About us
Our Story
Some stories do not begin with a business plan.
They begin with a name.
Ruiyuan was born into a family of physicians, raised between two quiet disciplines: the science of healing and the art of refinement. Her father, a devoted doctor, spent his free hours immersed in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. From him, she learned that culture is not decoration, it is a way of living with care and intention.
Tea entered her life naturally. What began as curiosity became practice; what began as practice became ritual. For years, she studied and performed Chinese tea ceremonies, discovering in tea a language of stillness, a way to create presence within movement.
At fourteen, she named her future teahouse: Tingyu: “listening to the rain.” The image was simple: raindrops falling softly on leaves, a quiet pause in time. The name remained with her for years, waiting.
In 2020, when the world slowed down, she returned to that early vision. She created tingyuteahouse.ch, introducing carefully selected Chinese loose leaf teas to Switzerland. Tingyu became not only a childhood dream fulfilled, but the name of our premium tea line: a reminder that refinement begins with listening.
But another thread was always present.
Ben Cao Garden was born from a broader question: how can nature support daily life, in ways that feel credible, modern, and easy to sustain.
From that question emerged HerbalWell. Rooted in the Chinese tradition of herbs as part of everyday nourishment, and shaped through European herbal expertise, HerbalWell creates modern blends for office routines and contemporary rhythms. It is not about promises. It is about practical, well designed rituals that fit into real working days.
The Founders
Some partnerships are formed by strategy.
Others grow from shared values.
Through Tingyu Teahouse, Ruiyuan met Yalan: first as a customer, then as a friend. Conversations about tea soon expanded into discussions of responsibility, craftsmanship, and long term vision.
With more than ten years of experience in legal and investment fields across China and Switzerland, Yalan brings structure, clarity, and sustainable growth. Where Ruiyuan offers cultural depth and aesthetic sensibility, Yalan ensures resilience and integrity in business.
Together, they founded Ben Cao Garden, inspired by the classical Chinese herbal tradition of Bencao Gangmu, honoring centuries of herbal knowledge and harmony between nature and daily life. From this foundation emerged HerbalWell, modern herbal blends for contemporary routines, where traditional Chinese wisdom meets European herbal expertise.
Emma entered the story through art.
A gallerist and curator with a background spanning fine art and life sciences, she brings both aesthetic intuition and intellectual precision.
With her, Tingyu expanded into a gallery teahouse in Zurich, a space where tea and art unfold side by side. She also helped bring Tingyu × Art into being, a unique tea collection developed in collaboration with Swiss artists, grounded in a shared commitment to sustainable development. Each edition becomes a dialogue between craftsmanship and contemporary creation: where tea is not only tasted, but curated.
Today
Ben Cao Garden is built on three women, three disciplines, and one shared belief:
That culture lives in daily rituals.
That quality requires patience.
That beauty must remain sincere.
Today, they continue to develop Tingyu Teahouse, HerbalWell and the gallery teahouse in Zurich: not merely as products or spaces, but as living experiences where tea, art, and conversation meet naturally. Tingyu offers refinement through tea culture and craftsmanship. HerbalWell offers everyday blends designed for modern office life, shaped by Chinese herbal tradition and European botanicals.
Ben Cao Garden is not only about tea.
It is about creating moments of presence in a world that rarely pauses.