Maren Fichter
Founder of Leaf & Buds Tea, freelance creative, matcha barista, tour guide, and professional tea nerd
I’ve worked with tea in Japan, China, the US, and the UK, covering its full lifecycle from farming and processing to retail, wholesale, cafes, events, and tastings. With a Master’s degree in linguistics from Oxford, and a professional background in UX/UI design, edtech, and specialty tea, my work is grounded in solid theoretical foundations of education and experience design, as well as practical experience across multiple industries and countries.
Nowadays I’m pursuing flexible, independent creative work that centres my interests in tea, sustainability, social justice, and the natural world. Get in touch if you’d like to work on something together – I’m always up for a new adventure!
Current projects
Matcharista, Matcha Thing
I prepare hand-whisked matcha specialty drinks at a matcha-only cafe in central Bath.
since 2025
Tutor, UK Tea Academy
I develop course content and tutor students on the Matcha Power unit within the UKTA’s Tea Sommelier course and other qualifications.
since 2025
Web design & operational support, omcha
I built and maintain omcha’s e-commerce platform, and support with visual design, copywriting, and operational tasks like tea packing.
since 2024
Tour guide, Savouring Bath
I host food tours in Bath, sharing stories about the city’s history, architecture, and heritage while facilitating food and drink tastings with local independent vendors.
since 2024
Co-founder & tea educator, Leaf & Buds
I host educational experiences, tea tastings, and bespoke events in and around Bath. To support these activities, I also source tea and teaware directly from producers, and design events, branding and visual identity, digital content, and our website.
since 2023
Education & Qualifications
Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences & China Tea Science Society: Sino-European Training Course on Tea Production Technology Improvement
2025
Being Tea: Teacher Training
2024 – 2025
General Assembly: UX Design
2022
University of Oxford: Master of Philosophy in General Linguistics & Comparative Philology
2016 – 2018
Reed College: Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics
2011 – 2015
Portfolio & past projects
Featured in
The Rise of Matcha, on the BBC Radio 4 Food Programme, aired 19 September 2025. Also available on Spotify.
Writing & editing
Main topics include tea, travel, food, linguistics, and neuroscience.
Web design
I‘ve designed, redesigned, built, and troubleshooted websites on every major CMS.
UX, UI, & other design
As a multidisciplinary designer, I’ve worked on projects across UX & UI, branding, and illustration.
Previous roles
Research assistant, University of Oxford
Annotated linguistic data for the Language & Brain Lab in the Oxford Faculty of Linguistics.
2024
Intern, Obubu Tea Farms
Assisted with all aspects of tea farming, including harvesting and producing tea. Produced and edited digital content across Obubu’s English-language website, blog, and social media channels.
2023
Designer, Cormirus
Designed a research web app used by 20,000 teenagers worldwide, and its followup digital coaching app. Managed 2 design systems through a rebrand, and redesigned the website to improve navigation, information architecture, and brand coherence.
2021 – 2023
Communications Consultant & Project Support Officer, St John’s College, University of Oxford
Transformed Oxford access & outreach services for digital delivery during Covid-19 through virtual classes, summer schools, and events, tripling participation of Year 9-13 pupils.
2018 – 2021
Administrative & Admissions Assistant, Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Redesigned the graduation experience. Designed flyers and brochures for the college’s welfare
programmes. Managed administration for 600 students from admissions through graduation.
2018 – 2019
Library Assistant, St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford
Produced readers’ guides & other promotional material, catalogued & archived alumni donations, and acted as first point of contact for reader queries.
2016 – 2018
Web Assistant, The Tao of Tea
Managed wholesale accounts, designed a wholesale catalogue, and developed in-person and video trainings for wholesale customers. Hosted tasting events for up to 100 people. Managed web updates, blog content, and product photography.
2015 – 2016
Tea with Maren 