Yoon Hee Kim
Yoon Hee Kim is a tea specialist, photographer, multicultural educator, chef and tea ceremony artist. Born into a family of entrepreneurs, social activists and creative minds, with a long history of tea that spans many generations, she has had a life long passion for all things tea. As president of TeaClassics and Hancha Tea, offering premium wholesale teas, tea wares and accessories as well as tea photos, educational seminars and consulting services, Yoon Hee travels the world in pursuit of the finest teas.
An international lecturer, Yoon Hee is also a certified instructor for the U.S. Tea Association's Specialty Tea Institute (STI), a member of its professional certification committee, and serves on the STI Advisory Board. A frequent speaker at tea conferences, corporate trainings and educational institutions, Ms. Kim has presented at a wide range of venues including the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, World Tea Expo, and the Getty Center Museum. As a certified tea master with the Tea Culture Association of Korea, Yoon Hee serves as its U.S. Director, teaches and performs the traditional art of Korean Tea Ceremony, and is the founding director of the Korean Tea Culture Foundation which she established to educate tea enthusiasts from all cultures about the Way of Tea.
Ms. Kim holds a B.A. from Smith College in education with minors in Asian studies and Government, a M.A from Monterey Institute of International Studies in international public policy, and did post-graduate studies in public administration and business. As an experienced chef, she is also a graduate of New York's Institute of Culinary Education. Prior to transitioning to the tea industry full time, Yoon Hee was a highly regarded Asian Pacific American community leader and civil rights advocate, helping to build communities around the country and connect people from diverse backgrounds. By sourcing fine teas and sharing her stories of tea from across the regions, Yoon Hee's lifelong passion for tea and deep seeded desire to create positive social change and help connect the world is being realized, one delicious cup at a time.
