Denise’s Legacy: Custodian of High Tea with Harriet

Every great house of tea has its guardians -- those who, for a season, bear the flame with devotion before entrusting it to new hands. Among Harriet’s most cherished figures is Denise, affectionately known at the beginning of her journey as the Crazy Tea Lady. The name, first bestowed in jest by her family, became a badge she wore with delight, for it reflected her true passion: to share the comfort of tea with all who crossed her path.

It was July of 2017 when Denise first unfurled her market stall. The morning began with nerves -- what if no one came, what if no one liked her tea? Yet by day’s end she had discovered two truths: she loved talking with others about tea, and guiding a tea business was precisely where she was meant to be.

For two years she travelled from market to market, her weekends alive with chatter and steam, her table laden with Harriet’s blends. The bustle of conversation, the fragrance of loose leaves -- these became her world. "I’ve got this," she thought, and indeed, she did.

Then came the momentous opportunity: to purchase High Tea with Harriet herself. With her husband’s hand in hers, Denise signed the papers and became Harriet’s custodian, carrying her from Melbourne to a new home in Perth.

The early days were a whirl of trunks, tins, labels, and ledgers. Tully the Border Collie, newly appointed "Office Manager," thought it all a fine game. Denise, fortified by endless cups, learned to pack and ship orders, tend customers, and even brave the novelties of Instagram -- a platform she had never touched before. Chaos reigned, yet with each week she found her footing, guided always by her love of tea and her customers.

Then the pandemic years arrived, a storm fierce enough to shake even the stoutest captains. Yet Denise held firm at the tiller. Harriet not only endured but grew, reaching parlours and kitchens across Australia. "Running a small business is like raising a small child," she once reflected -- exhausting, consuming, but richly rewarding.

By 2022 she could look back on five full years, remembering that she had once dreamed of precisely the life she now lived. With her Harriet Family of tea-lovers around her, she found courage and joy even in difficulty.

In 2025, Denise chose to pass Harriet into new hands. She did so not with regret, but with pride, knowing her season had been one of care, perseverance, and growth. Today she remains a loved and honoured part of Harriet’s story -- a kind of godmother to the company, whose passion secured Harriet’s place in the hearts of tea drinkers everywhere.

Thus ends this entry in the Annals of Harriet. May it remind us that every cup carries not only the fragrance of leaves, but also the legacy of those who tended them with love.

For those who would like to know Denise more dearly, her chapter in Harriet's history awaits you