When TWG Tea co-founder Manoj Murjani got into a taxi late one night, heading for home after spending hours preparing for the opening of his new store at Ion Orchard, he never expected his taxi driver to make his day.

The cabby asked him if he had heard of a tea called Singapore Breakfast - from a brand, TWG Tea, that was soon opening a shop at the mall. The driver told him he drinks the tea at home.

'When I heard that, it brought a tear to my eye. I was so happy because it has reached everybody. That's our intention; it's for everyone,' said the affable 40-year-old.

Looking at the brand's new tea salon bearing Singapore's most prestigious shopping address, one might think Mr Murjani serves couture tea only to tai-tais, tourists and tea connoisseurs.

After all, the gilded parlour - resplendent with plush armchairs, smartly dressed wait staff and piped operatic arias - was overflowing with such types sipping from bespoke fine chinaware containing exotic brews from 18-carat gold teapots.

The branding is also decidedly upmarket: a luxury tea house that boasts the finest and largest collection of tea from every producing country in the world.

Yet, Mr Murjani and his partner Taha Bouqdib insist they want to share the world of tea with, well, the world. And so they will gladly sell you 50g of tea leaves instead of a minimum of 100g, and offe everything between $6 and $6,000.

Those that cost $6,000 belong to a category of some very rare leaves - for example, Yellow Gold Tea from China which comes in a limited harvest of 10kg a year and is reserved by the Chinese government to be presented as gifts to state guests.

Some Chinese come to TWG Tea in Singapore to buy this because they cannot get their hands on it back home.

'We ask the tea grower to give us just one or half a kilogram just to give to maybe one person. If one person can enjoy it, the mission is accomplished,' said Mr Bouqdib, 40, TWG Tea's president.

Those are not the only coveted leaves that aficionados will pay good money for. Amid TWG Tea's dizzying array of over 800 single estate fine harvests and exclusive tea blends are precious collections from Zimbabwe, Brazil and Turkey, and the first flush of Darjeeling from the best garden there.

But perhaps more remarkable than this whopping world of top tea is the fact that this world revolves around tiny Singapore: TWG Tea is a home-grown brand, started by two non-Singaporeans.

Born in Hong Kong to a wealthy Indian family that owns a fashion empire which launched Gloria Vanderbilt jeans, Mr Murjani went to the famous Harrow School in England and the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He joined the family business, the Murjani Group, building a fleet of designer labels under it - like Gucci, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

Then, in 2003, he moved to Singapore and launched The Wellness Group, which ran spas under its Sanctuary Spa subsidiary, and a retail business, The Wellness Store and Spa.

Tea was already on his radar then - he had investments in it, including a short-lived stake in another Singapore tea boutique, TeaSpa.

But it was not until a chance meeting with Mr Bouqdib in Paris in 2003 that the future of TWG Tea began to take shape.

Mr Bouqdib, a Frenchman of Moroccan origin, was then charge de mission at French tea house Mariage Freres, where he spent 15 years taking care of tea blending and business development.

The two became fast friends, and in 2007, business partners, along with Mr Bouqdib's American wife Maranda, when they launched TWG Tea in Singapore.

The partnership was the perfect blend: Mr Murjani's expertise is in business and branding while Mr Bouqdib knows all about tea. And the two knew the luxury world well.

'We both enjoy it well too,' said Mr Murjani, TWG Tea's chairman and chief executive officer, with a laugh.

Singapore was an obvious choice to base their operations. The city is close to the five tea-growing capitals of Asia - China, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Japan - which ensures freshness and fast delivery.

The fact that this island does not produce tea also means that these countries do not slap an export duty on their leaves.

'I don't think there's another place in the world besides Singapore where we could exist,' said Mr Murjani, a permanent resident who is planning to trade his Indian passport for a Singapore one.

Coupled with that is a nice story about paying homage to Singapore's history as a port hosting most of the world's tea cargoes.

And maybe for a more personal reason too: Mr Murjani met his wife Kanchan here. The couple have three children aged five to 10.

For all that, TWG Tea's two founders are proud to call their

$10 million venture a Singapore brand. They have even created a Singapore Breakfast tea, now served on all Singapore Airlines first- and business-class flights.

Said Mr Bouqdib: 'At the beginning, everyone told us, 'be careful, don't brand it too much as Singaporean'. We said that we didn't care because we believe in what we're doing.'

Added Mr Murjani: 'We had the courage to say it was from Singapore. We're comfortable being with Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier and we feel TWG Tea is in the same league.'

The new tea salon, by the way, sits amid those designer shops in Ion Orchard. Its original boutique is in Republic Plaza and there is a retail counter in Takashimaya department store.

TWG Tea also has a blending facility and a central kitchen in MacPherson. It has a staff strength of about 100.

The two entrepreneurs have already taken the brand global, by launching it at American gourmet grocer Dean & DeLuca last December.

In the pipeline are flagship stores in Dubai next year, as well as in Europe and the United States.

In its mission to cultivate a modern appreciation for an old tradition such as tea, TWG Tea is putting together a book that details its vast collection.

Come next year, it will also start running a tea academy for the hospitality industry and also consumers.

But more than anything else, the two partners want to open a tea museum that will showcase the rare tea paraphernalia they have amassed, as well as educate the public about the art of sampling brews.

'It's really a sharing of passion as opposed to building a business. We know if we share the passion, the business will be built,' said Mr Murjani.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.