Redwood Tea Estate

People

Patrick Sunbury and his father, Eric Sunbury

Farmland

One half-acre in Stockton, 89 miles to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

About

The Sunbury family has been involved in California’s agriculture industry since the 1870s. After four generations of farming, and his mother’s passing Eric Sunbury asked his son, Patrick, if he was interested in moving to a family home and accompanying half-acre that were left empty. Patrick agreed, and together, they moved to Stockton and planted a tea field in 2020. Redwood Tea Estate uses an agroforestry approach to farming, which incorporates surrounding Valley Oak trees, wildlife, and crops into their agricultural methods. 

On their farm, they don’t use fungicides or pesticides and instead rely on sustainable farming practices, a rarity in commercial tea production. After tea plants are harvested, the leaves are combined with plants in the botanical garden at Redwood Tea Estate to create high quality loose-leaf teas.