The Secret Garden was recently featured in the Kerrisdale Insider:

Mention Secret Garden Tea Company and an instant calm washes over people. They remark how much they love the tearoom and quickly follow with “We should go for tea together!”

In October 1995 the original Secret Garden Tea Company opened on West Boulevard. It was cozy and quaint and introduced many Vancouverites to the pleasure of high tea. Sister-in-laws Erin and Kathy Wyder are the owners; both were practically weaned on tea by their grandmothers.

“People crave a little beauty in their lives. I love that Secret Garden has become that place where people can slow down and connect with others.” – Kathy Wyder

Kathy and Erin Wyder, sister in-laws and co-owners of The Secret Garden

And what a beautiful light and airy space it is. The moment you walk in the door you feel at home. The signature Secret Garden colour scheme remains (yellow, green, with accents of white and blue) which evokes memories of the former location, yet this is a fresh space and has a wow factor all its own. The square footage has increased dramatically; it is two thirds larger and seats 86 guests (as opposed to 40 previously).

…Testimonials for Secret Garden abound. Common themes include valuing time spent as a group celebrating an occasion such as an anniversary, birthday, bridal or baby shower, or an engagement. It’s also a place to spend one-on-one time with a friend, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother or husband.

What it boils down to is a visit to Secret Garden offers an opportunity to slow down and be present with others, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Tea anyone?

Read the full article in the Kerrisdale Insider

Recently Erin Wyder, co-owner of The Secret Garden, participated in a feature by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada addressing Canadian Entrepreneurs Engaging With Asia.

“Usually people look to Asia for tea, yet customers from Asia go to great lengths to get tea from Vancouver’s Secret Garden Tea Company. “We have our own brand of tea,” says Erin Wyder, who owns the company with her sister-in-law, Kathy Wyder. “Some of the blends, we blend in-house. We are also a restaurant that specializes in afternoon tea.”

“Clients from the Asia Pacific are most often introduced to Erin and Kathy’s artfully blended teas while visiting Vancouver, or through gifts from friends returning home from Canada. “We have a very loyal clientele from Asia who will come and visit us,” Erin explains. “Some will purchase 20 bags of tea and take them back on the airplane.” Word spreads and soon others from Asia are ordering their teas online, particularly in the coveted Secret Garden fancy tea tins. Erin and Kathy have also developed a wholesale relationship with the Klondike store in Hong Kong.”

Click here to read the full article