About us

Spring Cottage Tea House was born from resilience, sacrifice, and an unwavering love for Chinese tea.

Our founder, Chen Chun Yan, grew up in rural Fujian, surrounded by misty mountains and tea fields that shaped her earliest memories. Although tea was woven into the landscape of her childhood, her family did not own a tea business. Her father worked tirelessly selling seafood, and her mother ran a small local restaurant to support the family. They lived in extreme poverty in a wooden house no larger than 120 square feet. There was no door. The four of them—her mother, father, younger brother, and Chun Yan—shared a single bed.

Life was difficult, but it was also where she learned discipline, humility, and the dignity of hard work.

At just 18 years old, Chen Chun Yan left her hometown and moved alone to Guangzhou with nothing but determination and courage. There, she began building her own Chinese tea business from the ground up. Through honesty, deep product knowledge, and an uncompromising standard for quality, she steadily earned trust and success. As her clientele expanded, she remained devoted to her family—sending money home every month to support her parents and younger brother.

Tea became more than a product. It became her path forward.

During this time, she met Stephen, a man originally from Hong Kong who had immigrated to Vancouver. Stephen had begun selling tea in Canada to build a new life and would return regularly to China to source high-quality leaves. It was through this shared passion for tea that their paths crossed. What began as business grew into partnership and love.

After a year of long distance, Chun Yan made another courageous decision: to leave behind the success she had built in China and immigrate to Canada to start over once again—this time with Stephen.

In a new country, facing language barriers and cultural challenges, they rebuilt from scratch together.

The year Chun Yan gave birth to their daughter, Andrea, was the same year Spring Cottage Tea House opened its doors in Richmond. It was not just the launch of a business—it was the continuation of a dream shaped by sacrifice, migration, and unwavering belief in a better future. Every cup of tea served carries with it the spirit of Fujian’s mountains and the story of two immigrants who poured their hearts and souls into creating something lasting.

Today, Spring Cottage Tea House stands as a testament to Chen Chun Yan and Stephen’s journey—from a doorless wooden home in rural China to a thriving tea house in Canada.

As the next generation, Andrea is honored to carry forward her parents’ legacy, with a vision to share authentic Chinese tea culture with the world and make Spring Cottage Tea House globally recognized. What began in hardship has grown into heritage. What started as survival has become purpose.

For our family, tea is never just tea.

It is resilience.
It is gratitude.
It is love passed from one generation to the next.