Gim Sheng at his shop, which will one day be run by one of his children. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: The story of a traditional tea house here that is older than the nation provides a snapshot of an immigrant’s life in the early 20th century.
For close to 100 years now, the business set up by an immigrant from China has quietly blossomed, serving locals with aromatic brews.
But the man who started the shop in 1929 by peddling his brand of tea on a bicycle, Tan See Liat, did not find instant success.
According to his son, Gim Sheng, 71, his father, who had arrived on the island as an eager teenager from China’s Kwangtung province (now Guangdong) in 1918, began by selling fruits.
“It did not turn out to be a fruitful venture due to the nature of his products, which were highly perishable. That time, he did not have the means to keep the fruits refrigerated or in a cool place so they turned bad easily and his business ran at a loss,” he said.
See Liat then worked for someone who imported tea from China and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).“Later, he went into his own beverage business with his brothers, selling two types of tea.
All in the bloodline: See Liat used to deliver tea by bicycle around Penang in the 1930s. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
“He used to cycle some 20km to as far as Balik Pulau to deliver the tea to coffee shops and restaurants. He worked really hard to make it a success,” said Gim Sheng.
And the Old Man Tea brand grew and flourished.
Gim Sheng said as the years passed, See Liat started bringing in more types of Chinese tea.
“There were not many tea suppliers here, so business was good,” he said, adding that he took over the family business 32 years ago after his father’s death.
These days, the shelves of Old Man Tea, located at Jalan Datuk Keramat and Jalan Perak junction here, are lined with more than 1,000 brands of tea, mostly from China.
“Our most popular being pu’er,” he said, referring to the variety of fermented tea traditionally produced in China’s Yunnan province. The price varies based on the age of the leaves; the older they are, the more expensive.
Gim Sheng said he is motivated to carry on his father’s legacy.
The father of five said one of his children is set to take over the business one day, ensuring that the Old Man Tea of Penang will keep on brewing.
