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Meet Henrietta & Richard
In our latest Brora Portrait, we paid a visit to Henrietta Lovell, founder of the Rare Tea Company, and Richard Hart, founder of Hart Bageri in Copenhagen and Green Rhino in Mexico City. This innovative and creative duo kindly invited us to their London workshop to see where tea and inspiration brews, and where they infused our AW25 collection with their own distinctive styles.
How did your businesses start out?
Henrietta: I started the Rare Tea Company back in 2004 in Edinburgh, with naivety and completely alone. I thought: British people love tea - I’ll travel the world and find the best tea there is. Easy . But back then there was no tea in restaurants except a big bo x of industrial bags on top of the coffee machine. People had no idea where tea came from or that it could be an exquisitely delicious leaf, crafted by real people. I had to create a new business and market for it.
Richard: I started Hart in Copenhagen in 2018 when Rene Redzepi of Noma invited me to open a bakery with him. I had been the head baker at Tartine in San Francisco. I moved there with my family. When my marriage ended my ex went back to California - so I moved to Mexico to be closer to my four boys.
How have your businesses changed since their inception?
Henrietta: I was told repeatedly that I was stupid and loose-leaf tea would never work. We now sell tea to the best restaurants, hotels, cafes, bars and bakeries across the world, from Four Seasons Tokyo to Claridge’s in London. We have a thriving online business where everyone can have access to this tea; and I have a brilliant team in London supporting me.
Richard: There are now 11 Hart Bageris in Copenhagen and many artisan bakeries. When I moved there, sourdough bread just wasn’t a thing. I loved living in Copenhagen, but Mexico City is a brilliant new adventure. I’m so in love with the people and the vibrancy of the city - and it’s been a huge pleasure watching people fall in love with masa madre (“mother dough”).
What’s been the greatest success along the way?
Henrietta: I think my greatest success is my team. Rare Tea turns 21 this year. We don’t just survive, we thrive as a business thanks to my incredible people who drive forward with great tenacity and love for what they do.
Richard: Maybe getting a James Beard award for my book, Richard Hart: Bread. I went to a pretty terrible school in East London and was told I’d never achieve anything!
Why does the quality of your products matter and how do you source the best quality?
Henrietta: Tea doesn’t come from a supermarket shelf or Yorkshire. It comes from places like Malawi in East Africa, India or Sri Lanka, Nepal, Japan, and China. It comes from farms and people. I source tea from people directly so I know they get the price they ask for, and it goes to them. I know every farmer and field - so I can en sure it is the best I can find and grown sustainably without chemical pesticides or herbicides. In this way it benefits not just the f armer but my customers. Who wouldn’t spend a few pence more per cup to drink the best tea in the world?
Richard: It’s the same with all ingredients - find the best farmers who care about the land and their community and you will find the best flavours. I want to know where everything comes from. I wan t it to nourish my customers and the people they are connected to through what they are eating.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own business?
Henrietta: There is never a perfect time or enough money. Take the plunge.
Richard: It’s going to take over your whole life so you’d better bloody love what you do. If you love it, it’s the best job in the world.
Where are you based? What do you love about where you live?
Henrietta: We live in Mexico City. We love this city so much and feel incredibly privileged and grateful to live here. The colours, the light, the trees, the incredible food - but most of all the people. We have the bakery - Green Rhino in Roma where you can find Richard baking with his brilliant team. And you can enjoy a decent pot of tea with some delicious bread.
What was the first piece of Brora you ever owned?
Henrietta: Mine was a second-hand cardigan in raspberry red - maybe 20 years ago. I still have it and still wear it though the elbows are worn through. It’s just the best cardigan - timeless, perfect, like everything at Brora.
Richard: Mine was a poncho. I first stole Henrietta’s until she got me my own. I’m told I’m the only man who wears them. Then there is the green hoodie she bought for me - it makes me feel like a total rock star. And then there are the lovely people in the shop. Marylebone was our local and I still go there to see them.
What sort of clothing do you tend to gravitate towards?
Henrietta: For me it’s colour first, then feel. I love colour – it’s like medicine. And I’m obsessed with texture and how thing s feel. I’m completely eclectic in my style - mixing in a lot of vintage clothes, going back every decade to the 1930s. I cherish and mend everything I love.
Richard: I’ve loved clothes ever since I was a teenager going t o raves. I went through a bit of a boring phase when I had young kids – but now I am back and more obsessed than ever. Henrietta encourages all my eccentricities. I love shape and design as much as colour and texture.
What would you tell someone who is wanting to find their own individual style?
Richard: Don’t follow fashion - find what makes you feel good. If you feel good, you look good.
Henrietta: One good thing can last a lifetime and will always make you happy. Buy beautiful well-made things.
What’s coming up for you in 2026?
Richard: I’m helping Claridge’s Hotel open a bakery in January.
Henrietta: Spring tea harvest season - I’ll be travelling to see some of my farmers and filming for a documentary about tea. We’re also both working on new books.
Where can people find out more about you?