DEBONAIR TEA - PRODUCT LAUNCH

Our initial range of loose leaf tea

As we got around to writing this post and confirmed that our last update really was at the end of October we couldn't quite believe how quickly the past couple of months had passed.

However, it put us in a  reflective mood for once. As people who know us well know, despite preaching and practicing good service, patience is always not a personal virtue of ours; we always want to better whatever we have achieved so far. As such it’s sometimes easy to forget, in the quest for constant improvement, how far we have come in a relatively short space of time.

Debonair Tea Company began trading on Saturday 9^th November 2014 at Folkestone Farmers’ market. Phil was away at sea for the big day but our lovely friends Steve and Tash turned out and provided Lou with amazing moral and practical support.

Despite limited takings, it was a brilliant experience, garnering good feedback on the quality and professionalism of our products and presentation. This was despite just one hour of sleep the previous night during which our packaging finally came together and a frenzied baking session ensued.  

We had been working on our initial product range for a number of months but a firm launch date, albeit without van, sprung us into action; finally our passion for our brand was being unleashed.

Tea tasting with Dad

We eventually settled on launching with a relatively simple range of 10 teas for both our retail and take-away beverage offering, including a seasonal Christmas tea, which was a big hit at Christmas markets during the festive season.

Over the last couple of months we have covered a lot of ground across South and East Kent – from Sandwich to Tenterden, Bridge to Capel and many others in between.  We also launched our online shop for retail purchases of our loose leaf teas.

Debonair Tea Company at Elham Christmas Market

Markets are invaluable for understanding our customers’ expectations better and will continue to complement our offering once Debby is up and running. Oh, and on the subject of the van, there has been substantial progress and an update on its conversion will be on the way soon.

Back on planet tea we are currently working on some exciting new blends as a result of customer feedback; we are loving every second and we cannot wait to see what 2015 holds for Debonair Tea Company.

On that note, we would like to wish all of our followers and customers a very Happy New Year. 

FRONT END PROGRESS

At the end of the summer, Rusty Kampers began working their magic on our van.

Based in St. Nicholas-at-Wade, Kent, Rusty Kampers specialise in VW (and now Bedford tea van!) repair and restoration. They have specialists covering every aspect of vehicle repair meaning they can take any project from start to finish.

Our first priority was to fabricate a new front end and remove the column shift gear lever. Paul, Rusty's fabricator, has undertaken this task with great care and skill.

Column shift gear lever, before and after:

Front frame work begins:

Wheel arches emerge:

And the engine and gearbox are soon covered, with clever access holes for ongoing work and future maintenance:

Not only that, but we soon have a floor!...

...a very, very sturdy floor:

With the wiring organised, we began testing the starter motor, and having troubleshooted that a pesky dirty switch was the only thing breaking the circuit, we got it to work.

We also measured up the ideal place for our foot pedal positioning so the last of the metal work can be completed at the front.

Once this is complete we can finally turn our attentions to the conversion itself. Watch this space.

FLYING THE NEST

It was now time to banish the last of the rust. The dash was in desperate need of some loving, so rotten pieces were cut away and new patches were welded in. It was quickly primed and painted to prevent future corrosion.

Meanwhile, Louisa befriended local motorbike mechanics and all round lovely blokes at Roadstars in Dover, who have become a bit partial to our signature banana bread. They quickly blasted all five wheels. We then opted to powder coat them in white to get them looking like a million dollars...

With the chasis now modified and painted, the shiny new wheels were refitted and Debby was ready  to move to her new home; Rusty Kampers.

Debby flying the nest...

2 BECOME 1...

An engine donor is found! A quick search on eBay found this little gem, a Mazda MX5:

Lou modelling the Mazda MX5 in her finest boiler suit

Driven down from London by Phil’s mate, Chris, a(nother) love affair soon began between Phil and his newest vehicle. She was was quickly stripped of her vital organs and I’m pretty sure I caught Phil with a tear in his eye as he tore into her.

With the help of expert mechanic, Wilf, we had the engine out in an hour.

The Mazda's wiring loom was also needed, although this took a lot longer to remove in one piece from the car.

As soon as it was out, Phil started work on stripping the MX5 wiring to its bare essentials.

With the MX5 engine ready for action and hanging on a lift it was time to see how she fits in Debby.

Despite being much smaller than the Ford lump, some serious chassis modification was needed. After a lot of thought we decided to cut one of the main chassis rails out and replace it with a stronger piece that would house the Mazda’s gearbox. The new section was installed, much stronger than it needed to be, but we thought it better to be safe than sorry.

The next task was to secure the engine to the chassis. The original engine mounts were to be used, we just had to decide how and where to fix them. Chris came back to lend a hand and construct some engine mounts.

Before:

After:

The chassis was then painted to prevent corrosion and young Debby awaited the return of her dashboard and wheels ahead of her relocation to her new home...