Tea lover Donna Ferenth is on a mission to prove high quality tea can be grown and made in Scotland – despite its sometimes challenging climate.
Unravel Tea founder Donna began the business in Inverness in 2016, focussing on small-batch teas, distinctive blends and helping customers explore tea beyond conventional teabags.
The idea came after years of exploring tea following a 2004 trip to Yunnan where she discovered high-quality Chinese green tea.
One of Unravel Tea’s most distinctive ventures is its Scottish-grown Camellia sinensis, the plant used to make all traditional tea from the black tea varieties we know to bright green teas, oolongs, yellow, dark and white teas. All are made from the same plant but terroir, processing, harvest time and variety all determine the diversity in tea type.
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Working with Donald and Sue Fraser, growers at Guisachan Estate in the Scottish Highlands, Unravel Tea has developed teas including Scottish green, oolong and black varieties.
In September 2024, Donna joined Donald Fraser to process his signature black tea, now known as Ti Orach, made entirely from Scottish-grown leaves cultivated at Tomich in the Highlands.
‘At the start there were two key aims: to get incredible quality tea to people in the UK and to support smaller family producers around the world in getting their tea into the UK market,’ Donna said.
‘Since being involved with Scottish tea production through Guisachan, I would love to help push the boundaries in what is being created here.
‘I aim to experiment with as much leaf as possible.’
Scotland’s climate presents its own challenges. Guisachan’s tea plants grow in a polytunnel, but short winter days, autumn frosts and unpredictable sunshine can slow growth and make traditional processing methods difficult.
‘We can be a bit restricted by the weather and short growing season,’ Donna said.
‘At Guisachan we do use a polytunnel, with a roof fed watering system which creates a humid environment, this means the plants do not experience dry periods.
‘Our seasons probably have more of an impact, our long days in summer compared to our incredibly short days over winter.
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‘I’ve noticed that the plants tend to slow growth at the end of September/start of October due to the shorter days, that is if we haven’t had a frost yet which very effectively puts a halt on any growth in autumn.
‘It is such early days still to answer the question of distinct characteristics, but I’ve noticed two notes that often appear in our teas, no matter the season or type of tea: cream and malt.’
Nearly 6kg of Guisachan tea was produced and sold last year, with 2025 teas selling out by spring 2026.
Donna has four Scottish teas, First flush (Ti orach and Ti Uaine), Ti orach (Golden tea) a signature black tea, Ti Uaine (green tea) a pan fired green tea and Ti Bann (fair tea), the white-ish tea.
Donna hopes to push the boundaries of what can be produced from tea grown in Scotland and prove it can be done to a high standard.
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