and visit, then we will have a good business.

Tea Apothecary is at 22a Magdalene Street, Cambridge. Visit tea-apothecary.co.uk