The BOH Story!

Even if you’re not a tea drinker, you’re likely familiar with BOH tea. Some may have memories of visiting the plantation in Cameron Highlands and learning about how tea is planted and harvested. You might even know that the name BOH is derived from Bohea, referring to the hills in Fujian Province, China, also known as Wuyi Hills, which was where tea was thought to have been discovered by Emperor Shennong. And BOH also happens to mean precious happiness in Mandarin.

Back in the 1890s, John Archibald Russell, better known as Archie, found himself in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya. Only six years old at the time, he had been travelling with his father and four brothers. However, after his mother later lost her life in a tragic carriage accident, the family sent Archie back to England for his early years of education. According to BOH’s website, Archie made a name for himself by building a railway station and starting businesses in many sectors. 

Source: https://bohtea.com

In 1929, the Great Depression struck, affecting many countries across the globe. It was at this point that Archie decided to start planting tea at Cameron Highlands together with A.B. Milne, a veteran planter from Sri Lanka. The British man’s plan didn’t just stem from some personal preference for tea, but rather, it had been a very strategic one. 

The business was set up in 1929 was because “tea is one of the global commodities that didn’t come under big pricing pressure”. So, with that, the virgin jungle terrain of Cameron Highlands was transformed into the first highlands tea garden in Malaysia. 

In 1933, Archie died of tuberculosis in Singapore at the age of 50. He was unable to witness the success of BOH, but the business lived on, thanks to his widow, Kathleen, who insisted the plantation be retained despite financial hardships the family was going through. Another obstacle came in the form of World War II, when the estate fell into Japanese occupation and was largely abandoned. 

BOH’s website states that the business later resumed under the hands of Archie’s son, Tristan, who joined the company when he was only 21 years old (circa 1953). Tristan actually left with his mother to South Africa during World War II. At 18, he moved to London and studied at Oxford University, then at the Royal Agriculture College in Cirencester. Eventually, Tristan eventually found his way back to Malaysia. At the time, it was the Malayan Emergency, and Cameron Highlands was considered prime ambush territory for many communist terrorists. 

And they have remained until today. The plantations now over 8,000 acres, i.e. is one of the largest tea plantation in Southeast Asia. 

In 2003, Caroline Russell, the granddaughter of Archie, took her post as the CEO of BOH. She didn’t just become the CEO overnight. She was 22 when she joined the company, having just completed a degree in business studies. At first, she worked in the marketing department, then was appointed as general manager. With her at the helm, BOH’s range of teas expanded and international sales blossomed. After her father, Tristan, retired in 2019, she was named the executive chairman.

As the company inches towards its 100th anniversary in 2029, it will continue to stay relevant and create innovative yet classic products for all Malaysians to enjoy. This is private enterprise. We need more of these stories to encourage young men/women to venture into business and provide leadership and employment.

Reference:

The 94 Y/O story of BOH: How a Brit who spoke BM & 5 Chinese dialects created a tea brand, Claudia Khaw, Vulcan Post, 18 May 2023