Picker's Pocket

Values

Our Story

Picker’s Pocket (formerly called “Thieves’ Tea”) is a family-owned and operated business run by Alex Musgrave and Sally Miller. 

Picker’s Pocket is named after an age-old tea-pickers’ practice that's known to produce the best quality tea. Plucking the finest tips, pressing them by hand, then sharing the brew, and the days stories with those they care about most.

In other words, Picker’s Pocket is about doing things the right way. We love this ethos, because we believe it's important to do things right, too.

For us, that means knowing exactly where all our tea is grown, and who grows it. It means giving our expert pickers the respect (and pay) they deserve. And it means sharing with you the story of how this tea came to be.

Picker’s Pocket tea comes from single estate tea plantations in different regions of Sri Lanka. Each estate shares a commitment to community, sustainability, and regeneration. So when you take a sip of Picker’s Pocket tea you’re actually doing some good. 

They offer a range of loose leaf tea and artisan tea products. From decadent chocolate tea to hand-cut lemongrass, their high-quality tea selection has something tantalizing for everyone. Plus they also sell unique, local tea accessories like hand-made sisal coasters.

Best of all, their entire range of products is ethically-sourced.

Currently, Alex and Sally work with four main tea estates that they trust completely. Before placing an initial order they thoroughly vet the estate and ask questions about company ethics, environmental practices, and employee welfare and benefits.

“We are looking to see what is being done over and above the minimum legal requirements.”

Tea sourced from Amba Estate is a perfect example of the Picker’s Pocket difference. They’ve worked hard to improve the quality of life in one of the least developed areas of Sri Lanka. English lessons are provided to pickers and their families and Doctors are brought into a valley that has no medical facilities. Pickers also share in the revenue from tea production.

Picker’s Pocket has also developed a partnership with the Tea Leaf Trust who is empowering young people from tea estate families to receive a complete education and thus help to end a cycle of poverty.

All of the Tea Estates have a demonstrated commitment to sustainability and the environment. They tackle soil erosion, plant trees, and shrubs, restoring the ecological balance in areas of outstanding natural beauty for future generations. The approach is one of working in partnership with nature, not exploiting it. 

And partnership is at the heart of everything Alex and Sally do. Their primary goal is to connect tea-sippers with tea pickers – and to honor the humanity of the Sri Lankan workers.

“We work hard to build rapport and relationships with our contacts at each tea estate, to become more than just business associates and to build the businesses together in that the success is shared.”