THE WORLD IS CALLING

TWG Tea’s Taha Bouqdib and Maranda Barnes spill the tea on the brand’s global expansion plans

Sometimes, it takes fresh eyes to see a different picture. About a decade ago, Taha Bouqdib and Maranda Barnes were mulling the idea of starting a luxury tea brand. Taha is French of Moroccan descent, while Maranda hails from the US. At the time, the couple were living in Paris. What convinced them that Singapore was the right place to root their family and grow a new venture? Taha says he was inspired by the way Singapore Airlines has built a strong luxury brand, and was also very taken by the way arriving travellers were offered sweets at the Changi Airport customs. “I was really impressed. Everything was so well organised. And I thought, if I started a company here, that’s how it would be as well.” Maranda saw potential in Singapore’s history, which she studied by browsing through materials at the National Library. While Singapore was never a tea-producing country, it was a trading hub for tea in the 19th century, and the couple drew upon this heritage for TWG Tea’s branding. On a more personal note, their son Adam grew up in Singapore, and Maranda’s parents found the country so comfortable that they eventually relocated here as well. We weren’t expecting the couple to gush about Singapore; it was just a subject that they clearly feel passionate about. As TWG Tea celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, the brand is expanding its presence in Europe and plans to do the same in the North American market soon. And at each new store opening, when Taha sees customers walking out with TWG Tea shopping bags, he still feels the strong emotion he felt during its first store opening in Singapore. “It’s important to me to always have this same passion and energy. It may have been 10 years, but we are only just getting started.