PekoeTea was established in 2008, and is the new name for Chai Teahouse that was set up in 2005 by Jonathan and Lynn Cooper.

Jonathan first became interested in tea whilst studying at Glasgow University. It was there that he became a regular customer at the teahouses close to the university and where he first has the idea to start a tea business in his home city, Edinburgh.

One thing that Jonathan had discovered about the Glasgow teahouses and many other tea shops and suppliers was that the teas were bought from UK wholesalers and there was no guarantee as to the age or quality of the teas. This inspired him to find suppliers at source and import the teas directly so that the teas could be bought fresh and prices kept low.

PekoeTea now supplies the Tchaiovna teahouses in Glasgow and Eighty Queen Street in Edinburgh and has built a thriving mail-order and wholesale business with an expanding stock of teas and tea paraphernalia.