Beginnings of a Tea Farm in California, Roy Fong Starts Cali Tea Farm Tuesday, 23 March 2010 by Heidi Kyser On Monday, Imperial Tea Court owner Roy Fong closed escrow on a 23-acre farm in Esparto, Calif., where he plans to grow approximately 10 acres of Camellia sinensis. "It's taken every single skill I've learned in my entire professional life to do this," said a relieved Fong. "We had to be very creative to make this happen." He was referring to the lending process, run by banks which he described as being extremely reluctant to loan money, despite the fact that he had enough cash for 50 percent of the down payment on the property. Fong said he tried six different banks before finding one that would finance the deal, which did not involve any outside investment, only his personal capital and loans from friends, family and the bank. "Our offer was accepted Dec. 8, and we finally just closed escrow yesterday (Monday, March 22.)," he add