Dalla Niakhaté
Founder of Thés Lac Rose
Interview by: Olivia Atkins / Photography by: Urban Vibe Studios
Tea is a pastime that transmutes cultures and allows for a moment’s reflection, so for Dalla Niakhaté, an avid brew drinker and founder of Thés Lac Rose, it made sense to launch a luxury aromatic loose leaf tea brand. Her love of a hearty cuppa was the main reason she decided to start the business: “It bothers me when I go to restaurants, cafés or to people’s houses and they have this vast array of caffeinated flavours but lack quality tea. I don’t understand why tea is so underrated. There are so many different types; it really is as rich and complex as wine. I want to share my knowledge and tell the story of tea.”
“I’ve always been into tea,” says Dalla, hailing from a family where a herbal homemade infusion would be used remedially to cure ailments. But entering the tea industry wasn’t an obvious choice for Dalla, who considered becoming an entrepreneur after business school and decided to follow her passion for tea. From then, it was a bit of a whirlwind putting the steps into place. She went to China for a six-month research trip in 2016, visiting the tea plantations, sourcing contacts and suppliers and understanding what processes were required to create these infusions.
“Going there and asking questions gave me a reality check on the industry,” she explains. “I realized the amount of manual work that’s required to produce a single cup of tea; it’s a painstaking process.”
The business officially launched two years later and Dalla now has suppliers based in Sri Lanka, Kenya, India and China – all of whom are part of the ethical tea partnership, which ensures that the processes used at each plantation are sustainably certified.
Dalla has personalised the brand, incorporating aspects of her upbringing and identity into its concept. She honours her Senegalese roots through the brand’s name, which recognises her nation’s lagoon, Le Lac Rose, and each collection is inspired by her family or female icons that she wants to remember. “The Paris-London-Dakar herbal collection is an homage to my family and my time spent in each of these locations. Whereas the And God Made Woman green tea collection names teas after empowering historical women, using blends inspired by their personalities.”
Imparting character into the business is vital for Dalla as it brings to life the journey she herself has been on. “I run Thés Lac Rose because I love it. It’s not easy and of course, there are days when I question what I’m doing, but then I remember why I do it. I really love my product; I believe in it and know that it’s well-made - I just want to share that with people.”
She says she’s still learning to make suitable content for her audience and match the brand’s design to its flavours, but she accepts that it’s all part of the process. “I’m trying to let go of what I like and be more open to learning about my audience.”
For true tea enthusiast Dalla, it is about creating a line of teas that fits what tea lovers feel is lacking in the current tea market: tea that has heart and flavour. While she’s keen to scale up, she also wants to remain independent so that she can grow organically and keep enjoying the venture and maintain her hands-on approach. “I really like blending the teas; it’s so therapeutic. Smelling and touching the loose leaf gives you an entirely different relationship to bagged tea. It’s much more special.”
