TOYOTA CONNECT
PERFECTION IN EVERY POT
For Swaady Martin, owner of Yswara, tea isn’t so much a passion as part of the warp and weft of life. She grew up in a family of tea-drinkers: her mother, in particular, was a tea connoisseur. A knowledge of fine tea was therefore bred into her, so it was no surprise that she had a talent for the industry. “It’s not something I thought about,”
she reflects. “It was simply part of my life. During my travels, I’d always visit tea plantations in search of the best possible blends to give my mother as gifts.” The discernment she honed during
these expeditions served her well when the time came to realise her childhood dream of launching her own business. Considering where she wanted to focus her efforts, she naturally turned to
tea – it was a commodity she already knew intimately and fitted in with her lifestyle. More than this, it gave her an opportunity to practise her major interests as a business-owner, reclaiming the African narrative and reversing a trend that sees the continent exporting its commodities, but doing little manufacturing of its own products. Swaady’s research confirmed her belief that there was a niche for unique African tea blends, so in December 2012, she established Yswara, a brand that allows her to share Africa’s culture, history and aesthetic. An Yswara brew has very little in common with the teabags in your caddy. Swaady explains that it can take up to a week to perfect a blend, a process that begins with compiling a narrative behind the brew. During this period she sips it repeatedly at
different times to see if she still finds it enjoyable. “Sometimes I already have in mind a number of ingredients I want to include, based on my understanding of their nature – whether they’re spicy or energising, for instance,” she says. The tea she recently crafted for Satyagraha House, a Johannesburg guesthouse in which Mahatma Gandhi once lived, is a case in point: seeking a tisane that would reflect the warmth of Gandhi’s Indian birthplace, as well as his ascetic lifestyle, Swaady created a caffeine-free blend of warm spices like cinnamon and lemon verbena. It’s not enough that her teas are delicious and refreshing, however. She insists that the production offers benefits for all involved. In this way, Yswara’s changing the face of Africa, one tea-leaf at a time.
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