Vincent Chen

Position: Founder, Zealong.
Field: Horticulture.

Meet Vincent Chen, founder of Zealong, a successful New Zealand company that grows, processes and packages a tea that is unique in New Zealand and worldwide.

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Vincent Chen

Vincent’s love of tea, especially oolong tea, is connected with his Taiwanese background.

My big love is now growing tea, and because it’s something I don’t understand, I’m learning from my heart to try to understand it.

Key skills, attitudes and values for innovation

• Passion
• Patience
• Persistence
• Good communication
• Confidence.

Background knowledge and experience

Vincent’s love of tea, especially oolong tea, is connected with his Taiwanese background. In Taiwan, tea is an important part of the culture, and many people aspire to own a tea farm. When Vincent immigrated to New Zealand with his family and recognised that the camellia (a member of the tea plant family) grew well here, it was his cultural heritage and love of tea that inspired him to investigate whether he could cultivate tea in New Zealand.

Rights: Johnny Tang

Drinking tea: an important Taiwanese tradition

Drinking tea is an integral part of Taiwanese culture. At Taiwanese engagement parties, for example, it is traditional for the ‘bride to be’, to serve tea to the mother and father-in-law.

Vincent had no background in horticulture so he had to do a lot of research. He learnt a lot through trial and error and sought help from lots of different people in a range of areas.

Vincent’s passion, patience and persistence were key personal qualities that kept him focused throughout the 13 years it took him to achieve his vision. His confidence to seek advice from others and his willingness to listen and learn from these people were also important factors in his success.

This article is based on information current in 2013.