Touch Farmer stands as an unconventional tea establishment- youthful, innovative, and execution-driven. Collaborating with like-minded individuals in the community, they strive to improve the community while simultaneously promoting agricultural education, changing the notion that tea is only for the elderly, or that tea must be costly, flipping stereotypes of tea on its head.
Introduction
Born in 1981, the owner of Touch Farmer, Qiu Zhiwei, graduated from the University of Agricultural Science and Technology and worked for a renowned international agricultural supplies company, where he promoted the use of pesticide and fertilizer. From his line of work, he developed an affinity for tea after interacting with farmers on the frontline. His wife, formerly employed at an accounting firm, had to leave due to health reasons. Consequently, Qiu Zhiwei and his wife leveraged their tea cultivation experiments and established Touch Farmer in Guangfu New Village, Wufeng District, Taichung, where they sell tea products under their own brand.
From a 3-acre pineapple field, to a tea plantation spanning 1.2 hectares, natural farming methods were used sans fertilizers, and the Taiwan Tea No. 12 (Jin Xuan) was cultivated. This variety has strong resistance to diseases and pests, making it apt for pesticide-free cultivation. Touch Farmer’s philosophy underscores the arduousness of farming, advocating for optimism and creativity, mixed with a sprinkle of mischief. The term “Touch Farmer” emphasizes the necessity for hands-on engagement in farming, encouraging greater interaction with nature in the process.
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Tea
When you first arrive at Touch Farmer, it feels less like a conventional tea retail outlet and more akin to entering a café or dessert shop converted from an old residence. Despite offering a limited range of tea bag products, their refined designs and captivating packaging elevate them into premium gifts. If you find it hard to make a decision, a tea tasting session awaits, where the brewing and savoring process unfolds right before your eyes.
With a prior reservation for a guided outdoor tour of the tea plantation, you get to don a straw hat and sling a bamboo basket over your shoulder as you head off towards the rear of the establishment, where the tea plantation resides. Although dubbed a tea plantation, it defies traditional conventions with its absence of neatly arranged low tea shrubs. Instead, it presents a rustic scene where tea plants sprawl freely, encircled by fallow land in rest. Despite potentially yielding lower quantities of tea leaves, the natural and wholesome environment produces quality that undeniably withstands scrutiny.
Information
TEL
+886- 932 820 562
Address
No.153, Zhongxing St.
Xinshe Dist., Taichung City 426012
Taiwan (R.O.C.)
