To celebrate the 2021 Castlemaine State Festival and as a nod to the region’s gold rush heritage, The Tea Dispensary in Castlemaine’s Templeton Street has created a special ‘gold blend’ featuring black tea with edible gold flakes.
The Tea Dispensary’s founder Lisa Candy said there had already been loads of ‘golden moments’ during the festival.
The new local business has been going from strength to strength since its inception as we emerged from the COVID lockdowns.
Lisa told the Express the concept came to her after enjoying tea with her family.
“I am a musician and suddenly found myself home evenings during lockdown. As a healthy alternative to a nightly wine my family and I began sitting down to enjoy a pot of ‘sleepy tea’ together,” she said.
“Unfortunately my youngest and I had a bit of a reaction to the tea. We established that it was the chamomile but trying to find an alternative was near impossible!
“I thought there has got to be a better way. Can we brew something ourselves?”
This led to months of study and research and ultimately to the mum of three starting her own business.
“My husband Matt was really supportive and my mum has been working alongside me. Our range has quickly expanded to include more than 100 teas.”
Lisa is a now an expert in all things tea and has collected teas and fresh ingredients from all over Australia and the world.
“The whole concept is to allow our customers to see and smell the teas and be able to source teas, fresh herbs and spices to create their ideal blend,” she said.
“Each tea is displayed with a detailed information sheet on where it was sourced and what its characteristics are. We have also created a number of naturopath-approved specialty blends to assist with everything from sleep to digestive issues, promoting a healthy heart and reducing inflammation.
“We welcome feedback from our customers and aim to create blends to meet their needs and help them create their perfect brew.”
The store also includes handmade teapots and cups that make a beautiful gift and Roogenic indigenous teas featuring native herbs.
Lisa said the response to the new business had been amazing.
“The lockdowns taught me the importance of small local shops, their specific knowledge and willingness to help and all they bring to the community.
“I am proud to now be part of that community,” she said.
“A lot of people are really delighted to have access to something like this locally and thank us for making it possible. It’s wonderful that so many people have embraced us and the philosophy behind what we are trying to achieve.”
