HEAR THE HEADLINES – Researchers Link Diets that Include Tea to High PFAS Levels | Flavor Enhancing Microbes are at the Root of Quality Tea | Retail Tea Prices Remain High as Inflation Eases| GUEST – Lilian Xia, President of the Canada Tea Institute| FEATURED – A hundred and fifty years ago, tea exporters in China faced a dramatic shift in demand due to conflict on the high seas and fierce commercial competition. The emergence of India as Europe’s black tea supplier disrupted almost three centuries of Chinese dominance in the world’s most lucrative black tea market. China needed something new, a cream and sugar-friendly alternative to smoky old-fashioned Lapsang Souchong. That tea was Keemun, a modern marvel rivaling Darjeeling at breakfast, and the fragrant black teas of Uva used in Ceylon breakfast blends. Invented in 1875, the aromatic red tea quickly rose to prominence, explains Lilian Xia, one of Shanghai’s first batch of senior tea masters and president of the Canada Tea Institute. She joins Tea Biz to recount the legacy of a Chinese market-savvy entrepreneur, Yu Ganchen, the pioneer of Qimen Black Tea, who developed the processing method for Keemun and expanded its sales overseas.Hong Cha Revival – Lilian Xia and her staff in Canada offer a seven-level curriculum for adults and teens. The organization, she says, “is committed to popularizing tea knowledge, using tea as a link to strengthen cultural exchange among all ethnic groups, all classes, and all ages.” The society hosts educational tea parties, tea-themed activities, and tastings, including a public introduction to Runsi Qihong (Keemun) sponsored by the Anhui Guorun Tea Co. Lilian and I met at the Toronto Tea Festival in January. Here, she tells the of hongcha (red tea), which is experiencing a revival in China as millions line up daily for their milk tea. Keemun has a special place in the story of black tea as it is the first modern market-driven tea. Tea fragrance has always appealed to tea drinkers. Jasmin is one of the oldest and remains the most famous scented tea globally, but the European royalty and upper-class preference for milk and sugar, crumpets, and dainties limited sales of green tea, creating an opening Keemun quickly filled. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Maritime Security Concerns Worsen in Suez and The Red Sea | Rising Operating Costs Close a Third of Uganda’s Tea Factories | Hydration Concerns Motivate Consumer Purchases| NEWSMAKER - Liam Brody, CEO, Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA)| FEATURED – The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA) was established to measure the massive quantity of precise data and the impact of harder-to-quantify, pragmatic ways of measuring sustainability, such as living income calculations, gender inclusion, and next-generation training. In 2005, sustainability pioneers at the United Nations identified the need to harmonize sustainability metrics with science-based credibility. Seven years later, COSA became a not-for-profit public research organization to complete that work. Daniele Giovannucci co-founded COSA to counter what he called “the fluff and ignorance masquerading as development and colossal sums wasted by well-meaning funders.” He championed the “democratization of data,” devising standard metrics for the coffee industry in 2018. COSA, financed partly by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the InterAmerican Development Bank, has since standardized sustainability metrics for 100 Agri-related information technologies. Giovannucci retired in December, and Liam Brody was named his successor. Newly named COSA CEO Liam Brody joins us on the Tea Biz Podcast to explain COSA’s role in intelligence-gathering and developing strategic tools that advance sustainable practices with “good business” underpinnings. He also shares his vision of how artificial intelligence will revolutionize and influence consumer behavior and perception of sustainable practices.Predictability is Around the Corner – COSA Board Chairman Richard Rogers, in announcing the promotion of Liam Brody to CEO, described him as the right leader to unlock the exponential impact of the organization. Brody “is an accomplished and visionary leader” who can drive the transformative change needed to help tackle today’s sustainability challenges.” Brody says, “It used to be that no matter how smart the human was in this equation, we just couldn’t process all this data ourselves. There were just too many variables. But now, it’s amazing when we start to layer this data together.” He says, "Predictability is around the corner, but here’s the thing that’s missing for a lot of folks: Where’s the system? And how are those systems talking? And how do they interrelate?"Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – FAO Confederation of Tea Smallholders Will Relocate its Headquarters to India | Iran Tea Imports Plunge by 62% | Economists Predict Soft Commodity Prices Will Stabilize in 2024 | 9 Feb 2024| NEWSMAKER – Peter Goggi, FAO IGG delegate representing the United States as President of the Tea Association of the USA| FEATURED – Delegates from 44 countries (and 14 official observers) who attended The 25th Session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Intergovernmental Group on Tea (IGG Tea) last week expanded the organization's mandate beyond trade aspects, ratifying initiatives addressing all three dimensions of sustainability – economic, social, and environmental. Joining us today is Peter Goggi, the IGG delegate representing the United States as President of the Tea Association of the USA. Peter discusses #TeaPower, a new health and wellness campaign, FAO's ongoing support of smallholders, and the economics of oversupply.There's Too Much Tea in the World – Peter Goggi began his career at Unilever, where he was the first American in the history of TJ Lipton to work as a tea taster. He retired after 32 years with Royal Estates Tea Co., where, as president, he was responsible for tea sourcing, blending, and quality assurance. His last assignment was as head of tea procurement, leading a team of supply managers and analysts who spent a billion dollars a year buying tea. His encore as president of the Tea Association of the USA is marked by a fourth decade of service to the industry. Peter has been the US delegate to FAO's Intergovernmental Group on Tea for the past decade, an influential body of cabinet ministers, tea board chairs, academics, tea association executives, and policymakers representing every tea-growing and central tea-consuming region globally. "The IGG is a fabulous opportunity for all interested parties on a governmental level to talk about the tea industry," says Goggi. "It's essential to express their views. They all have issues that they're facing. The problems facing countries of origin differ significantly from those facing consuming countries. But ultimately, solutions that satisfy both need to be met," he says, adding, "The overriding concern of all parties in this business is the lack of profit throughout the supply chain."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Lunar New Year Will Boost Consumption and Tea Travel | Nepal Recovers from Foreign Currency Crisis | Pakistan’s Tea Import Spike (Legal and Smuggled)| NEWSMAKER – Tao Wu, co-founder of Tao Tea Leaf, Toronto, Canada| GUESTS - Annabel Kalmar, Tea Rebellion, Franco Li, Chin-Tea, Jean-Daniel Baki, Ryca Tea, Helen Kong, Secret Teatime, Luvinda Delwita, Robert Wilson's Ceylon Teas| FEATURED – After two years of crisis management, tea professionals were eager to return to work, reviving tea tradeshows with vigor – but attracting large crowds of tea enthusiasts to the smaller venues common to city-wide tea festivals took longer. In 2023, tea festival goers remained timid. Audience counts did not immediately return to pre-pandemic highs. Locally based exhibitors, their reserves exhausted, operated with tight marketing budgets.The Toronto Tea Festival that concluded Sunday marks a turning point in 2024 as the crowd surged from a 2020 low of 2,600 in February 2020 to 4,000 attendees - a 25% increase from previous highs. Joining us today to discuss the changing dynamics is Tao Wu, co-founder of Tao Tea Leaf and one of the festival's key organizers… but first, let’s listen to the excitement ON THE FLOOR at the weekend event.Exhibitors Welcome Youthful Crowd - Tao Wu and his sister Mingzhou Gao (an accountant) co-founded Tao Tea Leaf 14 years ago, opening their first three tea shops on Yonge Street in downtown Toronto. The Mississauga store in the Square One shopping Center opened next. The latest shop opened in May 2022 at Union Station on the concourse directly under the Great Hall.Wu said, "I noticed many young visitors this year among the local audience attending the show. They are really interested in asking the vendors questions and attending the workshop and Tea Tsunami. That's a good sign that the young generation is more interested in tea. We are trying to bring more tea-focused topics to the show. Also, as you can see, this year's vendors are mainly tea vendors. We still want to make the festival a really tea-focused tea festival."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – UN Plans Tea Power Promotion for Younger Generations | China Reports Tea Exports Declined in 2023 | Tea Advice to Take with a Grain of SaltNEWSMAKER - Rita Fong, Toronto Tea Festival Social Media Manager and Marketing DirectorFEATURED – The Toronto Tea Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend. The Tea Guild of Canada and Tao Tea Leaf are co-founders and sponsors of the event. Organizers expect a big crowd to attend educational presentations, cultural demonstrations, and competitions, and there will be products on display from 50 tea vendors, large and small. Rita Fong helped organize the inaugural event. She is a director and manages social media and marketing of what is now the largest tea festival in Canada. She joins us on the Tea Biz Podcast this week to share insights on this event's staying power and growing popularity.Largest Tea Festival in Canada Celebrates 10th Anniversary – Rita Fong is a member of the Tea Guild of Canada and the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada tirelessly promotes the festival, has long influenced the educational program, and recruits speakers, as well as vendors. "The festival started as an idea by Tao Wu, Tao Tea Leaf’s co-founder, who wanted to organize a big event for tea lovers in Toronto. The planning committee felt that we had to do something because specialty tea is a business. They were thinking of how to promote business and how to help other businesses. Tao Tea Leaf has grown from a storefront retailer to a wholesaler to smaller companies and cafes in town and around Canada. Founder Tao Wu has become more like a mentor and advisor for many tea companies. He and Mingzhou Gao launched the company in 2009.Tea Guild, a not-for-profit established in 2009, has a mandate, in part, to educate their members and the public about tea, the exchange of ideas and sharing of resources, and the creation of programs and events, she said. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Escalating Missile Attacks Reroute European Bound Tea | Serve Hot Tea in Dry January | Tata Consumer Products Buys Organic India and Capitol Foods| GUEST – Traditional Medicinals Chief Marketing Officer Kristel Corson| FEATURED – Kristel Corson, Chief Marketing Officer at Traditional Medicinals, says medicinal teas have been around for what seems like forever, but herbals are having their moment. It is important to educate folks, not just on what has been, but on what medicinal herbalism is today, and it’s very different, she says.Rooted in Modern Herbalism and Plant Wisdom – Traditional Medicinals is a Northern California-based botanical wellness brand rooted in modern herbalism to inspire active connection to plant wisdom in service of people and the planet. Formulations of more than sixty teas, lozenges, and capsules are strictly limited to botanical ingredients without added flavors and in quantities that meet pharmacopeia standards for efficacy. The company’s blends and single-herbal infusions are organic, sustainable, and ethically sourced. Traditional Medicinals was launched in 1974, and in recent years, the company has experienced exponential growth as consumer demand fills the sails, expanding distribution from niche natural food stores to mass market outlets. “One of the things we pride ourselves in is trying to introduce the true taste of herbs to consumers. We have a full staff of R&D scientists and naturopath doctors who understand these herbs, their qualities, and their different flavors,” she explains.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A Year of Fire and Now, Ice | UC Davis Colloquium: Tea in a Changing World | SYSTM Foods acquires HUMM Kombucha| GUEST – Sharyn Johnston, Founder and CEO of Australian Tea Masters| FEATURED – The decade-old World Tea Academy is making a fresh start in the new year, unveiling a new website and a refreshed portfolio of online and on-demand classes at lower fees. The curriculum spans the interests of tea enthusiasts and offers five certifications for those employed in tea. Australian Tea Masters Founder Sharyn Johnston designed the new curriculum and organized the website. She is with us today to talk about joining forces with Questex, owners of the World Tea brand. “This partnership marks a landmark moment for us, offering an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our deep commitment to tea education on a global stage,” she said.World Tea Academy Relaunches Online Education Platform – As the new Head of Education at World Tea Academy, Sharyn Johnston, says Australian Tea Masters has built a new Academy website that is very modern, enhanced all the content, and added over 1000 unique photos, including images of tea plantations and things like that. However, we’ve still got a long way to go. We’ve got some fantastic ideas for the future, and we want to build on that. “One of the things we’ve already introduced is a new Basic Foundation course in tea. That was one of the important things missing from the academy. We developed the world’s first tea101 course online about nine years ago before it was the thing to do. And we’ve just had so many positive comments over the years from that particular course,” she said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Holiday Retail Cheer Spreads into the New Year | Expanding Value Addition in the Tea Lands | Australian Tea Masters Will Manage World Tea Academy| GUEST – Tastewise Marketing Communications Manager Lee Brymer| FEATURED – Lee Brymer explains that human-centered AI enables client companies, including Tata, PepsiCo, Kellogg's, Campbell’s, Mars, Chobani, and McCain, to capture and distill insights to make informed decisions, develop innovative strategies, and secure a competitive advantage. Our conversation draws on a 52-page report, “Flavor Beyond Intuition: Top Flavor and Ingredient Trends for 2024”. The report is available online at no charge.Flavor Beyond Intuition: According to Lee Brymer, when it comes to experimentation in flavor in general, most people aren’t really willing to go too far away from what they know. “They want a taste of something new. They want that sense of adventure, that sense of exoticism, but often aren’t willing to, you know, pay money for something that they’re not sure is in line with what they’re looking for. The pumpkin spice or the apple brown sugar people, whether they know it or not, they relate to the spice in there. There’s the cinnamon, the cardamom, maybe nutmeg, so that’s where it comes in. That’s a great point when it comes to marketing, right? That might be something that consumers don’t know about. And it would be a big risk and probably a miss for a big brand to adopt something like that. But it works if they label it as something much closer to home, something that people already know about. Brymer joined Tastewise as a food and beverage insights advisor in 2022, advancing to senior consumer insights consultant before he was named marketing communication manager last fall. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Iran Tea Company CEO Implicated in $3.7 Billion Embezzlement Scandal | Shipping Shock: Missile Threat Diverts Suez-Bound Tea Cargo | Malawi Anticipates a Steep Decline in Tea Production| GUEST – Cindi Bigelow, President and CEO, R.C. Bigelow Tea| FEATURED – In 2023, the tea industry bid farewell to several notable figures. In this episode, we pay tribute to David C. Bigelow, Jr., an industry icon who died in June at 96. A member of the silent generation born in the roaring 20s, David was a World War II veteran and 1948 Yale University graduate who transformed the specialty tea segment. He steered a boutique tea blending business launched in his mother’s kitchen into a multi-million-dollar mass-market brand. Joining us today is David’s daughter Cindi, President and CEO of Connecticut-based and family-owned R.C. Bigelow, a $250 million B-Corp known for innovations that redefined tea service in restaurants and grew the company to become the US market leader in specialty tea.David C. Bigelow: Innovative Specialty Tea Pioneer – David C. Bigelow managed R.C. Bigelow Tea for 45 years beginning in 1960. Like many of the 55 million members of the Silent Generation, he was hardworking and humble. Survivors of the Great Depression and the horrors of war – these men and women were careful with their money, patriotic, and ambitious. The generation displayed characteristics of thrift, simplicity, patience, and a need for financial security and comfort. Cindi Bigelow is the third generation to lead Bigelow Tea, founded in 1945 by her grandmother, Ruth C. Bigelow. During her years as chief executive, sales have increased from $94 million in 2005 to more than $250 million. Bigelow Tea produces more than one hundred million unit boxes of tea annually and employs 450 people. She shares with listeners how her father and family expanded the specialty tea segment into the mass market grocery aisles "where he built an entire shelf presence" and then moved us into foil wrappers in food service. "We are the first in single-serve foil and pioneers in the away-from-home marketplace," she said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – UAE Consensus Calls for a Transition Away from Fossil Fuels | AVAP Contest Winners Celebrate at a Paris Awards Gala | Kenya Budgets Expansion of Tea Blending and Packing Capability| NEWSMAKER – QTrade Teas & Botanicals CEO Manjiv Jayakumar| FEATURED – Tea blending is more tech-intensive than ever as the industry responds to consumer demand for more sophisticated tea blends and functional herbal beverages in convenient formats. Economies of scale favor manufacturers that have invested in robotics, automation, bottling lines, and environment-friendly packaging solutions, explains QTrade Teas & Botanicals CEO Manjiv Jayakumar. Last week, Jayakumar announced a friendly merger with Sun Garden Tea, a specialty tea wholesaler. Manjiv joins us this week to discuss the merger and current trends in blending, formulating, and packaging tea.Tech-driven Tea Manufacturing at Scale – Manjiv Jayakumar, a Harvard University graduate, worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs for several years before joining QTrade Teas & Botanicals in 2005. QTrade was founded by his father, Manik Jayakumar, in 1994. Manjiv is the company’s chief executive officer.“Since I joined in many ways, it's been a whirlwind," he said. "I have tried to keep up with our clients, who grew in exciting ways, who innovated in exciting ways, and who pushed us to support them in ways that we never thought possible. And so, I've enjoyed the process of helping build this company and to help advise and support the businesses of our clients.”During QTrade’s early years, coffee roaster and retailer Craig Min, founder of LAMILL coffee roasters, began wholesaling and blending specialty tea. His Alhambra-based Sun Garden Tea and Cerritos-based QTrade were nearly neighbors in the vast expanse of the industrialized belt east of Los Angeles. Their proximity and compatibility led the two companies to collaborate frequently, a relationship formally recognized in the merger.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A UN COP28 Declaration is Good News for Tea Smallholders | Los Angeles-based Sun Garden Tea Merges with QTrade Teas & Botanicals | It’s Getting Easier to Attend Chinese Tea Tradeshows| NEWSMAKER – Kevin Gascoyne, partner Camellia Sinensis, Montreal, Canada| FEATURED – In the 1990s and early 2000s, curating a catalog of 200 direct-sourced teas, establishing a small chain of neighborhood tea shops, launching a formal tea school, and selling tea online to people worldwide was pretty ambitious. Twenty-five years later, Montreal-based Camellia Sinensis, having survived pandemic peril, has emerged with vigor in a configuration admired for its innovative approach to experiential retail. Camellia Sinensis even helped finance a factory in South India to produce tea on demand. Partner Kevin Gascoyne joins us today on the company’s 25th Anniversary to share valuable insights and a few missteps while traveling a long path to success.Innovative Retailer Celebrates 25-Year Journey to Success — Camellia Sinensis offers an extensive online collection of fine teas, teaware, and utensils. The company was founded in 1998 by Hugo Americi, inspired by visiting the Dobra Cajovna tea houses in Prague. The first Bohemian-themed store on Emery sold tea and cakes amid Shisha pipes and musical acts. The company has grown to operate neighborhood tea shops, supply restaurants, and offer a private branding service, an office tea program, and custom corporate gifts. The staff conducts formal training in two tea schools and has published several award-winning books and guides. Terroir is the central theme for the extensive collection, mirroring the founders’ direct sourcing. Teas are categorized by style, type, origin, format, discounted, and discarded as each new harvest arrives. Kevin Gascoyne began buying tea in South Asia in 1989 and has since visited the tea lands hundreds of times. Kevin is responsible for selecting teas for the Camellia Sinensis catalog from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the African continent. Born in Yorkshire, England, Gascoyne migrated to Canada, where he established a tea import venture in the early 1990s. He began supplying Camellia Sinensis in 1999, and in 2004 the two companies merged.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Overflows Mombasa Auction Sales Warehouses | Black Friday Sales Grew by 7.5% to $9.8 Billion | Sri Lanka Tea Growers Welcome a Strong Year-End Harvest Finish| GUEST – Bruce Richardson, founder of Elmwood Inn Fine Tea and Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum| FEATURED – The year-long commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party counts down to a grand-scale live re-enactment in two weeks. There will be special exhibits and artwork, virtual presentations and webinars, theatrical performances, and the dumping of a thousand pounds of loose-leaf tea (no tea bags) donated to the Boston Tea Party & Ships Museum for the December 16 event. Joining us today is author and tea historian Bruce Richardson, “The Tea Maestro,” Bruce is the founder of Elmwood Inn Fine Tea and has served as Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum since 2011. A renowned storyteller, Bruce recounts the momentous decision to defy the British King and Parliament by tossing 340 chests of tea into the sea, lighting the fuse of rebellion 250 years past.Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party – Bruce Richardson has written hundreds of articles and authored several books, including “The New Tea Companion” and co-authored with Jane Pettigrew, A Social History of Tea: Tea’s Influence on Commerce, Culture, and Civility. He is an authority on tea culture who speaks publicly and is widely quoted in the national press and television. He has served as tea historian and Tea Master for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum since 2011. Who better to recount the momentous decision to defy the British King and Parliament by tossing 340 chests into the sea, lighting the fuse of rebellion 250 years past? "The ladies of Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, South Carolina, were enamored by the tea ritual. They had furniture specially made in their living rooms to entertain their friends and have tea. So this was what got us into trouble. George III says, "The ladies of Boston will pay anything for their tea." He later regretted saying that because he lost one of his greatest colonies over a cup of tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – AVPA Announces 37 Teas of the World Gold Medal Winners | Coca-Cola India and Luxmi Tea Relaunch Honest Iced Tea | Sri Lanka Urges Smallholders to Increase Planting Density| NEWSMAKER – Eduardo Alberto Molina Anfossi, Head of Tea Experience for P&T (Paper & Tea) Berlin| FEATURED – Tea retailer Paper & Tea has emerged from the pandemic with renewed vigor, opening seven new stores in 2022, including their first retail location outside Germany. The Vienna store was a catalyst as the Berlin-based tea merchant has since opened airy storefronts in Zurich, Switzerland, Utrecht in the Netherlands, Bruges in Belgium, Copenhagen in Denmark, and soon in Oslo, Norway, with more to come. There are now 30 locations across Europe, 23 of which are in Germany. High ceilings and large windows have a captivating effect on passersby attracted to their brightly lit interiors, colorful displays, and a wide variety of fine teas to sample. Today, we are joined by Tea Sommelier Eduardo Molina, Head of Tea Experience for P&T, the man who is responsible for creating an alluring experience for every customer who visits.P&T Experiential Retail Stores Entice the Passing Crowd – Tea is well suited to experiential retail, a type of physical retail marketing that offers customers experiences beyond browsing. Tea retailers worldwide are experimenting with sophisticated sampling, live music, art, interactive displays, video walls, and even making cameras available for customers to record and share experiences. Eduardo Molina, 37, is originally from Chile, a narrow coastal country whose people drink more tea than any country in South America. Eduardo embraced the tea-drinking culture, discovering his passion for tea working in hospitality at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Santiago in 2007. He has since traveled extensively in the tea lands. “The culture and history of tea is fascinating,” he says. His special focus is training. “I love training people how to present, sell, and tell stories about tea,” says Eduardo. He has ten years of retail experience, including three years as the co-founder and tea sommelier of Adagio Teas in Chile. He taught at the Chilean Tea Academy and joined P&T in Berlin in May 2018 as product manager for new business development. As Head of Tea Experience, he is responsible for marketing the new properties and training staff. He leads the team that created the in-store experience at every location, including the company’s soon-to-open 31st store.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Holiday Consumers Lose Confidence Before Black Friday Sales Begin | Tanzania Debuts New Digital Tea Auction in Dar es Salaam | Tea Barter: Cash Short Egypt Offers Kenya a Blank Check | NEWSMAKER – Theophord Cosmas Ndunguru, Director General, Tanzania Smallholders Tea Development Agency, Dar es Salaam | FEATURED – As Director General, Theophord C. Ndunguru is the voice of the Tanzania Smallholders Tea Development Agency (TSHTDA), but he also has their ear. In October, I traveled to Dar es Salaam to talk with Theophord and fellow members of the Tea Board of Tanzania to better understand the state of tea smallholders. Today’s report is an excerpt from our discussion. Tanzania Tea Confronts an Array of Challenges with Zeal – Tanzania is the third-largest tea producer in Africa. Smallholders farm 48% of the country’s 23,800 hectares under tea. Data from the Tea Board of Tanzania (TBT) estimates that 32,000 tea smallholders collectively produce about 40% of the country’s green leaf. The economy in this country of 68 million is mainly agrarian. There are approximately 3.7 smallholdings of 2.2 hectares or less. “The tea industry in Tanzania is currently going through several challenges and constraints. But the government of Tanzania has started taking very strong and robust measures to make sure that all these challenges are sorted out,” says Ndunguru.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Starbucks Announces Ambitious Global Expansion | Record Revenue Powers Plan to Operate 55,000 locations by 2030, with 75% overseas | Bangladesh May Finally Break an Elusive Record | Researchers Challenge the Belief that Adding Cream and Sugar to Tea Impacts Health Outcomes| GUEST – Jason Walker, Marketing Director Firsd Tea, the US subsidiary of Zhejiang Tea Group| FEATURED – In October, Transworld, China’s first USDA-certified organic tea producer, and Firsd Tea, the US subsidiary of Zhejiang Tea Group, released the Chinese Tea Sustainability Report, a 12-page survey of perspectives and practices at Chinese tea farms and processing facilities. Jason Walker, marketing director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey and one of the architects of the sustainability report, joins Tea Biz for an in-depth discussion of the results of this ongoing survey.Tea Sustainability Perspectives and Practices – Most survey respondents have an improved outlook on progress made in sustainability in the last ten years, says Jason Walker. They also view present-day efforts more favorably and predict an increased improvement trajectory in the next ten years, adds Walker, 46, one of the architects of the Chinese Tea Sustainability Report. Walker is the Marketing Director at Firsd Tea in New Jersey. His expertise includes business development, market research, and tasting. “China set [sustainability] standards, especially domestically, for tea. About 85% of China’s tea stays in China. They said, ‘We have to protect our people and raise our standards internally as well.’ he said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

UK Tea Academy Announces Winners of The Leafies | Rooibos Red Chosen as one of the Top 10 Colors for 2024 | Indian Tea Undergoing FSSAI Safety Analysis| GUEST – Steve Anyango, Managing Director, Nemooneh Iranian Food and Industries| FEATURE INTRO – Tea was first cultivated in what is now Tanzania by German colonists early in the 20th century. Farms were planted high in the Usambara Mountains, a biodiversity hotspot in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro rising vertically from the plains. The region was known as Tanga and would later, under British rule, become Tanganyika. The UK greatly expanded tea production through the 1960s and remains a significant trading partner with the Republic of Tanzania. Joining us today is Steve Anyango, an expert strategist in commodity trading and logistics with deep ties to tea.Tanzanian Tea: Strategically Sought, Yet Widely Unknown – Tanzania is a critical player in the transport of tea among landlocked producing countries that are members of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Malawi, Burundi, Rwanda. Even the Congo and Madagascar can easily use the port at Dar es Salaam to export tea and spices. Tanzania produces good teas, amiable for blending with various herbals. This makes the tea strategically sought after by buyers in many regions. Black Tanzania tea reaches about 75% of the world tea market but remains largely anonymous as a preferred base tea in teabags and herbal infusions.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Middle East Unrest Heightens Tea Logistics Concerns | Iran Running Short of Tea | Just Ice Tea Raises $14 Million to Expand Distribution | Wagh Bakri Executive Director Parag Desai, 49, Dies Fleeing Stray Dogs| GUEST – Tahira Nizari, co-founder and CEO of the Kazi Yetu Tea Collection| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz traveled to Tanzania last week to explore the tropical Usambara tea-growing region. There, I met with smallholder farmers, tea makers, traders, tea sellers, members of the Tea Board of Tanzania, and a tiny cooperative of 14 families deep in the jungle who invited me to watch as they hand-rolled and wood-fired organic black tea that always sells out on “market day” in the local village. I recount my adventure beginning today with Tahira Nizari, a savvy business school graduate and humanitarian who 2018 founded Kazi Yetu. This specialty tea brand advances the role of women in Tanzania’s tea industry.Value Addition at Origin Enhances the Lives of Tea Workers – Kazi Yetu sources much of its tea from the Sakare farmer’s cooperative in the Usambara Mountains, a range in northeastern Tanzania that is 90 kilometers long and about half that wide. Usambara is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with a virgin rainforest that rises to more than 7,500 feet (about 2,289 meters above the Indian Ocean). Teas are finished and transported to the port at Dar es Salaam, where 35 women are employed in blending, packaging, and distributing tins and canisters of specialty tea available globally.  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Unilever Kenya Pays Tea Workers Harmed in 2007 Attacks | Tea is Powering Taiwan’s Bottled Beverage Market | Big Tobacco Infuses Rooibos With Nicotine| GUEST – Aravinda Anantharaman, Tea Biz Senior Editor South AsiaAssam Celebrates 200 Years of Tea – The story of tea in Assam is fascinating. It dates to antiquity as one of the birthplaces of tea and remains relevant today. Situated in the Brahmaputra valley, Assam reaches from the foothills of the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal. It is the world’s largest tea-producing region, contributing 700 million kilos annually. Aravinda Anantharaman recounts the storied history on the 200th anniversary of planting the first tea gardens in Assam.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Report from the Indian Tea Association Describes Acute Financial Crisis: Auction prices are low, and tea exports are in decline | Tea Awards Season is Underway as Judging Concludes in Major Global Competitions | Online Venture Vahdam Tea Opens its First Brick-and-Mortar Tea Room in Delhi | NEWSMAKER – Lumbini Tea Valley Managing Director Chaminda Jayawardana| FEATURE INTRO – Lumbini Tea Valley in southern Sri Lanka relies on the expertise of more than 1,700 small growers to produce 625 metric tons of Ceylon tea annually. Lumbini tea is crafted in 40 styles, from conventional black tea bags to innovative twists and specialty curled tea, with ongoing experiments in inorganic Kale cultivation and a rare white tea cultivar. Smallholders are key to winning international awards that attest to the company’s ability to exceed expectations in overseas markets, says second-generation planter Managing Director Chaminda Jayawardana. He joins us today to discuss how smallholders became the foundation of Lumbini’s success. Foundation For Success – Forty-eight years ago, Dayapala Jayawardana planted tea in the lowlands along the south coast of Sri Lanka near Galle. The pristine 220-acre Lumbini Tea Valley garden he founded was surrounded by 18,900 acres of virgin Sinharaja rainforest(a UNESCO World Heritage site). The factory he built in 1984 was remote and self-reliant, soon becoming an essential means of support for the many smallholders in Ruhana. Twenty-four years ago, his son, Chaminda, was named managing director after several years as assistant superintendent at Kahawatta plantations. In 2000, he received a diploma in plantation management from the National Institute of Plantation Management. Lumbini received the presidential award as the best small-scale factory in the nation in 2017, one of many awards for excellence, including this year’s well-deserved recognition by the SriLanka Tea Exporter’s Association as the Ruhuna tea growing region’s OutstandingTea Producer for 2023. Smallholders contributed to that success from the beginning, says Jayawardana. “It’s mainly the bond we have with the small farmers from when my father started the tea factory. We have the farmers from my father’s era working with us. So they have a great loyalty to our brand and with us.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A Daily Cup of Dark Tea Reduces the Risk of Diabetes: Researchers Demonstrate Tea Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels | Mintel Consulting: Consumers Feel Culpable for Climate Change | Kagoshima Benefits from Diverse Tea Exports| GUESTS – Professor Katharine Burnett, Founder and Director of the Global Tea Institute for Tea Culture and Science at UC Davis, UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Program Manager Heather D. Ogle, and Brendan Shah, CEO at ITI (International Tea Importers) in Los Angeles.| FEATURE INTRO – The Global Tea Institute at UC Davis is a hub connecting tea professionals and academics, a virtual campus enabling the creation and sharing of new knowledge about tea. Last week, the Institute conducted the first of 15 Professional Tea Program lectures in collaboration with tea industry experts. The live online learning advances the vision of a Certificate Program for tea professionals. The deadline to register is Oct. 10Tea Industry Leaders Sharing Knowledge from the Own-Lived Experience – Fifty years ago, career tracks for tea professionals were the province of global brands and expansive plantations. Future executives were recruited young, rigorously trained, and tested. Aspiring brokers spent hours in labs refining their ability to discern tea quality and set market prices. Future managers assimilated a wealth of knowledge as leaf line supervisors in the fields and junior factory officers. There is no substitute for on-the-job experience, but the 15 industry veterans who teach the course engage in a lively exchange of information among peers, replicating the one-on-one training essential to building confidence when dealing with real-world situations. GTI Founder and Director Prof. Katharine Burnett explains, "We started the UC Davis Global Tea Institute Professional Tea Program at the request of the tea industry. The instructors are largely from the industry itself. And that means these are leaders in the field who can talk to you about the tea supply chain, blending or plucking, and transport. They know from their own lived experience what they're talking about. Bringing this wealth of expertise to the classroom and the group is, frankly, pretty extraordinary."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Retail Sales Projections are Ho-Hum for the Holidays | Sales growth adjusted for inflation will be in the single digits, the lowest growth rate since the financial crisis | India Abandons Bharat Experiment and Returns to English Tea Auction Rules | UC Davis Tea Institute Launches a Training Program for Tea Professionals | FEATURE INTRO – A greater share of revenues from tea needs to reach growers. Smallholders worldwide produce most of the world’s tea by volume – yet their net earnings are only a tiny fraction of the product's retail price. Establishing price minimums for raw leaves encourages overproduction – but failing to price green leaves high enough to recover the rising cost of labor and inputs leads to low yields and mediocre quality. The situation is acute in South India, where thousands of growers gathered daily this month to draw attention to their plight. Aravinda Anantharaman reports from the Nilgiri mountains. Desperate Tea Workers in India Protest Silently for Weeks – For over 20 days this September, more than 30,000 people took part in a silent hunger protest on behalf of farmers, mainly from the indigenous Bataga Community living in Ooty, Kothagiri, and Coonoor in the Nilgiris mountains of South India. The demonstrations ended last week, but only after the High Court took cognizance of the petitions that urgently plead the case for fixing a minimum price for green leaf.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – New Report Examines the Causes of Gender-based Abuse in Tea | Case Study of James Finlay Kenya following BBC expose | Tea Price Protests in India Continue for Third Week | High Temps Lower Yields of Türkiye’s Black Sea Tea| FEATURE INTRO – This week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Committee, meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, inscribed as a World Heritage site the Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of Jingmai Mountain in China’s Yunnan Province.Ancient Forests are a Model for Sustainable Tea Production – UNESCO inscribed five well-preserved ancient forests on its World Heritage List, totaling 1.2 million tea trees on Jingmai Mountain. Two rivers and steep valleys bound the 1,200 acres (18,000 mu) under tea. Jingmai is China’s 57th World Heritage Site.The forest dates to the Quaternary Ice Age. Yunnan is where tea trees likely first evolved. Ancient cultivars growing there rise to 30 feet with crowns spanning 36 feet with trunks several feet in diameter. The oldest have survived 3,200 years.The inscription, one of 41 announced, recognizes the efforts of the Bulang [Blang] and Dai tribes responsible for devising and maintaining forest cultivation of more than a million tea trees for over a thousand years. The model they created, climbing high into the limbs to harvest leaves from trees untreated by chemicals, predates tea gardens and plantations and survives profitably today.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea in a Flash: PG Tips Introduces 60-Second Tea Bag | Tea Reforms Benefit Kenya Growers | Rapid Growth of Tea Subscription Programs Slows| NEWSMAKER – Joydeep Phukan, Secretary and Principal Officer, India Tea Research Association| FEATURE INTRO – The UN FAO’s Intergovernmental Group on Tea is a forum for consultation and exchange that has provided exceptional market insights and guidance since 1969 for one of the most important cash crops in the world. Members include all the major tea-producing countries. India is hosting the 25th gathering in November in Assam. Aravinda Anantharaman spoke with Joydeep Phukan, secretary and principal officer of the Tea Research Association, India, responsible for organizing and managing the event. Joydeep talks about the FAO IGG, the focus areas, what they've achieved in the past through it, and what he looks forward to at this upcoming event.FAO IGG Major Emphasis on Smallholders – During this session, the primary emphasis would be on the smallholders because the FAO is trying to focus on how the tea produced by smallholders can be integrated into the international supply chain, says India's Joydeep Phukan, TRA Secretary and Principal. "That will gel well with India because India's smallholders already produce more than 50% of the country's tea."And the second is basically on climate issues because so much change is happening. Many things have been done, but I would like to revisit what can be done because tea is more of an agriculture-based industry. Third is the Tea and Health Group. They will pitch at least two or three areas to promote tea among the young and increase demand.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya's Nandi County Assembly Considers a 4900pct Tax Increase on 150,000 Acres of Tea Lands | Major Tea Producers All Report Half Year Export Declines | Green Tea Market Growth Accelerates| GUEST – TeaBookClub Founder Kyle WhittingtonTea House Recipes to Make at Home – TeaBookClub founder Kyle Whittington describes Easy Leaf Tea by Postcard Teas founder Timothy d’Offay as a "tea recipe book with a difference. This sumptuously illustrated book focuses on recipes for brewing tea and tea-centric kitchen creations. This isn’t a book about cakes with a dash of tea thrown in; this is tea, tea, and more tea, but with a twist. Tea is, as it rightly should be, the star of the show. Indeed, the book has the feel of the d’Offay’s London shop: incredible teas, thoughtful brewing, and a big splash of heart.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Planting Hope Acquires Argo Tea Assets | Foodtech Venture Will Market Tea and Veggies to College Students | Bangladesh Opens a Third Tea Auction Center | Coffee Overtakes Tea Consumption in the UK | NEWSMAKER – Sabita Banerji, Founder and CEO THIRST, The International Roundtable for Sustainable Tea| FEATURE INTRO – THIRST founder and CEO Sabita Banerji is overseeing a three-year human rights impact assessment of the tea industry. In August, she toured Kenya and Tanzania, seeking examples of innovative alternative approaches to better understand how tea workers and farmers see the future of tea. She joins Tea Biz from Oxford, England, to share insights from her travels.Alternate Models Emerge as Tea Smallholders Aggregate – Control distributed amongst its elements makes for a much more powerful, stronger, sustainable, and more efficient entity, says THIRST CEO Sabita Banerji.“I've seen some very good plantations in my travels, in India, in Tanzania, in Kenya, and I'm sure there are others in many other countries as well. But at the end of the day, a plantation is still a plantation, and the workers are still in that large entity,” says Banerji.“I think that an alternative model of smallholder farmers sort of aggregating is starting to emerge in Tanzania and Kenya, where I've visited many different smallholder farms and a few plantations,” she said. “Just comparing the two, the difference between how a tea plantation worker lives and how a smallholder farmer lives are really quite significant.“I think this model will gradually replace plantations in the long run,” she said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Tea Board Weighs Auditor Concerns: Additional Resources Needed to Market Tea | Overindulgence and High ABV Tea | India’s Oldest Captive Elephant Dies | GUEST -  Managing Editor Aravinda Anantharaman | FEATURE INTRO – Tea is intricately woven into India’s cultural tapestry. In its latest marketing campaign, Tata Tea Premium acknowledges and elevates several of the Indian state’s distinctive patterns in fabric and symbols of pride, drawing attention to the tea company’s extensive range of hyperlocal blends. Tata tells the story of extraordinary weavers whose homespun artistry was digitally enhanced in an interactive tribute to handlooms. Aravinda Anantharaman reports on this eye-catching effort: India’s Vivid Handloom Legacy –  Tata’s TV campaign features a celebrated singer at the heart of great campaigns that evoke nationalistic pride and emotion, which ties in with what Chai means to people nationwide. And that’s not all. The brand also launched one of the largest 3D LED anamorphic auto activations ever seen in the country in time for Independence Day at the DLF Cyber City Mall in Gurugram. Tata’s Desh Ke Dhaage campaign, celebrating India’s vivid handloom legacy, pushes creative boundaries to bring the consumer an experience that will visually delight and establish powerful connections. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Audit Cites Regulatory Shortfalls of Tea Board: More than a third of tea smallholders were not even registered | China Tea Exports Decline as Travel Restrictions Ease | Kenya Tea Production is Up, Exports are Down | GUESTS – UKTA Director Jennifer Wood and Jo Selman-Smith, a project manager with the UK Tea Academy | FEATURE INTRO – Jennifer Wood, founder of Canton Tea Co., and Jo Selman-Smith, a project manager with the UK Tea Academy who, in 2022, oversaw the launch of The Leafies, join us this week to discuss the academy’s international judging of tea in 12 categories. This year’s competition is open not only to farmers and suppliers but also to tea retailers worldwide. All teas must be received in Scotland by September 18. The Leafies Competition Welcomes Retailers - Entry is now open for the Leafies International Tea Awards, organized by the United Kingdom Tea Academy and in partnership with Fortnum and Mason. The awards are open for entries across the globe. This is Dananjaya Silva, and I sat down with Jennifer Wood and Jo Selman-Smith of the UK Tea Academy to talk about this year’s awards, what’s new, and how to enter.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES –  CVC Capital Partners Exploring Sale of Kericho Tea Gardens | Unilever Brands Are Not for Sale | Dunkin’ Will Soon Begin Selling Hard Tea at Select US Locations | A Study of UK Biobank Data Shows Tea May Lower the Risk of Gout| GUEST – ZhenTea Co-owner Phil Rushworth| FEATURE INTRO – Phil Rushworth loves adventure camping, canoeing, climbing, and hiking. This week the Ottawa-based co-owner of ZhenTea describes teas and techniques to help Tea Biz listeners enjoy special moments in the great outdoors.Taking Tea in the Wilderness – When Studio Executive Phil Rushworth married Zhen Lu, he became part of an established Chinese tea family. His mother-in-law Jianli Wu is a nationally certified tea art specialist, taster, and appraiser with more than 25 years of experience in the tea business. She has authored five books on tea. The couple live in Ottawa and visit China frequently. Phil has a background in science and engineering and brings his unique “scientific” perspective focusing on the mechanism and chemistry of tea and its processing. Although a relative newcomer to Chinese tea, Phil explains that he has gradually come to understand the nuance in teas cherished in China. He describes his work as a bridge between science, intuition, and Western and Eastern culture.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sustainable Practices are Correlated to Brand Loyalty: Age and income influence consumer loyalty, healthy brand attributes help | JDE Peet’s Will Halt Sales of its Best-Known Tea Brands in Russia | UN Global Peace Council Honors WomenServe Founder Nioma Narissa Sadler| NEWSMAKERS – Anuruddha Gamage, General Manager of Human Relations & Corporate Sustainability at Kelani Valley Plantations, and Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, Managing Director of Hayleys Plantations| FEATURE INTRO – The recently concluded International Plantations Sustainability Summit hosted by The World of Hayleys in Colombo, Sri Lanka, last week encouraged tea professionals to visualize “Reimagined | Redesigned | Resilient” large-scale tea plantations in Sri Lanka and beyond. Forum attendees, at the invitation of Hayleys’ Managing Director, Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, forged new pathways for collaboration and integration of Sustainable Development Goals into modern plantation strategies.Forum Considers Sustainable Factors that Define Long-term Solutions – Anuruddha Gamage, the General Manager of Human Relations & Corporate Sustainability at Kelani Valley Plantations, spent the past two years identifying ways to integrate the BIO (Biosphere), GEO (Geosphere), SOCIO (Social), and ECONO (Economy) elements of sustainable tea. Participants, drawn from government, academia, NGOs, and research institutes, met in pre-summit workshops to identify the unique, sustainable factors that define the long-term solutions for current challenges. He reports that climate change was top of mind.As the architect of the summit, Hayleys Plantations Managing Director Dr. Roshan Rajadurai seized what he called “a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders to share best practices and drive long-term change.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya’s KTDA Chair Resigns Following Tea Reforms Conference | David Ichoho Later Filed and then Withdrew a Lawsuit Alleging His Resignation was Forced | Nestle Announces Cost-Effective Sugar Reduction Technology | AriZona Unveils a 5% ABV Hard Iced Tea – Monster is next| GUEST – Rajesh Bhuyan, Director of India's Trustea Sustainable Tea Program| FEATURE INTRO – A decade has passed since the Trustea Sustainable Tea Program established benchmarks for tea growers supplying India’s domestic tea industry. Director Rajesh Bhuyan joins South Asia Editor Aravinda Anantharaman to discuss why 65% of India’s tea now meets the trustea code.India's Home-Grown Supply Chain Sustainability Code – Rajesh Bhuyan, Director of India's Trustea Sustainable Tea Program, says, "We cover the supply chain from the fields where the tea is picked up to manufacturing and dispatch from the factory. So that is the ambit of the program. Because we look at sustainability in a holistic way, we think that environment, livelihood, and safety go hand in hand. We must have one with the other. The activities we deem sustainable, which we would like people to follow, cover these three pillars and all the operations, people, and processes in this part of the supply chain.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Unrelenting Heat is Lowering Tea Yields | Global average air temperatures reach a new high | Herbal Tea Market Growth is Accelerating | Dilmah Tea Founder Merrill J Fernando Passes at 93| GUEST – Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan, CEO of London-based Donsfield| FEATURE INTRO – Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan is an expert in business development with a passion for assisting online entrepreneurs in dealing with disruptions like the tea industry is facing. He is CEO of London-based Donsfield, a trade development firm that buys and builds successful global brands. Pradeep writes that “growth in life is to be able to take bigger risks at a faster pace at every stage.”The Critical Role of Data in Defining Consumer Demand – Pradeep was born in Sri Lanka but fled at six during a tragic civil war. In England, he earned a master's degree at Imperial College in London, a doctorate in molecular and cellular medicine from the University of Oxford, and he was named a Fulbright Scholar and studied medicine at Harvard University with fellowships at the Sorbonne University in Paris and Xi’an Jiaotong University in Suzhou, China. Pradeep grew up in a tea-drinking family and was involved in a tea business that failed to thrive. He shares that story and offers valuable insights into sales and marketing. In this discussion, he advocates for MTC (manufacturer-to-customer), a business model suited to specialty tea. He is a digital marketing resource with expertise largely untapped by the tea industry.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Scotland Court Will Hear Kenyan Tea Workers' Lawsuit | The landmark class action was filed against James Finlay Kenya | Market Leading Twisted Hard Tea Doubles Down on ABV | EGCG is a Promising Treatment for Uterine Fibroids | GUEST –  Lisa Boalt Richardson, Director of the World Tea Academy | FEATURE INTRO – World Tea Academy Director Lisa Boalt Richardson joins us this week on the 10th anniversary of the Academy, an online resource offering comprehensive basic and advanced training for tea professionals and enthusiasts. The program has taught classes to more than 1,250 students from 64 countries. World Tea Academy as Relevant Now as When it was Founded – Educator Lisa Boalt Richardson first began teaching tea professionals the basics of cultivation and processing and how to cup tea as an instructor with the Specialty Tea Institute, where she later served as a board member.In 2015, Donna Fellman, the founding director of the World Tea Academy, recruited Lisa as a substitute teacher for the growing online program. Lisa advanced to assistant director in 2018 and succeeded Fellman when Donna left the post in 2019. In the decade since its founding, instructors have taught 5,200 classes. The Academy has awarded nearly 400 certifications since graduating its first class of 36 students in July 2013. Certifications include Certified Tea Sommelier, Certified Tea Health Expert, Certified Tea Blender, and Certified Tea Aroma Expert. Today the Academy enrolls between 150 and 230 students a year. The cost to become a Certified Tea Specialist is $2,173, which includes six three-week basic courses. Students must also complete one advanced course. To experience tea in their homes and offices, students purchase tea and supplies bringing the total expense to about $2,525.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenyan Convenes National Tea Summit | Kenya Deputy President Promises Action on Lagging Tea Act Reforms | The World Awaits the Hottest Days On Record | Author Horacio Bustos Announces an English Edition of El Té Gourmet Argentino| IN MEMORIAM – David C. Bigelow, former president and CEO of Bigelow Tea| GUEST – Sivanathan Selliah, retired plant manager, now a tour guide at Helpewatte Tea Factory, Uva Province, Sri Lanka| FEATURE INTRO – Sri Lanka is among the most popular tourist destinations. Tea lovers find that the island nation offers hundreds of options, from quaint tea gardens, homestays, and bungalows to tea trails, landmarks, waterfalls, caves, and historic sites. In May, Tea Biz toured the Halpewatte Tea Factory and then visited Ella to see the Ravana Pool Club, the country’s first day-use retreat for the adventurous and those who want to sit and sip tea in the scenic splendor of the central mountains.Tea Factory Tour and a Splendid Day at the Ravana Pool Club – Our day began with a visit to the Halpewatte Tea Factory, about six kilometers from Ella. The five-story factory is perched at 4,035 feet altitude (1,230 meters) in what is known as Hill Country. Halpe was built in 1940 and is the largest tea factory and plantation in Uva Province. The impressive structure is rated among the country’s best garden and factory tours. Admission is $5.Sivanathan Selliah, a retired administrative officer in the tea plantation sector, leads tours of the factory. He has worked in tea for 50 years.Next, we traveled to Ravana, a spacious Balinese-inspired bamboo complex of public and private swimming pools, a heated jacuzzi, a restaurant and bar, and a dance floor with a DJ. There are boutiques to shop, trails through the garden, archery, an air rifle range, all-terrain vehicles, mountain bikes to rent, abseiling rock climbing in the cliffs, and a mega half-kilometer zipline to spike your adrenaline. The resort offers a splendid view of Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock, an impressive monolith across the valley. Operated by 98 Acres, the resort is a 2.5-kilometer taxi ride from Ella, a town of 50,000 located 130 miles south and east of Colombo, a five-hour drive. Take the nine-hour daily express train cross country for spectacular views or the Night Mail that departs Colombo at 8 pm and arrives at 6 am.Then, we traveled to Ravana, a spacious Balinese-inspired bamboo complex of public and private swimming pools, a heated jacuzzi, a restaurant and bar, and a dance floor with a DJ. There are boutiques to shop, trails through the garden, archery, an air rifle range, all-terrain vehicles, mountain bikes to rent, abseiling rock climbing in the cliffs, and a mega half-kilometer zipline to spike your adrenaline.The resort offers a splendid view of Little Adam’s Peak and Ella Rock, an impressive monolith across the valley. Operated by 98 Acres, the resort is a 2.5-kilometer taxi ride from Ella, a town of 50,000 located 130 miles south and east of Colombo, a five-hour drive. Take the nine-hour daily express train cross country for spectacular views or the Night Mail that departs Colombo at 8 pm and arrives at 6 am.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Restarts $250 Million Tea Barter to Settle Iranian Oil Debt | India Exporters Expect Iran to Resume Tea Orders Halted Last November | Israel Declares Wissotzky Tea a Monopoly | Rohit Jawa Takes Charge at Hindustan Unilever| NEWSMAKER – Ksenia Hleap, Development and Communications Director at AVPA, the Paris-based Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products, updates listeners on the 6th Teas of the World contest.| FEATURE INTRO – AVPA is a non-governmental, non-profit organization mainly composed of producers and taste enthusiasts. AVPA’s annual Teas of the World contest offers more value than a medal. AVPA services include tasting workshops, technical support, and distributor staff training. During the past six years, the organization has elevated the status of tea and herbal producers, large and small, not only on the global stage but in their local markets. Teas must be traceable from origin and cannot be chemically flavored. A technical jury of professionals evaluates the teas, followed by a gastronomic jury of enthusiasts that mirror consumer preferences. The deadline to enter is Aug. 31, 2023. Register at AVPA.FR (Agence pour la Valorisation des Produits Agricoles)AVPA Call for Entries for 6th Teas of the World Contest – Over the years, there’s been a steady increase in how many entered the competition, says Ksenia Hleap, Development and Communications Director at AVPA. “Last year, we had more than 300 participants, 33% more than the previous year. This year was very, very rich in possibilities for us. And for some members from AVPA to visit the producing countries. We are in contact with all producing countries for monovarietal teas, infusion lands, and herbal teas. The difficulties sometimes are just the way of communication because we contact the tea boards in every country. Unfortunately, not all tea boards respond. We are contacting the associations and tea cooperatives also. So, it depends on the countries and depends on different histories.” Hleap said recognition in Paris, in the capital of gastronomy, gives contest winners the right to put the AVPA medal on their packaging and promote their tea worldwide. “But the biggest advantage is recognition in their local market. Even those who do not earn a medal benefit, she explains. “All our participants are winners because they dare to register for the contest and sell their products. Unfortunately, not all of them are winners this year, but they will probably be next or another because they are doing a very great job. They are putting their hearts and time into what they are doing,” she said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India’s Tea Board Orders a Review of its Raw Leaf Price-Sharing Formula | Consultancy BDO India has six months to complete an extensive report on cultivation and processing costs | Fast-food Outlets Have Yet to Rollout Boba Nationally | The European Speciality Tea Association Offers Tea Foundation Certificates to Coffee Shop Staff| NEWSMAKER – Dilhan C. Fernando, CEO Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka to attend the Dilmah School of Tea hosted by Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company CEO Dilhan C. Fernando. The school teaches that knowledge inspires passion. In this interview, Fernando shares his love for modernizing the tea experience for consumers ordering tea at restaurants, hotels, and resorts.Teaching Hospitality Pros to Share The Magic of Tea – Dilmah Ceylon Tea was founded in 1988 by Dilhan’s father, Merrill, who recently celebrated his 93rd birthday. Merrill was one of six Sri Lankan tea tasters selected in 1950 to replace British tasters following the country’s declaration of independence. Forty years later, Dilmah launched the first native producer-owned brand to offer tea handpicked and packed at its origin. Dilmah teas are authentic, ethically sourced, and packaged unblended; many are sold as single estate. Dilhan Fernando was energetic on the Colombo Hilton’s grand ballroom stage, inspiring a room filled with chefs, restauranteurs, and mixologists with insights into the “magic” behind camellia sinensis. This was the 75th edition of the training program, which has graduated 6,000 alums during the past 15 years. Fernando recorded this interview between sessions.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Scrutiny of Tea Supply Chain Intensifies | An online Tea Traceability Tracker permits consumers to compare sustainability policies of tea supply chains | Tea Auction Prices Remain Firm as Inflation Ebbs | DAVIDsTEA is Adding Tea Bars to its Retail Locations| NEWSMAKER – TeaFit founder Jyoti Bharadwaj| FEATURE INTRO – Harvard University researchers report that people who consume sugary drinks regularly — 1 to 2 cans a day — have a 26% greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Mixed alcohol, sports and energy drinks, fruit juices, and soda are the worst. Unsweetened tea is the perfect alternative, according to Mumbai-based TeaFit, which bottles award-winning blends of ayurvedic botanicals and tea. TeaFit founder Jyoti Bharadwaj shares her vision of sugarless bliss with Aravinda Anantharaman.Feature Headline – Sweet Success: Jyoti Bharadwaj launched TeaFit in 2021, offering a range of unsweetened iced teas. She has since added unsweetened premixes to the product portfolio. For a country with a large population suffering from diabetes, she says, unsweetened beverages were needed, and tea offered the perfect vehicle to create it. More recently, Jyoti Bharadwaj was featured on Shark Tank, where she secured a 5,000,000 rupees investment. Jyoti talks to us about tea, RTD, and how her brand is helping tea shed its fussy image.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Thirst Quenching Cold Brewed Teas are Steaming Along | Consumers favor boldly flavored, non-sweetened blends | Kenya’s Costly Tea Crisis | India Tea Association Lists Tea Industry's Most Pressing Concerns| GUEST – Romesh Walpola, Chief Executive Officer of Tea Smallholder Factories, a Division of John Keells Group, Sri Lanka| FEATURE INTRO – This week’s guest is Romesh Walpola, Chief Executive Officer of Tea Smallholder Factories in Sri Lanka. Walpola talked with Tea Biz in May at his headquarters in Colombo and later arranged a visit to one of the company’s seven bought-leaf factories. Combined, these factories produce three million kilos of black tea a year. Walpola explains that investing in programs to earn the loyalty of thousands of small tea growers is one reason why their teas get top dollar at auction.Factories Earn Smallholder Loyalty to Achieve Competitive Quality - Bought-leaf factories play a significant role in processing Sri Lanka’s 250 to 300 million kilos of tea annually. Smallholders farming tea gardens of ten acres or less contribute 62% of the total crop, a percentage that has increased over time. Bought leaf factories purchase an estimated 70% of smallholder-grown tea. Only 18% of Sri Lanka’s factories process tea exclusively grown on their own estate. Large estates own 56% of the 188,000 hectares under tea but contribute only 38% of total production. In aggregate, smallholders cultivate 44% of the land under tea, selling to both large estates and bought-leaf factories. All sectors compete at the weekly Tea Auction in Colombo, where quality is rewarded with the world’s highest average auction prices for black tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea is Experiencing a Melancholy Midyear | Yields are down across the tea lands | China Exports Continue to Expand | Demand for Darjeeling is Down| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz traveled to Badulla, Sri Lanka, in early May to participate in a spring harvest ceremony with hundreds of local tea growers. Each carried a ceremonial plate with intricately arranged tea leaves or a small sack of processed tea as an offering. Then, accompanied by drummers and dancers, they paraded to the courtyard of an ancient temple, where a Buddhist monk blessed their first fruits of the season.Badulla Harvest Blessing – Badulla is an ancient city of 50,000 located in the remote central mountains of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of Uva Province, where tea is grown on steep hillsides exposed to the northeast and the southwest monsoon winds. Plantations are located between 3000 and 5000 feet above sea level. Here, Thomas Lipton cultivated the world’s most famous tea blend. Every year the city sponsors a parade to receive the blessing of the first fruits of the harvest. On their arrival at the Buddhist temple, celebrants unveiled a brass urn on a long marble altar. Planters then began tearing open small bags of tea and pouring the tea into the urn. Next, pluckers brought fresh leaves, forming a large pile near a statue of the Buddha. The crowd was devoted, joyous, and eager to present their teas before sitting cross-legged in the sand to join a meditation led by the monk. The monk’s harmonic chants calmed the crowd, who joined in. He then spoke of the harvest before blessing the teas on the altar. He explained that Buddhist blessings rely on energetic cultivation, not simply prayer. To be blessed requires practical actions to accumulate merits and good deeds. Buddhists earn merit through mindfulness, meditation, chanting, and performing rituals.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Violent Protest Halt Ekaterra Tea Operations | Workers set fire to tea harvesting equipment | China Anticipating Massive COVID Wave | India’s Wagh Bakri Tea to Expand to 200 Tea Lounges by 2026 | NEWSMAKER – Asia Siyaka Managing Director and CEO Anil Cooke | FEATURE INTRO – The world’s 14 public tea auctions account for 77% of global trade. Each year about 1.5 million metric tons of tea cross the trading desks of sell-side brokers. Asia Siyaka Managing Director and CEO Anil Cooke spoke to Tea Biz on a recent visit to his Colombo, Sri Lanka office. Cooke heads one of eight accredited brokerages responsible for assessing the quality and transacting the sale of millions of kilos of Ceylon teas generating more than 1 billion dollars annually. Inside Sri Lanka's e-Auction – In 1883 the Colombo Tea Auction sold its first five lots. Brokers now sell more than 5,000 metric tons weekly, about 300,000 metric tons yearly. The total represents 90% of Sri Lanka’s tea production. Auctions were conducted in person for 150 years until COVID-19 forced the Colombo Tea Traders Association (CTTA) to select, install and test a digital auction platform in May 2020. The first e-auction went live in only seven days with the help of CICRA Solutions, the local Microsoft affiliate. Several upgrades have followed. Looking over his shoulder, Cooke explains the digital bidding process that is now routine: Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – International Tea Day Makes a Big Splash | This year’s theme is Bringing People Together Over a Cup of Tea | Receding La Niña Expected to Boost Summer Temps | Catchy TV Campaign Promotes Lipton’s New Hard Tea| NEWSMAKER – Nadia de la Vega, Director of Tea Sustainability and Content at DAVIDsTEA| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Montréal, Quebec, to talk with Nadia de la Vega, director of tea sustainability and content at DAVIDsTEA. This company fosters a spirit of POSITIVI-TEA which she describes as doing what’s right for our local communities and global suppliers. Jessica Natale Woollard reports.Sustainability is a Long-Term Commitment, Not a Campaign or Promotion – Cheerful packaging and bright aqua for a signature color have made DAVIDsTEA one of Canada’s most recognizable tea brands. Founded in 2008, DAVIDsTEA expanded to become Canada’s largest specialty tea boutique, offering over a hundred teas and blends. The company made tea accessible, attracting a new generation of tea drinkers. Pre-pandemic, it operated 240 retail locations in Canada and the US but today focuses on e-commerce and wholesale. From day one, DAVIDsTEA has been sustainably oriented. It’s in the company’s DNA, says Nadia de la Vega, DAVIDsTEA’s director of tea sustainability. Nadia joins us on the podcast to discuss sustainability in the tea industry and how mindfulness and fun can go hand in hand. “Sustainability is not a campaign,” says de la Vega. “When you’re doing sustainability work, you are not doing a sale, and you’re not doing a promotion. This is a long-term commitment to your product and the people that provide the product you consume and love.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The Cost of Shipping Tea is Near the Pre-Pandemic Normal and Falling | In May, the Drewery Container Composite Price was $1,741 for a 40-foot container | Andrew Yule Tea Sets Export Record | Market Researchers Predict Nitrogen Infused Tea Will Experience Double-Digit Growth| GUEST – Buddika Dissanyaika, founder of Forest Hill Tea| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka this week to the foot of Adam’s Peak, where Forest Hill Tea founder Buddika Dissanyaka led us on a hike to a forest of 900 trees growing wild on an estate abandoned 135 years ago.Revitalized Tea Forest Offers Distinctive Wild Taste –Millions of tea trees, first Introduced in 1867, can be found along the 268-mile length of Sri Lanka, a tropical paradise of tea estates that employ 1.5 million people today. The trees at Warnagala Tea Estate, established in 1890 by Scottish planters, rise 40 to 50 feet into the rainforest canopy on the slopes of the sacred Sri Pada Mountain range. Pluckers from Forest Hill artisan tea climb into the trees to retrieve green leaves for tea making.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Finlays Sells its Kenya Tea Operations to Sri Lanka-based Browns Investments | Nine Finlays estates span 10,300 hectares and employ 10,000 workers | Reaction to India’s Tea Floor Price Proposal is Mixed| World Tea Expo Rebrands as World TeaNEWSMAKER - Guarav Gogoi, founder of Eteakol| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Paris this week to visit with Guarav Gogoi, founder of Eteakol, an innovative business-to-business platform created to connect wholesale tea suppliers with discerning retailers who want to showcase artisanal tea packed at origin and shipped direct.Tea Wholesale Simplified – The unit economics of cross-border trade is expensive and requires a lot of effort, beginning with mastering import-export regulations, customs clearance policies, and logistics, explains Eteakol founder Guarav Gogoi. Traders send large volumes of tea to minimize expenses. We take care of all end-to-end fulfillment, so all regulatory clearances, logistics, shipping, and operations are simplified for artisan tea makers.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The Global Dubai Tea Forum Makes a Splendid Return | DMCC Executive Chairman and CEO Ahmed bin Sulayem commits to a schedule of future conferences | South India Planters Name 18 Golden Tea Leaf India Award Winners | The Indian Tea Association Presses for a Tea Price Floor Indexed to Rising Production Costs Borne by Smallholders and Made Leaf Producers| NEWSMAKER - Siân Edwards, Group Insights Manager at Finlays| FEATURE INTRO - This week, Tea Biz discusses a range of revealing consumer trends and beverage insights with Siân Edwards Edwards -- Group Insights Manager at Finlays. She says the outlook for the beverage industry is positive, with consumers making good choices for the planet and themselves.Conscious Consumerism – Finlays annually publishes a beverage trends report. This year’s eighteen pages of statistics and market research revealed that consumers have growing concerns about food inflation and economic growth, but research cited in Finlays Beverage Trends 2023 indicates that consumers continue to view good tea as an affordable luxury, explains Group Insights Manager Siân Edwards.Edwards says, “The desire to treat themselves, coupled with concern for their health and the planet, drives the trend toward conscious consumerism. We’re seeing how each purchasing decision is carefully evaluated regarding financial, health, and environmental cost. Throughout this report, we’ve sought to encapsulate this broad sentiment under the banner of ‘mindfulness’, as people mindfully allow themselves indulgences, choose healthy products, and opt for brands with a lower environmental impact.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A Billion People Participate in Earth Day Activities | Earth Day Organizers Honor Just Ice Tea Founder Seth Goldman | Iran Snubs India Suppliers as Tea Exports Set Record | Long-Running Drought in Kenya Depresses Tea Yields| NEWSMAKER – Bala Sarda, founder of Vahdam Tea, New Delhi, India| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to New Delhi this week to discuss with Vahdam Tea founder Bala Sarda a new line of 25 Indian spices grown free of adulterants and pesticides and manufactured without artificial colors. Initially, Vahdam spices will be sold directly to consumers and later offered in grocery stores.Innovating and Invigorating India's Spice Industry – "From day one, one of the key things we identified, Aravinda, was this incredible opportunity that India as a country offers<' says Vahdam Tea Founder Bala Sarda. "If you look at a product like tea, as we all know, India is one of the largest producers and exporters of tea in the world. If you look at the stats, India is also the world's largest producer and exporter of spices. We also have the largest variety of spices. If you look at some of the more popular variants of spices, say turmeric, 80% of the world's turmeric is made in India, and the list goes on and on. There is no Indian brand or brand at its origin that adds value and takes this product to consumers in global markets. There is no innovation in the category. So, of course, we knew right away the supply chain was extremely broken. There were multiple middlemen, from a farmer in India to consumers worldwide. That just told us there is an opportunity for us as a brand to solve and make a much better, higher quality, fresher product available to consumers."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Remains Resilient in Murky Economy | Easing inflation suggests tea will remain resilient during a period of economic uncertainty | DAVIDsTEA Delists from Nasdaq | Teashop Technology at World Tea Expo| GUEST – Amelia Quelas, president of the American Yerba Mate Association (AYMA)| FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz takes a sip of Yerba Mate with Amelia Quelas, president of the newly established American Yerba Mate Association (AYMA), to promote a plant-based energy drink with as much caffeine as coffee.Upscale Yerba Mate – Amelia Quelas is president of the American Yerba Mate Association (AYMA). She describes yerba mate as a plant-based energy drink with as much caffeine as coffee. She says sourcing at genuine origins, using traditional production methods and quality standards, is important to keep yerba mate products in the U.S. non-GMO, chemical-free, and true to their roots. “We are moving away from the use of agrochemicals. We are trying to be friendly to our environment, preserve the forest, and provide an upscale product,” she said.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES - Kenya and Sri Lanka exports topped $1 billion in 2022 as devalued currencies led to a strong influx of foreign exchange dollars | Researchers find Tea and coffee may protect against multiple sclerosis | Meteorologists predict an unusually hot summer for India.| Guest Sipping Streams founder and Alaska tea grower Jenny Tse| Feature Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard visits Alaska, where tea maker Jenny Tse uses geothermal energy to warm a cozy greenhouse where she grows her tea.| Growing Tea In Alaska - At first, we experimented with handling the tea, just making a green tea or making a white tea with very low processing in micro batches, explains Sipping Streams founder Jenny Tse. “Right now, we've just been experimenting with it and like serving free cups of tea to people at special events, fundraisers, at agricultural fairs completely just to see what people think about the tea. Some of the ideas that we're considering is possibly making a kombucha with it. We make our own kombucha right now. Another idea is to make gin kombucha from Alaskan fireweed,” says Tse.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – World Tea Conference + Expo Reunites North America’s Tea Community with Contemporaries from Overseas | The World Tea Expo this week was an energized event focused on normal business concerns following three years of unprecedented disruption | Global Tea Market to Reach $266.7 Billion by 2025 | Germany’s Ronnenfeldt Tea Celebrates 200th Anniversary| FEATURE INTRO – Conversations recorded on the floor at World Tea Expo reveal an upbeat return to normalcy as commerce concerns focus on the economy, changing consumer behavior. Join me for visits with exhibitors and attendees. | Germany’s J. T. Ronnefeldt Tea Marks 200-Year Milestone – Ronnenfeldt Tea owner Jan-Berend Holzapfel is celebrating the firm’s 200th anniversary. The venture has long championed supplier relationships and respect for the environment, Holzafepfel explained to World Tea Conference attendees. His presentation described a broad range of initiatives, from a tea academy and training programs to compostable packaging and carbon offsets. His advice on surviving 200 years. "Number one is you need to stick to your quality and price level. And number two is stick to your niche. Once you focus on these two issues, then I think you can expand into other channels into other markets. And then you will be very successful," said Holzaphel.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Harvest Gets an Early Start | Traditional Medicinals Unveils First Certified Biodegradable Tea Wrapper | American Botanical Council Launches a Public Database of Natural Products that Meet Natural Health Science Foundation Standards | Historic Goomtee Estate Bungalow Burns | The 1899 structure took three hours to extinguish, a total loss | NEWSMAKER – Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director of Agri Commodities at Dubai Multi Commodities Center| FEATURE INTRO – After a five-year hiatus, the Dubai Multi Commodities Tea Center is hosting its biennial Global Tea Forum on April 25-27 at The Address Dubai Marina Hotel, with discounted tickets now available. Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director of Agri Commodities at DMCC and a respected executive and technologist, shares with listeners his perspective on some of the issues to be addressed during the DMCC Tea Forum.Unpacking the Future of Tea – The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, founded in 2002, is the world’s largest and most successful free trade zone, now supporting 18,000 companies from many industries and sectors. DMCC’s Tea Center, founded in 2005, is a global hub for value addition and the top tea re-exporter in the world. Saeed Al Suwaidi, the Director of Agri Commodities at DMCC Dubai, says, “It’s amazing how everything in this industry is starting almost like a reset. People are looking at it with fresh eyes, t think. I mean, one of the things about this year is it’s not an exceptional year. The past five years for us have been very different with COVIO lockdowns, and everything that has happened during those years changed us, I think, forever. So there’s much eagerness for everything to resume almost normal. Suwaidi says, “People call it the poor man’s drink because it’s accessible to everybody. And it’s widely traded, you know, and it’s over $50 billion worth of trade annually, and this is going up by at least 30 to 35 to 40% in the next ten years. And so there’s a lot of opportunity.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Resort and Hotel Developers Submit Proposals to Expand Tea Tourism in Northwest India | The West Bengal Government is Evaluating 16 Projects Valued at $170 Million | TeaTeaMe has launched a beta version of its app for Tea Tourists and Traveling Tea Professionals | Hindustan Unilever Names Rohit Jawa Managing Director and CEO| NEWSMAKER – Yangdup Lama, founder of the Sidecar in New Delhi, ranked No. 1 among India’s 30 best Bars in 2022| FEATURE INTRO – South Asia Editor Aravinda Anantharaman chats with India’s top bartender. Yangdup Lama grew up in Darjeeling in the 1980s playing among the tea bushes, an experience that influenced his professional career as an award-winning mixologist with a special talent for incorporating tea into signature drinks.Influential Bar Owner Yangdup Lama's Vision for Darjeeling – Yangdup Lama is India’s most famous bartender, recognized by Drinks International as one of the Bar World’s most influential people in the beverage industry. He’s a Darjeeling guy, born and raised in Darjeeling. He has bridged his two worlds in recent years via his tea cocktails. Here, we catch up with him for a chat on Darjeeling, tea, bartending, and what a cocktail named Darjeeling would be like.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – World Tea Expo Names “Best of” Award Finalists | Tea Tycoon Competitors Announced | Teaware Manufacturers Adopt Consumer to Manufacturer (C2M) Business Model Pioneered by Fast-Fashion | Study Suggests an EGCG-based Therapy for Treating Alzheimer’s| GUEST – Wendy Weir, founder of Libre Inner Peace| FEATURE INTRO – Tea nourishes and inspires. It is the most ancient of plant-based medicines — simultaneously energizing the body as it soothes the mind. This week join Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard and Wendy Weir, the founder of Libre Inner Peace, in a two-minute meditation with tea.| Two-Minute Meditation With Tea – You’ll want a cup of tea by your side for this special live meditation on the Tea Biz podcast. In my porcelain cup is a white vanilla coconut tea from the Banff Tea Company in Alberta, Canada. It’s one of my go-to blends and scents the air with a lovely fragrance to complement the moment of peace we’re about to relax into. In just a moment, we’ll get right into the meditation with our guest, Wendy Weir, but keep listening after the meditation—I’ll chat with Wendy in a few minutes to learn more about her meditative practice and its connection to tea. So, pause what is occupying your mind, rest upon the nearest comfy chair, and let Wendy lead us on a two-minute journey of our home within.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Pakistan’s Economic Crisis Threatens African Tea Trade | Kenya open to rice for tea barter to release five metric tons of tea stranded in Karachi | Asahi Launches SOU its First New Tea Brand in Decades | Tatcha Skincare Unveils a Virtual Forest Bathing and Meditation Experience| NEWSMAKER – Narendranath Dharmara, an independent strategic and operations consultant in tea and agribusiness| FEATURE INTRO – Narendranath Dharmaraj has developed a tea processing technique that yields the taste and aroma of orthodox with the intense color and fast brewing characteristics of cut, tear, and curl tea. The process results in a hybrid that can be blended to enhance the aroma and flavor of conventional CTC. The tea substrate can also be die-cut to resemble broken-leaf grades or 3D printed into myriad shapes and sold at a premium.Tea Processing Reimagined – Since the 1960s, innovation has been limited to the development of machines that deliver economic efficiency, packaging, convenient formats, and flavors. It is time to explore new processing techniques. A makeover of the product paradigm is imperative. It's time to give camellia sinensis a new lease of life to boost consumer appeal for tea. Let’s shirk off the baggage of a 150-year-old mindset and get set for some development work that will change the rules of the game. Heritage is valuable. A stubborn mindset built over time diminishes value! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya’s Parliament Orders an Inquiry into Allegations of Sexual Abuse on Tea Plantations | Commentators are calling the investigation the #MeToo moment for tea | Pakistan Tea Imports are Piling Up in Karachi | Several Teas are Among the Top 10 Best-Rated Non-Alcoholic Beverages in the World according to the TasteAtlas| GUEST – TeaBookClub Founder Kyle Whittington| FEATURE INTRO – The True History of Tea is a meticulously researched, readable 280-page book that takes you back in time. Kyle Whittington, founder of the TeaBookClub in London, describes the work of sinologist Victor H. Mair and journalist Erling Hoh as “one of those rare instances where, rather than the dry read that the title suggests, the reader is instead treated to an engaging and captivating page-turner.”A Definitive and Entertaining History of Tea – “If there was one thing that this book did better than any other tea history book,” writes Whittington, “it presents us with new areas of knowledge and different tellings of familiar stories in the great and long history of the plant, beverage, and tea customs. From the Mongolian tribes to the Australian outback, we were taken to lands, explored customs, and followed the humble leaf’s progress in rarely explored areas.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Resilient Turkish Tea Culture Offers Comfort | “Keyif” is a Turkish word describing the pleasure and enjoyment of tea. After last week’s catastrophic quakes, Keyif takes on new meaning as hundreds of ad hoc groups organize to support the homeless and hungry. | Vietnam Reports a Surge in Tea Exports | Pukka Tea Joins Canopy’s Pack4Good Initiative | GUEST – Poorvi Chordia, co-founder of Herbs & Kettles tea, Atlanta, Georgia| FEATURE INTRO – Poorvi Chordia is a physician, tea sommelier, and avid traveler whose frequent visits to India inspired her and her husband, Abe, to directly source small-batch artisan teas from sustainable mid- and small-sized growers.Veda Wisdom and Authentic Tea Wellness – Small growers rightly focus on cultivating and crafting great artisan tea. They need more time and resources to brand and market limited quantities of unique teas such as Khalap, an ancient Nagaland tea. The Naga tribe picks wild leaves to pack in hollowed bamboo before aging in smoke. Khalap is in demand locally along the Myanmar border with India, one example of several boutique teas in collections curated by Poorvi Chordia at Herbs & Kettles. Poorvi is an educator, tea sommelier, and avid traveler. An online retailer of teas worldwide, Herbs & Kettles specializes in loose-leaf teas sourced directly from Indian farms they know. Herbs & Kettles contributes to the Prameya Foundation’s Red Panda Conservation Initiative to preserve endangered wildlife, prevent poaching, and restore habitat in the Singalilia National Park in Darjeeling, West Bengal.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – T2 Closes its US and UK Retail Locations | Stores in both countries close on Feb. 19. Online sales end on Feb. 22. The Australian company announced it would focus on markets closer to home.| Turkey’s Tea Growing Region Spared During Massive Twin Quakes. | Tea Comforts Quake Victims. | The Global Iced Tea Market is projected to Double in Value by 2030| GUEST – Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington| FEATURE INTRO – Pairing tea with food is a less well-known art than wine pairings, but every bit as rewarding for cooks and connoisseurs. This week, Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington reviews Mariella Erken's cookbook, Tea: Wine’s Sober Sibling.| REVIEW – TEA: Wine’s Sober Sibling by Mariella ErkenRich with detailed analysis and mouth-watering recipes, the considerate arrangement of this book draws us in from a place more familiar, the pairing of wine with food. Indeed, the comparison tables on tea and grape varieties were so enriching that I realized that as a wine novice, I could choose a wine based on my tea preferences. If that’s got me excited, then for sure, it works the other way around. Seventy recipes, each with three suggested pairings, make this a book equally worthy of a place on our tea bookshelf as among the cookery books in the kitchen.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Lies Safely Dormant as Temperatures Plummet to Record Lows Across Asia | Growers in China, Japan, South Korea, and India are coping with a polar vortex that caused record lows in the tea lands. | A Free Webinar Monday by the Colombo Tea Traders Association Will Explain the National Plan to Make Sri Lanka’s Tea Industry More Resilient | The FDA Will Not Regulate CBD as a Food or Supplement.| FEATURE INTRO – This week, Aravinda Anantharaman takes us to Karnataka, India, for a stay in the Nilgiri Mountains at the Sinna Dorais Bungalows on the Kadamane Tea Estate.Sinna Dorai Bungalows Balance Comfort and Old World Charm – Sinna Dorai is how assistant managers were addressed on turn-of-the-century tea estates: Small manager, that’s what it translates to, suggesting a hands-on level of involvement with garden operations. There are three Sinna Dorai bungalows at the Kadamane Tea Estate, located high in the Nilgiri Mountains in Karnataka, India, about 250 kilometers west of Bengaluru. Kadamane was planted nearly a century ago; its bungalows are old, charming, and well-preserved. The interiors have been tastefully restored. The rooms are modern and comfortable but have retained that old-world charm, and that’s a delicate balance. The estate offers a glimpse into a way of life that is no longer relevant but reveals a vibrant, fascinating history worth recording and preserving. There’s no restaurant, just a kitchen and a dining room where you go for mealtimes like the Sinna Dorias, sharing hearty meals made with local produce and delicious bread. The vistas are boundless, and the forest streams are lovely to explore. It is a perfect stop, a great example of tea tourism done right because it’s indulgent without being excessive. - Aravinda AnantharamanSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – USDA National Organic Program Strengthens Enforcement | The revised NOP rules, published Jan. 19, expand certification requirements to brokers and traders at critical links in the organic supply chain. | World Tea Expo announced its lineup of Speakers | Early discount deadline is Jan. 31 | Kenya Tea Production Falls to Five-Year Low| NEWSMAKER – Elyse Petersen, Founder, and CEO of Tealet in Las Vegas, Nev.| FEATURE INTRO – “Peace Elyse” Petersen has spent her days live streaming about her life in tea for the past two years on POCOCHA, a novel, non-commercial Japanese marketing app.Marketing Tea Livestream – Elyse Petersen is an empathetic storyteller whose knowledge of tea preparation and teaware stands out on the Pococha live streaming platform in the USA, where she is one of the platform’s top broadcasters.Live streaming has proven to be an effective and profitable way to sell products, especially in China, where two-thirds of consumers have reported buying products via live stream in the past year. The market for livestream shopping has grown rapidly, from $3 billion in transactions in 2017 to more than $171 billion in five years. US transactions via live streaming will be expected to reach $56 billion in 2023. The global market for live-streaming services is valued at $1.03 billion. McKinsey Digital predicts that by 2026, up to 20% of all eCommerce sales will be done via live stream, indicating that live streaming is not just a temporary trend but a long-term shift in how people shop online.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The New Year Brings Predictions of a Global Recession | Two-thirds of the world’s top economists predict economic weakness globally in 2023, according to the World Economic Forum, meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland. | Argentina Celebrates its Tea Centennial | Toronto Tea Festival Returns| NEWSMAKER – Dan Bolton, Founding Editor/Publisher Tea Biz Blog | Podcast| FEATURE INTRO – This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Tea Biz Blog and the 100th episode of the Tea Biz Podcast. Listeners in 117 countries have downloaded at least one of the 36,474 streams since 2021. The podcast is most popular in these countries in this order: The United States, India, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, Japan, France, and Ireland, with Bangladesh, Sweden, China, Kenya, and Sri Lanka making up the top 15.Tea Biz Podcast Year in Review – In 2022, all the most frequently downloaded episodes aired during the year's first six months. No wonder: COVID surged in January. Changing consumer behavior led Coca-Cola to discontinue its Honest Tea brand. Logistics were in disarray globally due to lockdowns in China. In February, Russia invaded Ukraine leading to sanctions and the closure of Black Sea ports realigning the tea supply chain. Tea exports from Sri Lanka sharply declined as tea plants were starved of fertilizer amid economic turmoil that led the country’s prime minister to abandon his post and the country’s president to resign. Nepal exports plummeted, and Kenyan tea prices were flat. China experienced a merciless heat wave while Assam flooded. Headlines described restaurants clawing back toward normal against the headwinds of inflation and labor shortages.There was good news as well.Tea consumption globally continued to expand. Japan tea exports set a new record, and a Shizuoka hand-rolled tea brought a record price at auction. Researchers presenting at the Tea and Human Health Symposium revealed compelling new science-based benefits that may lead to the inclusion of tea in US dietary recommendations. The world’s largest tea company named a woman as CEO and rebranded as Lipton Teas and Infusions. The International Specialty Tea Association announced innovative tea evaluation protocols. India’s Tea Research Association revised its best practices to enhance sustainability. India realigned the priorities of its tea board from regulation to promotion, and Kenya implemented progressive policies legislated in the Tea Act of 2020. The Mombasa Tea Auction transitioned to digital trading. Brazil held its first national celebration of tea culture. In May, on International Tea Day, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said the tea industry could transform the agrifood sector globally.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Ekaterra Rebrands as LIPTON Teas and Infusions | CEO Nathalie Roos says rebranding will strengthen the company’s position as the world’s number one tea business | The First of Several Agriculture-Focused Satellites is Safely in Orbit | The Specialty Tea Institute Ceases Operations| NEWSMAKER – Mou Dasgupta, founder of Brook37 Thé Atelier| FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Princeton, New Jersey, where Mou Dasgupta created Brook37 Thé Atelier, a new premium brand run by an all-woman production team. During our conversation, she describes her vision of a new era in tea.Fresh Thinking for a New Era in Tea – Mou Dasgupta is pursuing her passion for tea after 25 years of trendsetting corporate leadership in the financial services industry. She developed a love for fine-quality tea while living in West Bengal, India, where she attended university in Calcutta. She trained in the sciences and holds a master’s degree in software engineering. She says Brook37 is proud to bring fresh thinking and an ethical and sustainable mindset to all we do,” she says. “Our unparalleled tea selection of flavors, aromas, and colors from around the world, along with exquisite packaging, help you choose a positive and aspirational lifestyle.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Easing COVID Restrictions Leads to Uncertainty in China’s Tea Industry | Millions of urban Chinese will return to their ancestral homes in rural China for the Lunar New Year, raising concerns about outbreaks and possible labor shortages in tea regions as the spring harvest begins. | The World’s Top Black Tea Producers Experience Export Declines in 2022 | Speakers at the January 19 Global Tea Initiative Colloquium at the University of California, Davis, to discuss Tea and Value. What do We Value about tea, and How Do We Value It?| NEWSMAKER – Adam Thatcher, CEO of Grace Farms Foods| FEATURE INTRO – Grace Farms Foods is introducing a line of ethically and sustainably sourced teas that CEO Adam Thatcher says will give back 100% of profits to help end forced labor worldwide – forever.Steeped in Purpose: Grace Farms Seeks End to Forced Labor - According to Grace Farms Foods CEO Adam Thatcher, “even though slavery was abolished globally nearly a century ago, more than 28 million people are trapped in forced labor worldwide. Poverty and lack of access to education create opportunities for those who stand to benefit from the exploitation of vulnerable men, women, and children. In modern times forced labor takes the form of work with little to no pay, fear and coercion, and restricted freedom of movement. This often occurs at the beginning of the supply chain when our food is harvested, our clothes are made, and the materials used in our buildings are extracted.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – EU Bans Imports that Drive Deforestation Including Coffee and Cocoa | tea on forest land cleared after 2020 cannot be imported | Hindustan Unilever Shortlists Two Potential Chief Executives | Falling Yields Hold Down Kenya Tea Prices| NEWSMAKER – Sandip Thapa, founder and CEO CuppaTrade| FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Kolkata, India, a global hub for tea commerce, where South Asia Correspondent Aravinda Anantharaman discusses innovations in digital trade with Sandip Thapa, founder of CuppaTrade, an eMarketplace that enables small growers to sell their tea in bulk tea online.An Online eMarketplace for Small Tea Producers – "CuppaTrade is primarily an online platform," explains Thapa. "We are developing an eMarketplace focused on the small tea grower cooperatives, the bought-leaf factories, and the small producers. Our goal is to expand the market by identifying secondary and tertiary buyers. We connect small growers with a huge number of small buyers across the country. In phase two, we intend to open up cross-border transactions, wherein we focus on exports."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Iran Has Suddenly Stopped Importing Indian Tea and Rice. The abrupt halt remains unexplained | A World Bank Report Predicts Unbearable Heat for India | China Eases COVID Restrictions| NEWSMAKER – Sabita Banerji, Founder, and CEO of THIRST| FEATURE INTRO – THIRST has completed its initial assessment of human rights in the global tea sector and is now seeking to understand the root causes. THIRST founder and CEO Sabita Banerji says the non-profit will conduct confidential surveys of tea producers during the New Year.Understanding the Tea Supply Chain and How it all Works – The voices of producers are, in fact, quite rarely heard, says Banerji. They are often blamed for circumstances beyond their control. This is the analysis phase; the third phase will be action planning, where we bring together multi-stakeholders and international players to discuss what should be done. The fourth phase will be accountability, where we support the tea industry in monitoring those action plans and their effectiveness and whether they need adjustment. "We're not blaming brands and retailers for how they do their purchasing practices. We just want to understand how it all works, where the levers for change may be, how the current situation might be driving some of the undeniable problems in the tea sector, and what could be done by those players to address those problems.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Black Friday Lives Up to its Name | US shoppers set in-store and online sales records | UNESCO Inscribes Two Tea Traditions on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity | Australian Study Shows Elderly Women Benefit from Tea Flavonoids| NEWSMAKER – Andrew McNeill, Business Development Director Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea| GUEST – TeaBookClub Founder Kyle Whittington| FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Tucson, Arizona, for the grand opening of a 2200 sq. ft. combination tea shop, tearoom, warehouse, and online fulfillment center. Andrew McNeill, Business Development Director at Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea, says that stay-at-home tea drinkers experimenting with specialty teas are eager to share the experience of tea discovery face-to-face.Tearooms Rekindle Cultural Experience Face-to-Face – Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea is typical of well-established shops that survived the pandemic. The direct-trade retailer is 20 years old, located in a second-tier city, and generates revenue online and in-store from packaged sales, tea service, and wholesale supply to coffee shops, cafes, hotels, and restaurants.Packaged tea has fared well since 2019. A spike in sales jammed tea cupboards with direct-from-origin and exotic teas purchased online. The growing consumer preference for better-tasting tea favors retailers with quality selections, including herbal infusions. Retailers are remodeling to promote in-shop sampling as it encourages social interaction and repeat business among enthusiasts eager to experiment and learn from experts.Seven Cups founder Austin Hodge says, "When you enter a traditional teahouse, in China or Tucson, you step into a cultural experience that separates you from your daily problems. It’s a teahouse tradition for tea drinkers to be treated with respect and dignity, whatever their outside problems might be.”REVIEW: Tea & Empire, James Taylor in Victorian CeylonAngela McCarthy & T.M. DevineThis fascinating book illuminates the all-too-often overlooked tea region of Ceylon, present-day Sri Lanka. The authors draw on the letters of James Taylor, pioneer and founding father of the Ceylon tea industry, to explore the life of a Scottish migrant who, through experimentation and determination, forged a new industry out of the ruins of the coffee blight. This uniquely complete collection of correspondence reveals this pivotal time in tea history through the eyes, thoughts, and actions of a key player. - Kyle WhittingtonSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The Tea Industry Welcomes The Climate Summit’s Damage and Loss Fund as wealthy nations agree to pay to repair monumental damage | Solidaridad Asia Hosts India’s First International Small Tea Grower Convention | Japan Expands the Reach of its National World O-CHA Festival | NEWSMAKER – Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director, Luxmi Estates | FEATURE INTRO – Rudra Chatterjee, the dynamic managing director of Luxmi Tea, has expanded and diversified the venerable 30-million-kilo bulk tea producer into direct-to-consumer retail. Luxmi, which operates 25 estates in India and Africa, has shortened the supply chain to deliver fresher tea and now sources herbal infusions and inclusions for blends locally. South Asia Correspondent Aravinda Anantharaman in Bengaluru discusses Chatterjee’s vision for rebranding the company as Luxmi Estates. Luxmi Embraces Estate-Direct Tea Retail at Scale – In our last interview, Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director of the 110-year-old Luxmi Tea, spoke about adding retail to the brand’s offerings as COVID brought more consumers online. Two years later, the Luxmi Estates was launched as a retail brand offering a range of teas and a subscription program as a significant business vertical. We catch up with Rudra to hear about the rebranding and his plans.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Tea Exports Rise as Sri Lanka’s Decline | Comparisons of export data through the first eight months of the year reveal a significant shift in the global market for orthodox processed black tea | Extreme Heat Concerns are Raised at the Ongoing COP27 Climate Summit in Egypt | Founder Sandip Thapa Explains the Cuppa Trade Tea eMarketplace | NEWSMAKER – Seth Goldman, CEO of Eat the Change, founder of Just Ice Tea | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz visits Just Ice Tea founder Seth Goldman this week in Bethesda, Maryland. Seth launched the new low-sugar, organic, Fairtrade tea brand in a remarkably rapid 90 days after learning that Coca-Cola would discontinue by year’s end the iconic Honest Organic Tea brand that he co-founded in 1998. Shocked that Honest Tea would be discontinued, Goldman tells how tea suppliers rallied to support his long-term commitment to organic, fair trade tea. Seth Goldman’s Encore – Coca-Cola’s Venturing and Emerging Brands group invested $43 million in 2008 to acquire a minority interest in Honest Organic Tea. This low-sugar organic bottled tea dominated the premium fresh-brewed tea segment in natural grocery outlets, including Whole Foods Markets. Seth Goldman and co-founder Barry Nalebuff had grown the company to +$20 million in annual sales since brewing the first batch into five thermos bottles in Goldman’s kitchen. What they needed was national distribution. Coca-Cola’s investment catapulted Honest Tea to the list of Inc. Magazine’s fastest-growing companies. Earnings grew to $70-80 million. Coke’s Big Red trucks soon delivered 100 million bottles nationwide, and in 2011, Coke purchased the company. Goldman joined the behemoth bottler as an ardent champion of flavorful teas and herbal infusions. During the decade that followed, Honest Tea generated hundreds of millions of dollars at far greater margins than commodity brands, where the raw cost of tea is about a penny per unit. He bought eight million pounds of organic tea annually at that time and spent millions more on organic sugar and ingredients. In 2019 Goldman left Coca-Cola to establish Eat the Change after working as executive chair of Beyond Meat. Eat the Change, “a snack company of the future” launched by Goldman and celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn, will manage the fledgling tea venture. Just Ice Tea has reunited vital staff and suppliers that built Honest Tea into a half-billion-dollar brand. In June, Goldman announced that Eat the Change would launch a new organic tea brand, and by September, the first bottles were served in restaurants.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Funding Initiatives at the UN Climate Summit are Vital to Tea as prevention gives way to funding repairs | Bangladesh Production Rebounds After Strike | New Tea Tourism Handbook Elevates Immersive Travel  | NEWSMAKER – Michael D. Ham, co-founder and company president of Wild Orchard | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz explores the exotic Jeju Island off the coast of South Korea, where Wild Orchard Regenerative Tea is grown. Michael D. Ham, co-founder and president of the company, describes in detail the cultivation and multiple washings during the processing of these award-winning teas. He said the result is a clean, authentic taste as nature intended. Regenerative Tea – Jeju Island lies 130 kilometers off the southern coast of South Korea in the Korea Strait. Dormant for the past 5,000 years, Hallasan Mountain is a 1,950-meter volcanic wonderland of craters, cinder cones, and giant lava tubes that dominates the densely foliated island. Popular with tourists for its national park and scenic beaches, the island is also known for its tea. Wild Orchard sources all its tea from a 1000-acre garden planted in 1999. The nutrient-dense soil, gentle mists, and abundant wildlife led growers to plant tea seeds on hillsides that were not terraced or cleared of native plants. Irrigation is solely by rainfall. There are no fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides applied and the soil is never tilled. The farm was certified organic in 2007, and the Wild Orchard brand was established in 2019. In May of this year, the brand became the world’s first Regenerative Organic Certified tea. It was selected by Noma, the World’s Best Restaurant, to be served on their NYC menu and will soon be available for sale at the Rare Tea Counter at Fortnum & Mason tea shop in London.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Pricing Tea in a Slogging Economy | Indicators suggest a recession is imminent | The International Tea Academy “Leafies” are Awarded | Sales of Herbal Infusions are Expected to Double this Decade | NEWSMAKER – Professor Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia | FEATURE INTRO – Canadian Economist Sylvain Charlebois sees a lot of positives for the tea industry but cautioned that inflation is an economic disease that will linger. Supply chain challenges remain. The macro-dynamics around commodities are getting more complicated, he said, “The fall is not going to be an easy one." High Inflation is an Economic Disease – "When you look at global issues. When you look at where the market is going, I see a lot of positives for your product in particular," Professor Sylvain Charlebois told attendees at the North American Tea Conference in September. Two immediate challenges confront the industry, inflation and the global supply chain. "So let's talk about inflation. Inflation is an economic disease. In this case, it's self-inflicted," he said. "Inflation is a big problem, but we have to deal with inflation. When people go to the grocery store, they are absolutely spooked because they know everything is more expensive everywhere. In the grocery store, it's even worse. Much worse. Consumers are trying to recalibrate their budgets just to make sure they have a roof on the top of their heads and to feed themselves, so that portion of their budget is increasing by the day. And we know the fed is going to increase its benchmark," he said. "So, in the tea business, I would ask myself, OK, are we going back to 3.5% inflation? The answer is: not in the near future."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka’s Tea Sector Opposes Doubling Corporate Tax | IMF bailout forces bankrupt government to collect more revenue | Vietnamese Tea Exports Experience Slow Decline | Kenya Expands its Orthodox Tea Capability| NEWSMAKER – Joydeep Phukan, the Principal Officer and Secretary of India’s Tea Research Association| FEATURE INTRO – Joydeep Phukan, the Principal Officer and Secretary of India’s Tea Research Association, discusses a unified agricultural standard for tea fields and factories. The new standards are aligned with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. Introduced in September, the standards will be fully implemented in January 2023.India’s New Tea Sustainability Standards – Growers worldwide adhere to the Tocklai Tea Research Institute’s Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) standards. The standards date to the early 1900s with frequent updates. The latest revisions align closely with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. New standards are necessary to help growers and manufacturers improve soils, protect natural ecosystems, encourage diversity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and establish a more climate-resilient tea industry. Joydeep Phukan has managed the research institute for the past 16 years. Before that, he was assistant secretary of the Indian Tea Association and managed the Guwahati Tea Auction Center. He holds a master’s degree in marketing from the TASMAC School of Business.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

| HEAR THE HEADLINES – AVPA Names Teas of the World Winners | Contest entries increased by 21% to more than 300, including several from less well-known origins | India Lifts Tea Blending Ban to the Relief of Darjeeling Growers | Falling Green Leaf Prices Distress Assam Smallholders see Roopak Goswami’s in-depth report on the Tea Biz Blog. | NEWSMAKER – Nishchal Banskota, Founder Nepal Tea Collective  | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to New York, where Nishchal Banskota, founder of the Nepal Tea Collective, shares his vision of a public benefit corporation that shifts the focus to creating value for every stakeholder in tea – not just shareholders. A Stake for Every Stakeholder in Tea – In 2015 after graduating college in the US, Nischal, who grew up near Ilam farming Nepal’s first certified organic tea garden, returned to open the BG Tea Bar, the first tea bar in Kathmandu. A year later, following a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, he launched Nepal Tea, which has since grown in sales and reputation. Banskota says that he is committed to creating tech-enabled, transparently traded tea. His venture produces award-winning Himalayan teas, sustainably sourced and packaged, bringing jobs to the tea lands that pay double the prevailing wage. Teas are shipped directly to customers worldwide. Every hand-made package is labeled with a QR code that enables buyers to meet the growers at one of three farms. The omnichannel business earns high gross margins selling wholesale and packaged tea. One percent of revenue is reinvested in farming communities, and a tea sapling is planted for every order (10,000 in 2022). Banskota is currently seeking investors on WeFunder with a goal of $600,000. The money will be used to extend the brand to include organic botanicals, make the company’s supply chain more sustainable and construct infrastructure for visiting tea tourists. A three-year goal is to build a modern packaging and fulfillment center in Nepal. The campaign is nearing $200,000. The minimum investment is $250. | https://wefunder.com/nepalteacollectiveSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Dietary Recommendations Proposed for Flavanols found in Tea | The National Institutes of Health (NIH) to consider dietary recommendations for first bioactive compounds | Colombo Tea Auction Prices Reach an All-Time High | India Rolls Out a Digital Retail Network for Small Grocers  | NEWSMAKER – Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to the Himalayan peaks of Kumaon, India, where Raj Vable, founder of Young Mountain Tea, is helping finance the construction of a farmer-owned tea processing facility with a capacity of 75,000 metric tons per year ⎼ enough to sustain a village of several hundred workers. Building a Future and a Factory – Oregon-based Young Mountain Tea recently announced its latest funding of $1.1 million. The brand works closely with the tea community in Kumaon, India, offering growers a sales platform via Young Mountain Tea. India correspondent Aravinda Anantharaman met with Young Mountain's founder Raj Vable to discuss community and brand plans. Vable explains, "we wanted to find funding to launch a community-owned and operated factory not just to process tea but to empower farmers. We recognized that traditional venture capital funding was not appropriate. So, partnering with Frontier Co-Op, we secured a grant from USAID to build a factory co-owned by ourselves and local farmers."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya Announces a National Tea Brand | President William Ruto makes value addition in tea exports a priority and announces new tea processing and packaging facility in Mombasa | Euromonitor Report Advises Targeting Customers by Type | Lipton to Launch a Hard Tea Brand in 2023 | NEWSMAKER – Peris Mudida, CEO Kenya Tea Board | FEATURE INTRO – Peris Mudida, chief executive officer of the newly re-established Kenya Tea Board in Nairobi, shares her vision and describes the tea board's mandate to regulate, sustainably develop, and promote the tea sub-sector. Kenya Repositions its Tea Board to Meet Challenges – Founded in 1950 as an independent, public body responsible for developing, promoting, and regulating Kenya’s tea industry, in 2014, the Kenya Tea Board was dissolved in favor of a single Agricultural and Food Authority (AFA) housed within the Ministry of Agriculture. In 2021 the newly constituted Tea Board seated elected representatives of smallholder cooperatives and associations, factory operators, large producers, tea traders, and the Kenya Tea Development Agency – a private consortium representing tea farms and factories responsible for producing 60% of the country’s tea. As CEO, Peris Mudida works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Trade and is the official promoter of Kenya’s tea industry worldwide.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Consumption Globally Increases to an Average 800 Grams Per Person | The International Tea Committee revised its per capita benchmark, noting a 113% increase in tea consumption during the past 20 years. | Parcel Carriers Hike Rates as Delivery Demand Declines | Tea Drinkers Experience Lower Risk of Diabetes This week Tea Biz travels to the North American Tea Conference on the shores of Lake Ontario. The three-day conference drew tea professionals from around the world. This year’s conference opened with a status report on global tea presented by Ian Gibbs, head of the International Tea Committee in London. | NEWSMAKER – Ian Gibbs, Chairman of the International Tea Committee, London | GUEST – Indian tea grower Padmanabhan Subramaniam  | FEATURE INTRO – Meet Padmanabhan Subramaniam, a remarkable tea farmer from the Nilgiris whose Facebook series “Knowledge Sharing is Caring” showcases farmers' successes and achievements.  Knowledge Sharing is Caring – At the height of the COVID pandemic, Indian tea grower Padmanabhan Subramaniam, with the Nilgiris Sustainable Farmers Welfare Association, organized online activities for the small growers in Nilgiris with the theme Knowledge Sharing is Caring. Since then, local tea experts and fellow growers have conducted 78 virtual meetings on all topics related to agriculture. "We have had guests from India, one guest from the US. The programs cover different topics," says Subramaniam. "We want these farmers to have an idea on how to go with innovative ways of agriculture and upgrade themselves economically. These things we kept in mind and talked about everything from the soil up to the harvest," he says.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – FAO Reports that Progress Toward Sustainable Agriculture has Stalled in Many Regions | Sustainability remains a priority and trending, but the implementation of the UN FAO’s Agriculture goals was hampered by war, COVID-19, and climate change | Tea Relief for Pakistan | Outsider Offers $157 Million to Buy McLeod Russel India | NEWSMAKER – Jami Lewchik, Head of TAZO and Portfolio Sustainability, eketerra Americas | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Connecticut to discuss with Jami Lewchik the ambitious task of certifying TAZO Regenerative’s entire line of teas and ingredients. TAZO Adopts a Regenerative Business Approach – TAZO reformulated and relaunched four of its leading blends this summer. TAZO’s long-term ambition is to transform its products and the brand’s entire business operations into a regenerative approach that challenges what the tea industry can do and gives back to people and the planet. In renaming the brand TAZO Regenerative, parent tea company ekaterra committed a sizeable long-term investment in its tea supply chain. The focus is on support for farmers that implement practices to increase soil health and assure fairness to farm workers. Third-party certifier Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) praises the company for “aligning with our mission: to heal a broken system, repair a damaged planet, and empower farmers and eaters to create a better future through regenerative organic agriculture.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Stubborn Inflation Nudges US Economy Toward Cliff | Tea brands brace for a downturn as core inflation remains high, undermining consumer confidence | Starbucks Announces a Retail Renaissance | Orthodox Tea Exports Fall Short of Demand | NEWSMAKER – Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, the Managing Director from Hayleys’ plantations, managing agents for Kelani Valley, Tallawakelle, and Horona plantations | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka to assess the condition of a resilient tea industry following an unsettling spring marred by high unemployment in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. For several months tens of thousands protested the inflation-driven cost of food and shortages of basics, including fuel, cooking gas, and electrical power. The upheaval led to the resignations of both the prime minister in May and the nation’s president, who fled the country in July. Organizational Discipline Helps Tea Industry Cope with Continual Crisis – Sri Lanka has been facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence. Following the pandemic, many industries on the island have ceased to exist due to political and financial difficulties. However, the island’s tea industry continues to battle on. Tea Biz correspondent and PMD Tea MD Dananjaya Silva sat down with Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, the Managing Director from Hayleys’ plantations, managing agents for Kelani Valley, Tallawakelle, and Horona plantations PLC, to discuss how his plantations have adapted and continue to produce tea, given the economic hardships.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – There’s Ample Tea for Sanctioned Russians: After six months of sanctions, the tea aisles in Russian grocery stores display few European brands, but the shelves are not bare | Kenya’s Tea Industry Suffers Collateral Damage Due to Sanctions | Tata Consumer Products is on the Hunt | NEWSMAKER – Kevin Gascoyne, partner Camellia Sinensis, Montreal, Canada | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to the newly remodeled Camellia Sinensis tea house in Montreal, Canada, for a conversation with partner Kevin Gascoyne: Our stores have always offered options to smell the tea, he says, but we wanted to capture that special tasting moment and offer the possibility to take it further. The Evolution of Experiential Retail – The Camellia Sinensis retail store has undergone many physical changes since 2001 when it first opened in a space adjacent to the established teahouse, but this is the most extensive, says partner Kevin Gascoyne, one of four master tea merchants who own the venture. The company wholly reimagined and remodeled its brick-and-mortar flagship after COVID-19 lockdowns forced the teahouse to close. The new design incorporates many time-proven aspects of tea retail – the most important of which is sampling. Gascoyne explains that clients appreciate the opportunity to select their tea sensorially. But he says, “despite continued popularity and regular lineups of clients eager to visit, the changing times meant that those precious moments of magic we created with such love and care barely paid the bills. It required enormous micro-management and many staff to offer such a complete experience to so many people. We are done with the impracticalities of the sit-down visit, but we wanted to capture that special tasting moment and offer the possibility to take it further.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – China’s Heatwave Deadly to Tea and Man | Summer yields are expected to decline sharply, and autumn teas are in jeopardy | Bangladesh Tea Workers End Strike | Study Shows Tea Drinkers Live a Little Longer  | NEWSMAKER – Alan Lai, founder and CEO of ProfilePrint, Singapore | FEATURE INTRO – ProfilePrint is a digital food analyzer that distills sensory data from plant-based samples in seconds. The result is a digital fingerprint used to describe tea samples' quality, origin, and composition. The software is predictive and capable of making blending recommendations for tea. A Digital Tea Fingerprint in an Instant – ProfilePrint is a food ingredient search engine platform powered by patented A.I. fingerprint technology. ProfilePrint synthesizes complex interrelated parameters and sensory data into a single digital fingerprint, rapidly predicting the quality and profile of a food sample within seconds. The company is headquartered in Singapore with sales offices in Belgium, Japan, and China. Founded in 2017, ProfilePrint is funded by leading international venture funds, the Singapore government, and strategic investors. Founder and CEO said the company “is on a mission to transform food ingredient supply chains globally - not just ours, but every customer and prospective business on a recurring revenue model.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – As Peak Retail Season Nears, Experts Anticipate Holiday eTailing to Top $1 Trillion | Bangladesh Tea Workers Strike Nationwide | Green Tea is Good for the Gut | NEWSMAKER – Darian Rodriguez Heyman, Executive Director of the Numi Foundation | FEATURE INTRO – The Numi Tea Foundation coordinates fundraising efforts to bring safe drinking water and life-saving essentials to Ukrainians displaced by war. Numi Organic Tea Together for H2OPE: Ukraine – Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the Russian invasion of their country. People have been forced to flee, leaving their families, friends, possessions, homes, and even homelands. San Francisco-based Numi Organic Tea wanted to do something to help and to assemble their fellow tea drinkers to help, too. They have a foundation — the Numi Foundation — that supports the communities where they farm and people in need in the Bay Area, where their head office is located. To help the Ukrainian people, Numi is partnering with two organizations, Waves for Water and MPOWERD. They have a specific goal: to raise $1 million to provide clean, safe drinking water and solar-powered lights and charging devices to up to 550,000 displaced Ukrainians.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – TAZO Tea Embraces Regenerative Ag | Ingredients in Reformulations are Verified Regenerative | Tea Labor Unrest in Bangladesh | Canada Requires Front of Pack Nutrition Warning Labels | GUEST – Quentin Vennie, co-founder of Equitea, Baltimore, Maryland USA | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz this week travels to Baltimore, Maryland, to talk with Equitea co-founder Quentin Vennie about three new condition-specific canned, cold-brewed tea blends formulated to ease anxiety and depression, improve focus, and calm young people coping with ADHD. Cold-Brewed Calm – Author and wellness expert Quentin Vennie, with his wife Erin, on the advice of their son’s neurologist, found that green tea helped their seven-year-old boy maintain calm and focus. Diagnosed with ADHD, a condition leading to impulsive, hyperactive behavior, tea’s unique combination of L-Theanine and Caffeine offered relief, but loose-leaf teas were challenging to brew and not that tasty to a pre-teen. Quentin and Erin added calming botanicals to make the tea palatable. Inspired by their success, they launched a tea venture that produced packaged teas that became a favorite of Gwyneth Paltrow, whose company goop sells the teas online.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Considers Tough New Import Restrictions for Nepal Tea | IMF Bailout Talks with Sri Lanka to Resume | Kenya’s Ag Minister Reverses the Government’s Position Favoring Mechanization | NEWSMAKER – Aasha Bhandari, International Trade and Promotion Executive at HIMCOOP, the Himalaya Tea Producers Co-operative | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz this week travels to Kathmandu, Nepal, where Aasha Bhandari describes how Asia’s enthusiasm for golden tips powered Nepalese tea producers through the pandemic. HIMCOOP, the Himalaya Tea Producers Co-operative, is a consortium of tea producers founded in 2003. Nepal Opportunity – The Eastern Nepal region has led the country's tea trade. Today the landscape is changing as more entrepreneurs are exploring the tea industry. HIMCOOP trade and promotions executive Aasha Bhandari says, "One of the best advantages Nepal tea has is that they own their factory, they own their garden. So, they have the power to make whatever sort of tea they want to make. That's a good advantage. And I think they're doing it quite well. I'm really impressed with the small farmers compared to the big factories."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | Generation Z and Leisurely Tea | Survey Shows Retail Frontline Workers Exhausted and Underappreciatedand | India’s Tea Employment Plateau | PLUS Tea Biz travels to Kansas City, Missouri to discuss with Emilie Jackson, founder of Emilie’s French Teas, the ongoing evolution of specialty retail at independent shops and tearooms. | GUEST – Emilie (Potier) Jackson, co-founder Emilie's French Teas | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz this week travels to Kansas City, Missouri, where we discuss with Emilie Jackson, founder of Emilie’s French Teas, the ongoing evolution of specialty retail at independent shops and tearooms.The French Finish – Emilie’s retail shop and tearoom, founded in 2015, spans 2,500 sq.ft., seats 10, and is co-located with The Centered Spirit, her husband Alex’s holistic medicine practice. Emilie was born in France and grew up in Paris. A graduate of the Sorbonne in business management with post-graduate degrees in marketing. Fluent in Spanish, Emilie was marketing manager for Lacoste in Mexico City. Emilie curates a selection of brands that share the “French Finish,” a blending style that showcases French expertise in wine, culinary, essential oils, and perfume for more subtle and smoother tasting blends.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Bypassing Sanctions is Benefitting India’s Tea Industry | Reinvention is Routine at Starbucks | South Africa's Rooibos Industry Makes First Payout to Indigenous Communities | NEWSMAKER – Niraj de Mel, Chair Sri Lanka Tea Board | FEATURE INTRO – Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka this week, where newly appointed Tea Board Chair Niraj de Mel is rallying tea stakeholders – growers, manufacturers, producers, brokers, and exporters – in the face of formidable challenges. De Mel told Tea Biz correspondent Dananjaya Silva, “I am privileged to take on this role at such a crucial time.”  Sri Lanka is Relying on its Resilient Tea Industry – Sri Lanka is in turmoil politically and financially; the country of 22 million is struggling as widespread demonstrations continue. Unrest is tied to food inflation exceeding 50%, with critical shortages of cooking gas, fuel, and reliable electricity. The country has defaulted on its foreign debt, and its currency devalues with a credit rating that discourages outside investment. Government bankers are at an impasse in negotiating a bailout from the International Monetary Fund that will depend on difficult reforms, including higher taxes and governance changes. Tea producers are confronting all the above challenges, yet the Ceylon tea brand remains resilient. Last year, the industry generated $1.3 billion in US foreign currency, exporting 300 million tons of tea, of which 270 million was high-value orthodox tea. Industry veteran Niraj De Mel was named Chairman of the Sri Lankan Tea Board in June 2022, his second appointment to a position he previously held in 2004. In this discussion with Dananjaya Silva, Managing Director at PMD Tea, De Mel explains the challenges and solutions facing Sri Lanka's tea industry.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lankan Tea to the Rescue | India’s Monsoon Rainfall Exceeds 2021 Totals | Vancouver Hosts Bubble Tea Festival July 22-23 | GUEST – Ksenia Hleap, Director of Communications and Development at Agence pour la Valorisation des Produits Agricoles (AVPA)  | FEATURE INTRO – The Fifth Edition of the annual Teas of the World International Contest is underway. Tea producers from around the world are invited to submit entries to AVPA, the Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products. Samples are due by the first of August.  More than a Medal – AVPA’s annual tea competition offers more than a medal. The organization was founded to assist producers of various agricultural products, including edible oils, coffee roasted at origin, and chocolate elaborated at origin. During the past five years, AVPA has elevated the status of tea producers large and small, not only on the global stage but, most notably, in their local markets.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES –  Ekaterra Names Nathalia Roos CEO and Pierre Laubies chair of the Board | Coca-Cola Launches an Herbal Tea Line in China | A Tea Scented Perfume Wins the Prestigious Art and Olfaction Award | GUEST – Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington | FEATURE INTRO – Kyle Whittington reviews The Teabowl: East and West, a book authored by Dr. Bonnie Kemske, a ceramic artist for the past 30 years, curator, and long-time student of the Japanese tea ceremony.  The Teabowl: East and West – This wonderful book by Bonnie Kemske is a very personal, human look at an object and subject, the tea bowl, which can often be talked about in an all too esoteric or intensely academic way. What Bonnie succeeds so well in doing with her book is fusing the academic and esoteric contexts of the tea bowl with her personal experience as both a ceramicist and student of tea into a highly digestible book. Full to the brim with stunning images of all sorts of tea bowls. – Kyle Whittington.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – China Eases Travel Restrictions | Sri Lanka Crisis Worsens | Sustainability Survey Reveals the Tea Industry’s Cautious Optimism  | GUESTS – Nigel D’Souza, Dejoo Tea Estate, and Niraj Mani Chourasia, Nonaipara Tea Estate | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to the vast tea estates of Assam, India, where a high incidence of fatal encounters among tea workers interacting with elephants, leopards, and snakes led two Goodricke Group senior managers – who are avid wildlife photographers – to capture animal behavior as situational awareness is critical in avoiding human-animal conflicts. Avoiding Human-Animal Conflict – Two tea estate managers who are avid nature photographers use their astounding images and teaching to educate garden workers and residents to effectively anticipate animal behavior and avoid conflicts with elephants, leopards, and snakes. A World Wildlife Fund study in the Sonitpur district (Assam) reported 206 human fatalities and 131 elephant fatalities between 1996 and 2009, with more than half the deaths on tea estates. Between 2010 and 2021, 175 people and 73 elephants died in the Udalguri district in Assam.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Tea Retailers Brace for Recession | Kenya Tea Prices Rebound | Pakistan Asks Citizens to Cut Back on Tea  | GUEST – Tracy Bell, co-founder of Millennia Tea in New Brunswick, Canada | FEATURE INTRO – Millennia Tea in New Brunswick, Canada, sells raw tea leaves as food. The leaves are washed, chopped, frozen, and sold by major grocers to be brewed as fresh green tea or formed into cubes to be blended in smoothies. Farm to Freezer – Millennia Tea co-founder Tracy Bell explains that “instead of picking the leaves and then withering them and processing them in a number of ways, like your conventional dried teas, we work with farmers to pick those same organic tea leaves, and then we wash them and we treat them like frozen fruit, just like frozen blueberries and strawberries. We believe that tea is food, and we want to give consumers the opportunity to enjoy it in its most real, raw, and naturally powerful format.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Bottled Tea is Bouncing Back | Honest Tea Co-Founder Seth Goldman Will Launch a Rival Tea Brand | Tea Parcels Contribute to Record Carrier Volume | GUEST – Suzette Hammond, tea educator and founder of Chicago-based Being Tea  | FEATURE INTRO: This week Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard travels to Chicago, where Suzette Hammond, founder of the Being Tea school, describes an expanded eight-month course on how to be a brilliant tea educator. Hammond recognized a gap in tea training: tea professionals are not taught how to teach how to deliver meaningful programs in a small group or one-on-one. Teaching the Tea Teachers – Small business owners are a large percentage of Suzette Hammond's students. Tamina Monchi, who is the founder of Mythaga tea in Nairobi, Kenya, is someone who came to the program as a certified tea sommelier, one of the first in East Africa. So she has a really deep tea background; a lot of it was in field research and understanding tea cultivation, says Hammond. She didn't intend to create a small tea business, but it just kind of happened in the pandemic. "I remember her saying to me that when she was getting started, it hadn't occurred to her how important education would be, how in order to actually sell the tea that she would have to train people. It was something that had not come up for her. She was just so excited to make these learnings, these connections happen in real time. And so seeing that light bulb moment go off — that at every point she'd be training people — that was really awesome to see."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Food Safety is in the Spotlight | Tea Bushes Globally are Taking a Beating this Spring Due to Climate Change | The UK Tea Academy Announces “The Leafies,” a Whole Leaf Tea Competition | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz is at home in Winnipeg, Canada celebrating the 6th Anniversary of the magazine’s launch and asking readers, ‘What comes next?’ Learning by Listening - Six years ago today, after a sleepless night, I learned that Kickstarter donors in 36 countries had pledged $128,107 in donations to fund Tea Journey magazine, making Tea Journey the third-highest of 1,098 Kickstarter crowdfunded periodicals.  Hundreds of articles that have since appeared in the print edition, smartphone app, and website enabled tea enthusiasts to travel to tea gardens from Argentina to Zimbabwe, walk the terraces, watch tea being made, read the sampling notes of professional tasters, study the latest medical findings, and download culinary recipes.  “Think of us as a digital caravan that travels to the tea lands and returns laden with artisan tea and stories to tell,” I wrote, describing Tea Journey as a magazine for tea enthusiasts, embracing the story of tea in every language with authoritative, elusive, exclusive articles, photos, and videos to help readers discover their tea destiny.  Tea Journey has charted a course with lots of advice from a loyal following, but we need additional insights to expand our audience. Therefore, we ask that you complete a 2.5-minute online survey available on the website and social network and via email. Your response will guide the design of an online portal revealed in the next few weeks. - Dan BoltonSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Coca-Cola Discontinues the Iconic Honest Tea Brand | The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization says that Embracing Sustainable Agriculture is Essential for Tea Smallholders | Starbucks Exits the Russian Market after 15 years, closing 130 locations | GUESTS – Denise Atkinson and Marc Bohémier, co-founders of Tea Horse in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada | FEATURE INTRO – Jessica Natale Woollard travels to the northern shores of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada, where Anishinaabe tea blenders of the First Nation’s Obijwe clan combine locally harvested wild rice with imported Japanese sencha to create roasted wild rice genmaicha. They call the roasted rice blend manoomin cha (wild rice tea). Canada’s Version of Genmaicha with an Indigenous Twist – In Japan, it’s called genmaicha; in Korea, hyeonmi-cha. Canada’s version of tea blended with Canadian wild rice is called manoomin cha. Jessica Natale Woollard chats with Tea Horse proprietors Denise Atkinson and Marc Bohémier about their new Canadian version of roasted rice in three flavors: ManoominCha, ManoominCha Dark, and Manoominaabo Tisane.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Let’s All Celebrate International Tea Day | The Tea Day Sofa Summit is Monday, May 23 | Global Instability is Suppressing East African Tea Prices  | NEWSMAKER – Sneha Balasubramaniam, Head of Marketing and Innovation at Tata Consumer Products | FEATURE INTRO – This week Tea Biz travels to Montvale, New Jersey to the headquarters of Good Earth Tea a division of Tata Consumer Products that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with a revival of two beloved teas.Good Earth Tea Celebrates 50th Anniversary – The Good Earth brand was founded in 1972 by a Santa Cruz-based herbal tea company that supplied tea to a local restaurant that expanded into a chain of 50 franchises. The brand experimented with herbal blends during its first two decades, producing more than 40 varieties. Tata acquired the company in 2005 and relocated offices to New Jersey.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES: Tea Value Surges as Production Slows in China | International Tea Day is May 21. The Sofa Summit is on May 23 | Dan Bolton explains People’s Picky Preferences in Tea at an International Tea Day webinar hosted by the European Speciality Tea Association on Wednesday, May 18. Register free: https://specialityteaeurope.com/webinars | NEWSMAKER – Ian Chun is a Japanese tea merchant, marketer, and CEO of Matcha Latte Media in Tokyo.  | FEATURE INTRO – Japan set a record for tea exports in 2021. This week, Tea Biz travels to Tokyo to discuss with Yunomi Life founder Ian Chun Japan’s resurgent tea export market and the remarkable story of the hand-rolled green tea that brought two million yen at auction. Japan's Tea Export Strategy is Working – Ian Chun founded Yunomi Life, an online platform showcasing 170 small-scale Japanese tea farms with a mission to put Japanese culture into the hands of consumers around the world. Farmers recently auctioned a kilo of Saemidori sencha for a record 1.96 million yen. In this segment, Ian describes the handmade needles and taste profile of the Saemidori cultivar, a Yabukita cross first bred in 1969 and registered in 1990.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Resumes Tea Shipments to the Russian Federation | COVID Surge Makes Tea Packing Unpredictable| Special Report: Beyond Tea Cuisine | GUESTS – Brand owners Nikita Mittal, Dhiraj Arora & Priti Sen Arora, Anubha Jawar, tea producers and industry veterans, Jagjeet Kandal, Vikram Gulia, Atul Asthana, Ajay Jalan, Raj Barooah, and Rajah Banerjee | FEATURE INTRO – This week Tea Biz returns to Bengaluru where South Asia Editor and Producer Aravinda Anantharaman concludes a two-part series on Realigning the Marketing of Indian Tea with the questions needed to solve the mammoth task of rebranding the industry as it coaxes consumers in the domestic market to drink higher quality tea. Realigning the Marketing of Indian Tea – In Part 2 of our story on Realigning the Marketing of Indian Tea, we speak to various stakeholders in the industry, including brand owners and tea producers and industry veterans. We also have Ramya Ramamurthy, author of Branded in History offering her views on nostalgia as a marketing trope in tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Health Symposium Reveals a Plethora of Science-based Benefits of Tea | COVID-Influenced Consumer Behaviors Present New Opportunities for the Tea Industry | Sri Lanka Tea Exports Decline 10% | GUEST – Jagjeet Kandal, country head, IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Bengaluru, where South Asia Editor and Producer Aravinda Anantharaman begins a two-part series on Realigning the Marketing of Indian Tea. Realigning the Marketing of Indian Tea – India produces 20% of the world’s tea. Production, however, has stagnated for years. Costs are up prices flat. Professional tasters report sharp declines in quality. Marketing tea to domestic consumers is complicated -- but promising. Indians consume 90% of the tea grown there but mainly purchase lower grades. Per capita consumption is modest at 840 grams due to a preference for tea in blends, but tea is stocked in every household, and Indians drink two cups per day. Until recently, India exported virtually all its best teas. Tea discovery is discouraged as imports from China, Taiwan, and Japan are expensive due to high tariffs, but rising affluence is overcoming these obstacles. Indian legislators are currently considering a draft Tea (Promotion and Development) Bill to remove colonial-era provisions regulating tea and re-direct the Tea Board of India’s resources to expand existing markets and promote tea domestically.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Snarls in Logistics and Cool Weather Slow China's Tea Harvest | Crisis in Sri Lanka Worsens | Shizuoka Hand-Rolled Tea Brings a Record 1.96 million Yen at Auction | GUEST – Jane Pettigrew, BEM, author, educator, consultant, and founder of the UK Tea Academy | FEATURE INTRO – Jane Pettigrew describes the remarkable evolution of the UK Tea Academy into an innovative global tea education resource that has emerged from the chaos of COVID-19 Online Adaptations Enhance and Expand Tea Education – By Dananjaya Silva | PMD Tea The United Kingdom Tea Academy is recognized as a world authority for online tea education. Staffed by professional tutors, the Academy offers courses from beginner to advanced. I sit down with the Director of Studies, Jane Pettigrew, who is a leading author and speaker on tea, along with Suranga Perera, the chief instructor of the Ceylon tea program, who counts over 20 years of experience in tea and is the former CEO of Ceylon tea brokers PLC.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The Heightened Urgency of Earth Day 2022 | Smallholders Now Own Rwanda’s Largest Tea Factory | The Mombasa Tea Auction Completes its Switch to Digital  | GUEST – Maksym Malygin, owner of Ukraine's Zhornyna Experimental Tea Garden  | FEATURE INTRO – This week, Tea Biz travels to Ukraine, where tea grower Maksym Malygin produces tasty oolongs from cold-resistant plants whose ancestors survived decades of heavy snow during prolonged winters at temperatures as low as 26 degrees below zero Celsius. Ukraine's Cold Weather Tea – Virtually all the world’s tea is grown between latitudes 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the equator. Rising temperatures in this narrow band threaten tea yields and force growers to consider planting “upslope” at higher elevations where cooler temperatures prevail. Unfortunately, subtropical tea cultivars perish in a hard frost, expected above 7,500 feet. At the Zhornyna Experimental Tea Plantation in Western Ukraine, Maksym Malygin successfully grows tea plants under forest cover that have survived heavy snow during prolonged winters at temperatures 26 below zero Celsius.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A Global Recession Looms | A Realignment of the Orthodox Tea Supply Chain is Underway | Assam to Open First High Schools for Children of Tea Workers | GUEST – Korangani Tea Estate planter and mechanical engineer Ranjit Chaliha | FEATURE INTRO – In this installment of Frugal Innovations, Tea Biz travels to Assam, India, to meet planter and mechanical engineer Ranjit Chaliha who describes the Varun, a device named after the Hindi God of Wind that recirculates heated exhaust to conserve energy and eliminate the inconsistencies in tea dryers that lower tea quality. Achieving Consistency and Efficiency in Drying Tea – The Model Tea Factory at Tocklai was constructed during Ranjit Chaliha's tenure as chairman of the engineering subcommittee of India's Tea Research Association. During this time he began experimenting with equipment to recirculate exhaust in the factory's tea dryers. At an engineering symposium on tea machinery in 1998, Chaliha presented a paper describing the benefits of recirculating exhaust air. He based his findings on experiments and filed for a patent. A dozen years later, he was finally awarded recognition for his innovation, Varun, a device that reduces inconsistencies in drying tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Tea Harvest is Under Duress | China faces a Qing Ming Quandary | Tea and Productivity are Twinned  | NEWSMAKER – Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Mr. Jayampathy Molligoda | FEATURE INTRO – This week Tea Biz travels to Sri Lanka where London-based correspondent Dananjaya Silva speaks with the chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board about its decision to pursue a Geographical Indication by the European Union. GI status affords global trade protection under the World Trade Organization and officially recognizes the authenticity of the Ceylon brand. Why Sri Lanka is Seeking Geographical Indication Status for its Ceylon Tea – Sri Lanka has been producing tea for well over 150 years marketed under the brand name Ceylon tea. Today the Sri Lankan tea board is looking to pursue GI Geographical Indication status for its much fame product. GI indication is a seal of authenticity used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or reputations that are due to that origin. Correspondent Dananjaya Silva sat down with Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Mr. Jayampathy Molligoda to discuss how the tea board is pursuing GI status and what this means for prices for producers and for the nation's tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – American Consumers say The Worst of the Coronavirus Pandemic has Passed | Expect Strong Venture Capital Support for Retail in 2022 | Join Tea Biz "On the Floor" at World Tea Conference + Expo| PLUS listen to how the Boba Guys are Building a Gateway to Tea | NEWSMAKER – Andrew Chau, co-founder and CEO Boba Guys, bubble tea shops in San Francisco. Los Angeles and New York City | FEATURE INTRO – This week Tea Biz traveled to Las Vegas for the World Tea Conference + Expo where Boba Tea CEO Andrew Chau, a featured speaker, explains how relentless attention to quality elevated a simple mix of milk tea and tapioca to a $3 billion global segment that is enticing a generation of non-tea drinkers to give tea a try. 'We Really Push the Envelope for Quality' – Boba Guys make their drinks with natural fruit, real milk, real foamed cheese, raw sugar, and natural tea, brewed from loose-leaf oolong and other quality varietals and served with tapioca balls made in their factory. The bustling chain, now with 20 locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City, was co-founded by Andrew Chau and Bin Chen. | ON THE FLOOR at World Tea Conference + Expo – Mackenzie Bailey is On the Floor with the Tea Biz podcast at the 20th anniversary of the World Tea Conference + Expo. She reports a high level of excitement with tea vendors, customers, and attendees of the adjacent Bar and Restaurant Expo. Mackenzie spoke with several tea vendors about how the event unfolded.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Russia and India Pursue Sanction Workarounds for Tea | Tea Party at the Top of the World | Tea Biz Previews the 20th Anniversary World Tea Expo  | GUEST – Rajiv Lochan, founder of Lochan Tea and owner of the Doke Tea Estate in Bihar, India | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Siliguri, India to speak with Rajiv Lochan, founder of the Doke Tea Estate in Bihar, a non-traditional tea growing region bounded by West Bengal, Sikkim, and Nepal. Lochan’s marketing mastery has literally put Bihar on the official map of India’s tea-growing regions. The Rise of New Tea Growing Regions –India proudly claims Assam and Darjeeling, two of the world’s most famous tea-growing regions. Yet neither grew tea until 175 years ago and it took 50 years to achieve scale. Today Indian consumers drink 90% of the tea it produces. It is only recently that domestic consumption surpassed exports and the expansion of tea lands. Growing regions are inherently blessed with tea-enhancing terroir, but ideal soil conditions, altitude, and micro-climate still require the pioneering vision and gritty persistence of growers like Rajiv to achieve their potential. Rajiv graduated from university in 1973 with a master's degree in organic chemistry. He spent his early career managing established gardens where the skills he developed in cultivating award-winning teas were complemented by his efficient management. In 1998, the Indian government, noticing the strong growth in domestic sales, issued permits to expand tea lands. Adhering to biodynamic principles, Lochan planted drought-resistant cultivars in the loamy soil along the Doke River. He now produces green, white, and oolong teas and black fusion, a blend of Assam and Darjeeling teas. It took him 10 years to acquire and consolidate smaller plots into the Doke Tea Estate.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Beverage Multinationals Suspend Operations in Russia | Once Unleashed, Sanctions Have an Unpredictable Bite | Extreme Winter Transitions to a Gentle Spring   | NEWSMAKER – Ian Gibbs, chairman since 2016 of the International Tea Committee   | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to the UK offices of the International Tea Committee, where Chairman Ian Gibbs describes several immediate and possibly long-term impacts on the global tea trade - stemming from the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.   Payment Concerns Further Disrupt Tea Supply Chain – During a period of upheaval caused by the pandemic, the tea industry’s newest worries include guaranteeing payment for containers of tea without violating sanctions while booking scarce carriers for shipments to the Russian Federation and Ukraine. As the ruble’s value collapsed, Russian tea buyers accustomed to favorable credit terms now find it difficult to secure the financing needed to pay upfront, according to Ian Gibbs, chairman since 2016 of the International Tea Committee (ITC). Gibbs predicts a dip – but not a significant drop in the volume of tea shipped to the world’s third most valuable tea market. In 2020 the Russian Federation imported 142,000 metric tons of tea valued at more than $400 million and produced 4,000 metric tons of its tea, grown in Southern Russia along the coast of the Black Sea near Sochi.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Russian Invasion Roils Tea Trade | Duncans Troubled Tea Gardens are Bought Out of Bankruptcy | The Pandemic Transformed Tea Tourism, a TEAIN22 Forecast | NEWSMAKER – Anil Cooke, managing director and CEO of Asia Siyaka Commodities  | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Colombo, Sri Lanka to assess the impact of the war in Ukraine on one of the Russian Federation’s most important tea trading partners. Correspondent Dananjaya Silva spoke with veteran exporter Anil Cooke, managing director and CEO of Asia Siyaka Commodities. Cooke's insights offer clarity amid a fast-changing crisis that is disturbing global harmony in tea. Sri Lanka's Close Ties to Russia and Ukraine –Russia, which annually imports 150,000 metric tons of tea faces an unprecedented combination of payment and logistics barriers that are already interrupting supply. The combined resolve of governments condemning the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has created uncertainty over prompt clearance of payments. Sanctions that exclude Russian banks from the SWIFT global payment system and threats to the liquidity of Russia’s Central Bank led to a severe devaluation of the ruble making tea imports far more costly. In addition, closing airspace and the collective refusal of the world’s shipping companies to deliver or receive goods pose severe barriers to the movement of tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Tea Industry Can Help Transform the Global AgriFood System | Domestic Demand Drives Bangladesh’s Surge in Production | Tea Biz Recounts 2021’s Advances in Health & Wellness, a TEAIN22 Forecast.  | GUEST – Mike Bunston, OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), is chairman of the London Tea History Association, honorary chairman of the International Tea Committee, and serves as Sri Lanka’s Tea Ambassador.  | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to the Tea History Collection in the UK, where Bernadine Tay discusses modern innovation in tea with taster extraordinaire Mike Bunston.  Tea Taster Extraordinaire Mike Bunston’s First Taste of Bubble Tea –Mike Bunston recently visited the Tea History Collection in Banbury, Oxfordshire, to videotape a tasting of modern teas, including milk tea, a Jasmine-Mango fruit tea, and his first taste of bubble tea. Charlie Shortt, a co-founder of the Tea History Collection, organized the tasting and narrated this exchange. Bunston then spoke with Bernadine Tay, founder of Quinteassential Teas, sharing his insights on modern tea innovation. “I think what people can do nowadays, with modern technology and all the bright ideas people have, all things are possible,” said Bunston.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Globally, Tea Consumption is Regaining its Momentum | West Lake Longjing Digital Authentication Launches March 1  | Tea Acquisitions, and Mergers Were Few in 2021, a TEAIN22 Forecast   | GUEST – Christine Folch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University in North Carolina   | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to Duke University in North Carolina, where Jessica Woollard explores the cultural underpinnings and growing interest in drinking Yaupon tea. Yaupon is made from the caffeinated leaves of a species of holly tree native to the Americas. Close relatives include Yerba Mate and Guayusa.  The Cultural Heritage of Yaupon – What makes one beverage more popular than another? What makes a beverage take hold at one moment in history over another? Christine Folch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University in North Carolina, explores these questions through her research on three beverages of the ilex, or holly, genus: yerba matte, yaupon, and guayusaSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Restaurants are Clawing Back to Normal | Nepal Tea Exports Plunge | Tea is a Bit Tepid in Grocery, a TEAIN22 Forecast  | NEWSMAKER – Elizeth R.S. van der Vorst, Consultora de Negócios do Chá, Certified TAC Tea Sommelier | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to South America where tea lovers from across Brazil are organizing the country’s first Tea Culture Week scheduled for early August 2022. Amigos dos Cha founder Elizeth R.S. van der Vorst, Eli to her friends, and Yuri Hayashi, founder of Escola de Chá Embahú in São Paulo announced the event. Eli joins us this week to discuss tea culture in Brazil.  Brazil Announces a National Celebration of Tea Culture –Tea Culture Week, scheduled for August 1-7, 2022 will feature online and in-person activities across the country. Retailers, marketers, tea educators, and volunteer enthusiasts have been planning the event for months according to Eli. Events include special tastings, formal afternoon tea, gift offers, and discounts to encourage sampling as well as public presentations, workshops, and gatherings in parks and tea houses. The more than 200 million people living in Brazil, a country hard-hit during the pandemic, are traversing a familiar path as health-conscious consumers seek plant-based foods and beverages. During the period 2013 to 2020 tea consumption increased 25%, “almost double the world average of 13%” according to market research firm Euromonitor. In the past five years specialty tea cafes and franchised tea emporiums have flourished, says Eli.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Finlays’ and Firmenich Partner in Tea and Coffee | Japan Tea Exports Rise to New Record | Nothing is Normal in Tea Logistics, a TEANIN22 Forecast | PLUS The IDH Roadmap to a Living Wage| NEWSMAKER – Judith Fraats, senior program manager IDH, the sustainable trade initiative| FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where Judith Fraats, senior program manager at IDH, the sustainable trade initiative, discusses the IDH living wage roadmap and how tea companies can ensure a living wage for workers at every link of the supply chain.IDH Roadmap to a Living Wage –A sustainable future in tea depends on a shared responsibility among stakeholders to assure living wages (for workers) and a living income for smallholders. Last fall, Netherlands-based IDH, the sustainable trade initiative, introduced the Living Wages Roadmap, a platform, online wage matrix, and guide to help businesses assess potential wage gaps along their supply chain. Case studies show that companies that pay a living wage to achieve greater productivity, less turnover, and a competitive marketing advantage by improving the quality of life for workers.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Intestinal Bacteria Tied to Low COVID Deaths | Food Inflation Eases | Trade and Tariffs Boost Globalization, a TEAIN2022 forecast | PLUS BRÜ Debuts at CES | ISTA Specialty Tea Standards | NEWSMAKER – BRÜ Maker One inventor Bogdan Krinitchko | GUEST – Andrew McNeill, International Specialty Tea Association | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to Zurich, Switzerland, where BRÜ co-founder Bogdan Krinitchko describes the Consumer Electronics Show debut of his award-winning specialty tea brewer…and then to Tucson, Arizona, where the International Specialty Tea Association announced it has developed evaluation protocols and assembled a panel of tasters who share a common lexicon and have calibrated their sensory expertise to consistently judge tea quality, based on the skill of its makers. BRÜ Maker One Debuts at CES –In November 2019, Kickstarter donors pledged 500,000 Swiss Francs to finance a startup specialty tea brewer designed by Swiss engineer Bodgan Krinitchko. Bodgan partnered with Filip Carlsberg to create BRÜ Maker One, an (internet of things) IoT device powered by smartphones that memorized settings for brew time, temperature, and water quantity. The single-cup brewer uses whole leaf tea, not capsules, with push-button convenience. After receiving 10,000 orders and a US patent, the machine is a reality three years later. Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, BRÜ won several awards for innovation and will begin shipping this spring. ISTA Reveals Tea Evaluation Protocols –The International Specialty Tea Association, working closely with Tucson-based ProSense Consumer Research, has completed a 14-month pilot to train and calibrate a panel of tea tasters with new protocols to evaluate the quality of a wide variety of specialty teas. The first full-panel descriptive analysis will be black tea due to its commercial importance and high variability. “Producers of black tea, new and old, are seeking a sustainable market for high-value, high-skill specialty products and need a system that recognizes and rewards tea makers for that effort.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya’s Price Floor is Sagging | Finlays’ Cites Tea in its Top Beverage Trends | The Pandemic Shuffles Tea Export Ranks, a TEAIN22 forecast.| GUEST – Aravinda Anantharaman, Tea Biz India Chief Correspondent India| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Bengaluru where India Chief Correspondent Aravinda Anantharaman reviews a momentous year for the tea industry in a country that produces 20% of the world’s tea. Her report is the sixth in the series of TEAIN22 year-end reviews and forecasts. | Reorganizing and Reinvigorating India’s Tea Sector –India’s tea industry in 2021 recovered from severe setbacks due to the pandemic. Production totals rebounded in 2021 but exports lagged as global prices fell and logistics costs soared. A shortage of containers led to high freight costs. Export volume declined to a five-year low of fewer than 200 million kilos. Kenya undercut prices at auction for commodity black teas. Fortunately, India’s domestic demand remains firm, consuming 75% of locally grown tea. The year saw the pilot of the Japanese auction model, now named the Bharat auction, that launched in South India in January. Tea Board of India Chairman PK Bezboruah reports that high-quality teas are sold at a 150% premium over medium-quality teas. “The path forward for the organized sector is to focus on quality. Therein shines the silver lining,” he told the Times of India. Tea Biz asked tea industry stakeholders Anshuman Kanoria, Chairman, Balaji Agro International, Head of India Tea Exporters Association and owner of Tindharia, Goomtee and Jungpana gardens in Darjeeling; and Pranav Bhansali, managing partner, Bhansali & Co., what to expect in 2022.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Draft Tea Act Redefines India’s Tea Board Mission | A Global Tea Harvest Review, a TEAIN22 Forecast | BOH Malaysia Named Tea Brand of the Year| NEWSMAKER – Jason McDonald, tea farmer and founder/CEO of The Great Mississippi Tea Company| GUEST – Kyle Whittington, founder Tea Book Club| FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to the state of Mississippi, where tea farmer and founder/CEO Jason McDonald of The Great Mississippi Tea Company discusses the economics of mechanical harvesting following a two-year trial of selective harvesting equipment. Then to London, where Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington offers a modern take on the century-old classic The Book of Tea, published in 1906 by Okakura Kakuzō with an introduction rich in detail and context by Bruce Richardson. The Economics of Small Scale Mechanization –Inspired by The Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina, Jason McDonald decided to plant a tea garden amid the timber on his 289-acre farm in Lincoln County, Mississippi, where a combination of high heat, humidity, acidic soil, and ample rainfall is ideally suited to tea. In 2012 McDonald planted a test plot, making his first tea in 2015. In 2018 the tea garden produced sufficient quantities to begin selling to the public. McDonald has since diligently researched all aspects of the industry, enlisting horticultural, sustainability, manufacturing, and machine professionals to develop harvesting and automated tea processing equipment at scale. During the past two years, the farm conducted field trials with a selective mechanical harvester to produce 250 to 350 kilos of made tea annually. McDonald shares cost savings, a boost in yield, and leaves suitable for making specialty and mid-grade teas with readers.The Book of Tea, a review by Kyle Whittington –For a book that is well over a century old, The Book of Tea remains a classic and a book that is well worth re-reading from time to time. There are so many editions out there, variously with introductions by tea aficionados, scholars, and masters of the last hundred plus years. Some editions are particularly aesthetically pleasing to add to the tea bookshelf. However, the edition I always recommend is the one with the introduction by Bruce Richardson. Bruce’s exceptionally well-researched introduction into the life and times of Okakura is fascinating and helps to contextualize The Book of Tea. Additionally, the fantastic photos and illustrations help bring both the book and Okakura’s period of history to life.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Conducts its First Bharat Tea Auction | DNA Disqualifies Five in Lugu Farmers’ Tea Contest | RTD Tea by Volume Continues a Five-Year Slide, a TEAIN22 Forecast | NEWSMAKER – Dr. Nada Milosavljevic, a Harvard-trained physician and faculty member at Harvard Medical School and founder of the integrative health program at Massachusetts General Hospital.| FEATURES: This week, Tea Biz travels to Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, where Jessica Natale Woollard discusses the medicinal power of tea with Dr. Nada Milosavljevic. Nada will deliver the keynote address on food as medicine at the 7th Global Tea Initiative Colloquium on Jan. 13, an all-day online event hosted by the University of California, Davis. The Medicinal Power of Tea –"My journey began in 2007 working with patients—they ranged from teens to young adults to adults—I realized that many of the medications that we use, which are beneficial, can save lives, but some of them have specific side effects. And I found out that there were several natural compounds, tea being one, that can play a role as a preventive or something that can be used as adjunctive therapy and serve a healthful purpose. That’s where a lot of my research began, looking into not just tea, but other herbs as well, and the synergistic and additive effect they can have for optimal health, and certainly from a preventive standpoint, if someone wants to start using something even earlier, to put themselves on a healthy trajectory." – Dr. Nada MilosavljevicSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Omicron Cancels Restaurant Reservations | Tea Sales in Foodservice Continue to Decline, a TEAIN22 forecast | Sri Lanka Barters $5 Million a Month in Tea to Settle Iranian Oil Debt| GUEST – Research scientists Nigel Melican, founder Teacraft, and President of the European Speciality Tea Association | FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to the Republic of Ireland to visit Teacraft founder and research scientist Nigel Melican. Melican explains the necessity of mechanical tea harvesting and describes an innovation in two-person harvesters that features a rotating head that simulates a “selective” pluck without shearing leaves. Tea Mechanization Must be Well Managed –Nigel Melican is a career research scientist, founder of Teacraft technology consultancy, and President of the European Speciality Tea Association. He has monitored advances in harvesting technology for more than 40 years, from crude shears and reciprocating blades to the next generation “selective” harvesters capable of discerning and plucking (not shearing) only those shoots consisting of two leaves and a bud. Virtually all crops are being mechanically harvested now, explains Melican. Given the cost and shortage of labor and the growing demand for tea, there’s no other way that you can make commodity tea commercially viable, says Melican.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Bulk and Specialty Tea Prices Diverge, a TEAIN22 Forecast | France to Pay €1 Million to Certify Ceylon Tea | Bids total $8 Million HDK at Sotheby’s Inaugural Tea Auctions| NEWSMAKERS – Shekib Ahmed of Koliabur Tea Estate, Assam, India and Abhijeet Hazarika @TeaSigma | GUEST – Mary Cotterman, founder Mary Cotterman Pottery, Asheville, North Carolina, USA| FEATURES – This week, Tea Biz travels to Asheville, NC, to meet teaware potter and ceramist Mary Cotterman, who discusses the artisan spirit and state of mind of those embracing native clay and how COVID-19 lockdowns focused her attention like a monk.Then, to Assam, India, to hear Part 2 of the series Frugal Innovation. In this segment, Aravinda Anantharaman explores the application of Frugal Innovation in the tea garden and factories. Shekib Ahmed of Koliabur Tea Estate explains that "Objective data changes the conversation in the factory from vague concepts to thresholds and parameters. It makes operations scientific so that we can improve.”Born from Mud –In 2015 Mary moved to China to learn from the old masters how to make clay teapots in the style of Chaozhou Gongfu and to speak Mandarin. She spent two years there learning from a master in the Beijing school, becoming the first westerner to throw shou la hu teapots. She next studied at the Sanbao International Ceramics Village in Jingdezhen, the home of porcelain for 1700 years. She returned to the US in 2018 and makes her home in Asheville, North Carolina, where you will find her crafting water jars, pitchers, teacups, celadon gaiwans, and ash-glazed Japanese-style Kyusu teapots in a wood-fired kiln. - By Dan BoltonFrugal Innovation: In the Garden and Factories –Embracing Simple Technology with Scalable Impact | Frugal innovations utilize simple technology to address the most vexing challenges facing the tea industry. It's an umbrella term for innovations that do not require much capital, carry a low financial risk, and can be done safely with high reliability. For an industry that’s been grappling with multiple challenges, frugal innovation is a low-risk and impactful option, spearheaded by an industry veteran with an eye for innovation. For every successful experiment, many fail, but these are essential to the process that begins with the question, “What if…?" - By Aravinda AnantharamanSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

| Hear the Headlines ― Economic Forecasters Predict Higher Tea Prices in 2022 | The Rush of Holiday Orders is Easing - Now a Delivery Crisis has Emerged | German Tea Drinkers Set a Consumption Record Last Year Despite Lockdowns | PLUS Frugal Innovation, Part 1| Guests ― Abhijeet Hazarika, @TeaSigma, Saurav Berlia, LR Group (Berlia Fresh Foods & Beverages) and Shekib Ahmad, managing director Koliabur Tea Estate.| Features ― This week Tea Biz travels to Assam, India to explore "Frugal Innovations" that utilize simple technology to address some of the most vexing challenges facing the tea industry. In Part 1 of the series, Aravinda Anantharaman talks with Abhijeet Hazarika @TeaSigma, an IT analyst and former head of process innovation at Tata Global Beverages, and visits with growers Saurav Berlia and Shekib Ahmad on cost-efficient experiments and pilots that demonstrate why tea producers should embrace simple technologies with scalable impact.Frugal Innovation: Introducing Technology into the Value Chain ― There are few entry barriers to tea. It does not demand heavy infrastructure. But the complaint from smallholders selling raw leaf to large-scale tea producers operating multiple factories is that farmgate prices are not commensurate with costs. Quiet work underway in India is yielding encouraging results that lower the cost of tea production, improve quality, and ease a shortage of labor. At the same time, the economics of the tea trade is shifting from oversupply to scarcity. Demand is expected to exceed production in 2021 and a deficit of tea is expected through 2023, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Globally tea prices increased $0.21 cents per kilo since the beginning of 2021, up 7.3%, according to Trading Economics. Abhijeet Hazarika, IT analyst @TeaSigma and former head of process innovation at Tata Global Beverages, observed that “Tea is not a very high profit yielding commodity and will not be so in the foreseeable future until some tech breakthrough happens.” The frugal innovations described in this series, combined with higher prices may herald that breakthrough.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Ekaterra Tea Underway | India Steps up Efforts to Halt Illegal Imports | Chinese Archaeologists Discover Oldest Tea Yet | NEWSMAKER – John Davison, CEO ekaterra tea | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Singapore for a conversation with John Davison, CEO of ekaterra tea, soon to be the largest tea company in the world. Ekaterra is currently a division of Unilever that houses 34 tea brands including Lipton, PG Tips, TAZO, Brooke Bond, Pukka, and Red Rose. In November CVC Capital Partners, a multi-billion private equity firm headquartered in Luxembourg, paid $5.1 billion for ekaterra tea, outbidding several competitors and establishing a valuation based on 14x earnings before taxes and depreciation. Regulatory and antitrust reviews will take six months to complete. Ekaterra's First Steps – John Davison joined Unilever in March 2021 to carve out the company’s underperforming tea portfolio. Davison discusses the urgency of improving tea quality and adopting sustainable initiatives along the entire supply chain. Listen to his plans for reenergizing the world's largest tea company.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – In the Black: Holiday Sales are Surging | CVC Capital Pays $5.1 Billion for Unilever’s Tea Portfolio | A Climate Change Adaptation Essential for Tea | NEWSMAKER – Evy Chen, founder of newly rebranded Evy Tea, Boston, Mass.| GUEST - Kym Cooper, co-founder of East Forged tea in Brisbane, Australia.| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Brisbane, Australia where East Forged Tea co-founder Kym Cooper reminds us that innovation need not be at the expense of the timeless taste of tea. East Forged preserves that taste ― with no sugar, coloring, or artificial flavoring ― in a convenient, slightly fizzy, nitro-infused, cold-brewed iced tea that pours a craft-brew-like head of foam. … and then to Boston, Mass. to learn how Evy Chen, facing an 82% decline in foodservice sales of her signature cold-brewed tea, reformulated, rebranded, and relaunched online as a successful direct-to-consumer brand. The Timeless Taste of TeaEast Forged tea co-founder Kym Cooper explains that innovation need not be at the expense of the timeless essence of tea. East Forged preserves tea’s delicate taste ― by avoiding sugar, coloring, or artificial flavoring ― in a convenient, slightly fizzy, nitro-infused, cold-brewed iced tea that pours a craft-brew-like head of foam.Resilient & Resourceful: Evy ChenIn 2020 US restaurant and foodservice sales fell by $240 billion placing unprecedented stress on food and beverage suppliers. Evy’s Tea, a pioneering cold-brewed, ready-to-drink tea manufactured in Boston since 2014 nearly failed when the pandemic altered long-established consumer buying habits. Short on money and with a skeletal staff, founder Evy Chen’s resourcefulness led her to develop a tea concentrate in cans, enabling the company to pivot online as a direct-to-consumer brand now known as Evy Tea. Chen’s story is the first in a series of articles describing how resilient individuals arrived at pandemic-inspired workarounds that exceeded expectations.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Climate Pact Boosts Morale but Will Momentum Build? | Tea Lowers Risk and Severity of Stroke| Golden Leaf Awards Return | NEWSMAKER – Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of the Tea Board of India | FEATURES – India’s highest levels of government are reforming the basic structure of agriculture. The intent is to loosen regulations on pricing and storage and to permit direct sales of produce. The rules have protected India's farmers from the free market for decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the reforms a "watershed moment" for Indian agriculture. In Part 2 of Aravinda Anantharaman’s Newsmaker Interview --- Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of the Tea Board of India, describes a new board mission to increase consumption, promote tea exports and expand markets at home and overseas. He also addresses discussions underway to transfer regulatory oversight of India’s tea industry from the Ministry of Commerce to Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry..Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Ekaterra Tea Pledges to be Net Zero at the UN Convention on Climate Change | Grocery Shoppers Say they are Willing to Pay for Sustainably Produced Foods | Inflation Demonstrates a Troubling Persistence | NEWSMAKER – Prabhat Bezboruah, Chairman of the Tea Board of India | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to India where the traditional tea plantation model is under regulatory scrutiny. The union government there is redrafting legislation from the 1950s to gradually loosen regulations, abandoning requirements that previously limited who could grow tea and where it could be grown. In Part 1 of this extended Newsmaker Interview, Aravinda Anantharaman speaks with Tea Board of India Chairman Prabhat Bezboruah to better understand the current situation and the economic and societal forces driving change.India Experiences a Very Bad Tea Year | Aravinda Anantharaman |The Tea Board of India has been in the news recently for various reforms that seem to be underway. We spoke to Prabhat Bezboruah chairman of the Tea Board of India to understand the changes that are brewing with the board as well as his views on how the Indian tea industry is faring this year. Bezboruah has been chairman since 2017. He is the first tea planter to hold this position.Next week, in Part 2, Bezboruah discusses high-level talks on transferring regulatory oversight of India’s Tea Industry from the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers WelfareSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A New Theory on How Green Tea Promotes Longevity | Bubble Tea Business is Frothing | Assam Smallholder Collective Launches National Brand| NEWSMAKER – SAMA Tea CEO Michael Parisi, co-founder 100.co | GUESTS – Rodo Vasilaki at Tofillo Farms, Crete, Greece | Rick Chang manager Xue Jian Oolong Tea, Miaoli, Taiwan | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Miami, Florida to the offices of SAMA Tea where CEO Michael Parisi uses artificial intelligence to create new functional blends. SAMS’s CLAIRE platform is programmed to discover whitespace for new tea products, provide marketing insights based on consumer behavior. It even lists trending ingredients to consider in formulating the company’s new line of adaptogenic teas…Then we Zoom called two of the winners of the AVPA’s 4th Teas of the World Contest, starting in Crete, Greece where Jessica Natale Woollard spoke to the family-owners of Tofillo Farms, gold medal winners in the botanicals category. Next, we visit Miaoli, Taiwan where five-medal winner Rick Chang at the Xue Jian Oolong Tea plantation where he produces authentic bug-bitten Oriental Beauty oolong.Delicious by Design | By Dan BoltonSAMA is an adaptogenic tea brand made delicious by design, according to CEO Michael Parisi, co-founder of 100.co an artificial intelligence platform used to parse millions of retail data signals such as product reviews and consumer beverage trends. Applying the insights gleaned from this vast reservoir led to the recent launch of four purpose-driven blends inspired by Ayurveda and crafted to help balance the mind, body, and heart. The teas are sold in samplers or by subscription. Parisi spoke with Tea Biz from Miami, via Zoom.AVPA's Gold Medal Winners | By Jessica Woollard and Dan BoltonHigh in the White Mountains on the island of Crete grows malotira, an ancient herb with small yellow flowers used to make Cretan Mountain Tea. Rodo Vasilaki and her husband and business partner Nikos Psyllakis grow the herb on 30-acres of family-run farms that are dotted across the island. Their Malotira Tea known locally as tsai tou vounou and by the Latin name Sideritis syriaca, won gourmet gold at the 4th AVPA Teas of The World contest. Another one of their teas, Pink Healer, featuring Cretan sage and pink rockrose, earned a “gourmet” distinction.Miaoli is a city of 89,000 nestled in the mountains of western Taiwan. The region is home to the Hakka, an indigenous tribe employed in the cultivation of tea since the early 1900s. Gardens in the area are famous for producing Oriental Beauty, an oolong that depends on the bite of the tea leafhopper to develop its honey fragrance and honeysuckle taste. Rick Chang manages Xue Jian, a tea plantation situated at 4,500 feet altitude that produces oolong and black tea. The company first competed in the AVPA contest 2018, winning a gold medal that year and at least one every year since.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Fairtrade International Predicts Growers Climate-Related Financial Disaster | Chemical Fertilizer Supplies Disrupted | Holiday Helpers Are in Short Supply| NEWSMAKER – Will Battle, author, consultant, and enthusiast for all things tea. Will trained as a taster in India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and Malawi and has 20 years of experience sourcing tea. He is the author of “The World Tea Encyclopaedia” and managing director of Fine Tea Merchants, Ltd., in Lincoln, England. | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Lincoln, England for a visit with Will Battle, author of “The World Tea Encyclopaedia” and managing director of Fine Tea Merchants, Ltd., a wholesale tea import and export venture that supplies tea merchants with mainstream offerings as well as rare teas and herbals.The Unique Cost of Producing Specialty TeaConsumers who pay a premium at retail for specialty tea often leave growers to foot the bill. The costs of producing the distinctive taste of the authentic, transparent, eco-friendly, clean-label formulations that are so popular with Millennial and Gen Z cohorts are significantly higher than what growers spend supplying conventional tea. A preference for chemical-free cultivation, third-party certifications, energy-efficient, carbon-neutral processing and transport, and recyclable and biodegradable packaging further erode margins along the length of the supply chain. This raises a fundamental question: Is anyone making money making specialty tea?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Abandons Fertilizer Ban for Tea | Kenya’s KTDA Sets a Minimum Price for Auctioned Tea | AVPA Announces Teas of the World Winners| NEWSMAKER – Harkirat ”Harki” Sidhu, Rainforest Alliance India’s Consulting Program Coordinator for Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Calcutta, India for an in-depth conversation with Harkirat (Harki) Sidhu, Rainforest Alliance India’s Consulting Program Coordinator for Sustainable Landscapes & Livelihoods. Harki is an expert in mechanical tea harvesters. He makes a compelling argument for improving tea quality utilizing labor hours that are gained by farms that invest in these time-saving machines.Mechanical Tea Harvesting Mechanical harvesting gets a bad rap. This is because poorly trained operators using poorly maintained equipment damage bushes, lowering yield and leaf quality. Simple routines such as level trimming in one direction in a single long sweep over half the plucking plane produces excellent leaf. Innovations like creating a seasonal calendar to regulate the gap between plucking rounds and paying workers for the area they shear, instead of by the kilo, keep yields high. Smallholders sharing equipment who then use the many hours of labor saved for field maintenance and to complete agricultural chores like pruning, mulching and weed abatement deliver raw leaf of exceptional quality to factories.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Food Inflation and Tea | Tea Cargo Woes Worsen | COVID Impact on Tea Market | GUEST – Kyle Whittington, TeaBookClub | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits London where Kyle Whittington reviews “Puer Tea, Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic” a meticulously researched cultural biography that reveals the intricacies of Pu’er. … and then to Yunnan, China, where ancient tea forests mark the origin of Pu’er, a tea experiencing a popular resurgence due to the pandemic. Puer Tea, Ancient Caravans and Urban Chic by Jinghong ZhangSitting on the academic end of the tea bookshelf, this is a fascinating and thoroughly well-researched foray into the complex and multi-faceted world of Pu’er tea. An anthropological study that explores the “cultural biography” of Puer tea, the ethnographic and anthropological research that has gone into this is book is exceptional and really opens the intricacies of Pu’er. And yet, despite being such an academic text it is entirely readable and utterly fascinating. The Popularity of Pu'erThe COVID outbreak in China triggered a surge in domestic sales of Pu’er along with teas blended with herbs associated with traditional Chinese medicine. In China, tea is viewed as essential to maintain the body’s natural healthy balance and improve immunity. Pu’er does not prevent infection by the novel coronavirus, but this fermented tea aids digestion concentrates polyphenols, and contains statins that lower cholesterol, which is why it is often prescribed to improve heart health. Pu’er also contains a very diverse makeup of bacteria to support gut health, according to medical research cited in the magazine Well+Good.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Announces Tea Industry Reforms | US Considers Exemptions to Chinese Tariffs | and a Tribute to Nepal Teamaker Morris Orchard | NEWSMAKER – Hiroshi Takatoh, founder Teatis Tea  | GUEST – Jolene Brewster, founder Jolene's Tea House | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Alberta, Canada, high in the Canadian Rockies to visit one of several Swiss-inspired tea houses designed to provide high-mountain trekkers shelter and warmth... and then we visit Tokyo, Japan to meet tech and tea entrepreneur Hiroshi Takatoh whose Teatis Tea blends of brown seaweed and matcha are formulated to help diabetics and pre-diabetics control high blood sugar levels. A Medicinal Tea from the Sea Tea has an ancient history of medicinal applications, many of which have been validated by scientific research. Joining us from Tokyo is Hiroshi Takatoh CEO, founder, and blender who, with his team of food scientists and doctors at Japan-based Teatis Tea, is exploring a blend of brown algae and matcha tea as medicine.  A High Mountain Haven The rugged Canadian Rocky Mountains thrust nearly 20,000 feet into the sky, a haven for hikers that inspired a unique style of high-mountain tea houses built to provide warmth and shelter along the trail. In Banff, Alberta, Tea Biz correspondent Jessica Natale Woollard visits Jolene’s Tea House - a refuge for mind and body.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya Exports Saturate the World’s Black Tea Market | COVID Depresses Japanese Tea Business in Unique Ways | Unilever is Recognized as the Top Food and Agriculture Benchmark  | NEWSMAKER – Mohit Agarwal Managing Director of the Asian Tea Group, owners of Cha de Magoma and the Monte Metilile brand  | GUEST – Supply chain and procurementexpert John Snell, principal at NM Tea B, Toronto | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travelsto Monte Metilile in Mozambique, a country along the southern coast of EastAfrica where Mohit Agarwal Managing Director of the Asian Tea Group has revived an abandoned 15,000-acre tea estate to demonstrate the viability of organic farming at scale... and then we talk with supply chain and procurement expert John Snell about what makes Mozambique such an exceptional tea-producing region.  Producing Organic Tea at Scale  Mozambique is the best-kept secret in the tea world, says Mohit Agarwal, Managing Director, the Asian Group. This growing region has beenhidden for centuries. With 6,325 acres under tea, Monte Metilile, located inGúruè, in Zambezia province, is the world’s largest bio-organic tea garden anda success story that demonstrates the many advantages of scale in producinggreat-tasting, high-quality, clean teas. “Farming organic at scale is applyingthe required size to solve the problem,"" he says.  Mozambique is God's Country for Tea A century ago, when the Portuguese first planted tea in Gúruè,Mozambique they found gentle, well-drained slopes of rich red volcanic soils at1,500 to 3,600 feet elevation – identical to the altitude of India’s Darjeelingmid-tier gardens. The climate is cool and dry from May to September and hot andhumid between October and April. Annual rainfall averages more than 3,000millimeters. By 1950 production exceeded 20,000 metric tons a year and there was more land under tea in Mozambique than any country in Africa."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Retail Forecasters Predict Happy Holidays | Restaurant Reticence is in Decline  | A Restructured DAVIDsTEA Expands into Pharmacies | NEWSMAKER – Subhasish Borah, Urbanist and Tea Enthusiast, Co-founder Folklore Tea, Guwahati, Assam | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Guwahati in Assam, India where the co-founders of Folklore Tea engage customers with an unusual level of intimacy.  Folklore Intimately Engages Tea Customers  Folklore Tea is anchored in storytelling. Marketing is simple and sincere. Packets are numbered with a handwritten note acknowledging the farmer who grew and hand-processed the company’s selection of small-batch Assamica wulongs and black teas, including premium organic CTC. The year-old artisan brand christens its teas with local words that carry a special meaning and includes in every packet an original poem describing the story of the tea.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"HEAR THE HEADLINES – Advent International Will Bid $4 Billion for Unilever’s Tea Portfolio | India Considers Halting Imports of Nepal Tea | Sales of Herbal Supplements in the US Reach a Record $10 Billion in 2020 | NEWSMAKER – Rainforest Alliance Director South Asia Madhuri Nanda  | GUEST – Caroline Giacomin, Ph.D., a physicist at ETH Zürich, Switzerland   | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to Switzerland to learn from ETH Zürich physicist Caroline Giacomin the physics of that colorful sheen that rises to the surface of black tea. Is tea scum just that or a revealing indication of goodness in the cup? … and then we travel to New Delhi, India where the Rainforest Alliance’s Madhuri Nanda reveals how practitioners of RA’s sustainable farming methods are evolving toward broader, more holistic ecosystems in Part 2 of our series on Regenerative Agriculture. The Physics of Black Tea Film Have you ever noticed a colorful sheen on the surface of your tea? It appears to break like ice floes in the arctic as the tea cools. Researchers once thought tea film was due to waxy substances contained in tea leaves released during steeping. That is not the case. The delicate film is an interfacial interaction of air, tea polyphenols, and calcium carbonate ions in water. It does not form on white, yellow, green, or lightly processed oolong teas, only black tea. In many parts of the world, soft water prevents the film from forming. Is tea film a fleeting glimmer of color to enjoy or an ugly scum to quickly dissipate with a squeeze of lemon. Caroline Giacomin, Ph.D, a physicist at ETH Zürich, Switzerland joins us to explain the physics of tea film from a study she and colleague Peter Fischer recently published in the Physics of Fluids.  Regenerative Agriculture: A Holistic Approach The Rainforest Alliance's Madhuri Nanda explains that while sustainable farming ensures that agricultural practices do not negatively impact and degrade the environmental, social, and economic aspects of the surrounding ecosystem ̶ the focus shifts in regenerative agriculture toward adopting a broader holistic approach that enhances biodiversity and improves soil health through increased microbial activities that build resilient systems capable of withstanding adverse climatic scenarios."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Tea Yields Feared to Decline | McLeod Russel Settlement Resolves Insolvency  | Bangladesh Tea Sector Returns to Pre-Pandemic Production Levels | NEWSMAKER – Tea History Collection Founder Denys Shortt, OBE   | GUEST – Henrietta Lovell, founder Rare Tea Co.  | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits with Rare Tea Lady Henrietta Lovell whose passion for tea is exceeded only by her commitment to bettering the lives of those who make it... and then we travel to Banbury, UK to learn how the Tea History Collection is digitizing tea history one tome at a time. Henrietta Leads the Way Since founding the Rare Tea Co., in London in 2004, Henrietta Lovell has traveled the globe sourcing direct for the world’s five-star dining rooms and developing relationships at the farm level where her commitment to fair pricing for the finest tea and charitable work set a standard. “If I can make people appreciate tea, it will change the world,” she says. Tea History Collection The Tea History Collection in Banbury, UK, founded by Denys Shortt OBE has hosted a full calendar of events since opening in May. This tea industry resource in now undertaking the daunting task of digitizing bound volumes recording the trademark and ownership of colonial gardens from the early days of tea. Listen as Shortt discusses the importance of preserving tea company heritage to be shared online by all.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Timely Tea Delivery is in Troubled Waters | Tea is Thriving in the Convenience Channel | Iran Tea Production is Up 25pct | NEWS - The disruption of global supply chains is getting worse. Container vessel reliability for tea shipments crossing the Pacific continued to decline this summer as prices reached new heights. The World Container Index for eight East-West routes rose to a composite cost of $9,613 for the week of August 19 – up 360% compared to the same period last year. Consignments of tea shipped from Shanghai to Rotterdam increased 659% to $13,698 last week. | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz puts Burmese chefs in the spotlight for their culinary contributions in tea... and then we travel to London where Unilever unveiled four guiding principles of regenerative agriculture a topic currently trending in tea. Tea Leaf Cuisine Pickled tea leaves may sound a bit out of the ordinary but not for Southeast Asian chefs. Burma, now known as Myanmar, is an ancient crossroads influenced by the cuisine of bordering Bangladesh, China, Thailand, and Laos. It is here that laphet became a national dish that is now finding its way to US and European consumers in branded packaged goods. Regenerative Agriculture Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber writes that “never before have the health of people and the health of the planet been so closely interconnected.”  Beginning this week, the Tea Biz Podcast and Blog undertakes a series of interviews with thought-leaders in tea from organizations such as the Rainforest Alliance, growers in Sri Lanka, where a nationwide ban on the import and manufacture of plant chemicals was instituted in May; and with multinationals like Unilever, a company with extensive tea holdings that recently unveiled its basic principals of regenerative agriculture. Today’s segment is a primer introducing the topic and asking the critical question: Can a world that has already eroded a third of the planet’s soils feed a population of 10 billion without intensive agricultural practices that rely on heavy inputs of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides necessary to sustain monoculture farming?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Afghan Tea Market Concerns as Taliban Conquers Kabul | US Foodservice Recovery Rates Vary Widely by Sector | Researchers Confirm Heart Healthy Aspects of Tea| NEWSMAKER – Anshuman Kanoria, principal at Balaji Agro International and chairman of the Indian Exporters Association | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits Darjeeling, India on word of the sale of the iconic Jungpana and Goomtee tea estates to Anshuman Kanoria, principal at Balaji Agro International and chairman of the Indian Exporters Association.… and then we travel to London where Kyle Whittington reviews The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, a novel by Lisa See.Restoring Darjeeling's Reputation from the Roots Up The sale of two iconic Darjeeling tea gardens last week drew attention on the ongoing challenges facing growers in this fabled tea-growing region. Jungpana (1931) and Goomtee (1899) were acquired by the Santhosh Kanoria Group, which owns the tea export company Balaji Agro International. The group also owns Tindharia estate in Darjeeling. Interestingly, Jungpana was last sold in 2017, a sale that came on the heels of the Gorka agitation in these hills. We spoke to Anshuman Kanoria, Chairman of Balaji Agro and, also Chairman of the Indian Exporters Association about this acquisition. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird LaneNew York Times best-selling author Lisa See has written several novels set in the tea lands. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, however, uniquely explores the mysterious world of Pu’er. Reviewer Kyle Whittington writes that See’s novel “consists of so many brilliant layers… for the tea reader this is a wonderful story, packed with great tea content that will either develop or ignite an interest in, and a desire to explore the world of Pu’er.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Delta Delivers Foodservice Setback | Why are Tea Tariffs Still in Place? | Tea Marathon Earns a Medal for Japan| NEWSMAKER – Philippe Juglar, President AVPA (Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products)| GUEST – Japanese Tea Marathon finisher Kyle Whittington, founder TeaBookClub| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits Japan for a victory celebration of the Tea Marathon, an event during the Tokyo Olympics that drew attention worldwide to 15 tea producing regions in a country famous for quality green teas… and then we travel to Paris, France as the deadline nears for a unique global competition in a tea consuming country that focuses on the gastronomic pleasure and profits of tea.Victory for Japanese Tea MarathonAs athletes from around the world competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, tea lovers participated in an event of their own: the Japanese Tea Marathon. The marathon included 15 days of online events that shone a spotlight on Japan's teas, producers, and the 15 tea-producing regions. Led by the Global Japanese Tea Association and Japan Tea Central Council, tea marathoners learned about 30 Japanese teas, how to brew them, and where they're grown. Kyle Whittington, a Tea Biz contributor and host of the TeaBookClub, attended every tea marathon event, tasting 30 teas over 15 sessions. He gives the event a gold medal!AVPA's Teas of the World Competition The deadline to enter the AVPA’s 4th annual Teas of the World Competition is Aug. 31. Our guest, Philippe Juglar is president of AVPA (Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products), a Paris-based, non-governmental, non-profit organization that judges wine, chocolate, coffee, and teas best suited to local preferences. He joins us to discuss what it takes to be a winner in the only “gastronomic” tea competition in a consumer country that evaluates tea solely to promote the good practices of production and trade.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Top Tea Producer McLeod Russell India Faces Bankruptcy | A Tea Authentication Protocol to Chemically Verify Origins | Soggy Soil Keeps Kulhads in Short Supply| NEWSMAKER – Rona Tison executive vice president of ITO EN North America | GUEST – World Tea Academy Online Education Director Lisa Boalt Richardson | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to New York where Rona Tison executive vice president of ITO EN North America explains the appeal of functional tea and introduces a new matcha LOVE ENERGY + line of ready-to-drink teas… and then to Boulder, Colo., headquarters of the World Tea Academy, where online education director Lisa Boalt Richardson describes the newest of six certification programs.Natural Tea Energy In the US the RTD segment is a battle of titans dominated by Lipton-PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Snapple, and AriZona -- but it is tea-focused brands like ITO EN that are innovating. Instead of concentrates and solubles, line extensions are brewed from whole leaves from tea that is sustainably grown and offered in recyclable packaging. Rona Tison, executive vice president at ITO EN North America joins Tea Biz for a discussion of what makes tea the ideal base for function-enhancing blends that appeal to health-conscious consumers. World Tea Academy OnlineTea industry certifications are becoming sought after in the industry. There are certifications for tea specialist, sommelier, blender, health expert, and now a tea aroma specialist, a new offering from the World Tea Academy. Joining Jessica Woollard on the podcast today is Lisa Boalt Richardson, online education director of the World Tea Academy, and Kathleen Hippeli – Lisa’s assistant and a former tearoom owner.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – India Tea Auction Mandate Chafes Producers | Smallholders Seek Higher Raw Leaf Minimums| Sharetea Ranks 6th Among Fastest Growing US Retail Chains| GUEST – Narendranath Dharmaraj, consultant and former plantation manager with Brooke Bond, Unilever, and Harrisons Malayalam | NEWSMAKER – Shabnam Weber, president Tea & Hearbal Association of Canada | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to India for an historical perspective on the Tea Board’s recent decision to enforce a controversial mandate that registered gardens sell at least half of the tea they produce at auction… and then to Toronto, Canada where Tea Biz continues its coverage on differentiating specialty tea with Shabnam Weber president of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada and a spokesperson for the Tea Association of the USA and Tea and Herbal Infusions Europe. Shabnam says that as an industry, “we should together be working on elevating the value of tea for the betterment of every part of the supply chain.” Tea Auction MandateThe Tea Board of India recently issued a circular mandating that 50% of the production from a garden must be sold via auctions. We ask Narendranath Dharmaraj, a veteran in the tea industry about his views on this, and what it means to the industry. Is Tea Divisible?Joining us today is Shabnam Weber, president of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada. In 2000 she co-founded the Tea Emporium, a chain of Canadian specialty tea shops. She served as a member the THAC board for many years before selling her company to lead the association. In this conversation she represents not only the Canadian tea industry, she is also spokesperson for the Tea Association of the USA and Tea and Herbal Infusions Europe, an apex group that in turn represents tea associations in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Austria, The Netherlands and several other European countries.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – The New Definition for Specialty Tea Gets Refined | Research Reveals That Children Benefit from Drinking Tea| and Unilever’s Tea Brand Divestiture is on Pace| GUEST – Kyle Whittington reviews The Life of Tea by Michael Freeman and Timothy d'Offay | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week visits the tea lands from on high where rising temperatures in the atmosphere are causing shifts in the jet stream that alter ocean temperatures, causing an unusual period of extreme weather globally. The results from changes in the climate are visible this summer as heat domes, and drought, slow-moving monsoons and violent typhoons and fast-melting glaciers in the Himalayas….… then to England to marvel at the work of British author and photographer Michael Freeman and co-author Timothy d’Offay whose large-format book The Life of Tea: A Journey to the World’s Finest Teas gets a glowing review from Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington.Intemperate TortureThe howl of Typhoon In-Fa assailing Zhejiang and Hangzhou China, and the monsoons deluging India brought havoc, not relief to parched tea lands this month. Visual Splendor One of the lovely things about The Life of Tea is that you don't feel that you're rereading information on tea that you've read 1,000 times before. Rather, you go on a journey to each tea type each country region artisan or tea house, and along the way dotted throughout the text. Like so many villages amongst the team mountains are these wonderful gems and nuggets of information.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – New Criteria Proposed for Differentiating Specialty Tea| Walmart Tea is now 100% Certified by Rainforest Alliance | Kenya Sets Tea Auction Price Minimums| GUEST – Avinash Dugar, founder of the La Gravitea Cafe in Jamshedpur in the north Indian state of Jharkand | NEWSMAKER – David Veal, Executive Director, European Speciality Tea Association | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to London for a chat with David Veal, Executive Director of the European Speciality Tea Association. Veal describes the association’s new perspective and new definition of what makes specialty tea special. and then to northern India where Aravinda Anantharaman visits a tea café with heart.Differentiating Specialty TeaA rigid definition of what makes tea special has eluded the industry. After 45 years of competitions there is consensus on the qualities that make an outstanding oolong as judged by the Lugu Tea Farmers’ in Taiwan. In France, the AVPA has demonstrated skill in determining the gastronomic qualities in tea that please the local palate. The International Specialty Tea Association posts a set of universal standards such as pluck and leaf quality. Consumers mainly differentiate by price. This week the European Speciality Tea Association announced a definition that is more aspirational that dogmatic. ESTA Executive Director David Veal joins us to explain how the association adopted this approach and why it will prove helpful. For the Love of TeaLa Gravitea Cafe is a remarkable tea café with hundreds of selections of fine teas inspired by the travels of founder Avinash Dugar but aside from specialty teas, what make LaGravitea special is that the young staff are hard-working graduates of the local school for the hearing-impaired.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Darjeeling is Experiencing a Severe Downturn | Researchers Discover Expanded Role for Microbes in Tea Making | Oxfam India Defines Living Wage for Assam Tea Workers| GUESTS – Kate Elliot, Catherine Drummond-Herdman, Pinkie Methven, Veronica Murray-Poore, Tea Gardens of Scotland,| NEWSMAKER – Carmién Tea founder Mientjie Mouton | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to South Africa to discuss with Carmién Tea founder Mientjie Mouton the beneficial aspects of the EU’s decision to register rooibos as the first African food product to receive protected designation of origin. and then to Scotland where Dananjaya Silva discusses with nine local tea growers how the short summers and cold winters of a far northern terroir contribute to the unique flavor of Scottish tea.Rooibos RevivedRooibos is an herb that grows in a very narrow corridor north of Cape Town, South Africa in the fertile soil of the Cederberg mountains. Growers there produce about 14,000 metric tons annually as a healthful, refreshing, non-caffeinated beverage known locally as red bush tea. Tea Biz Podcast founder Dan Bolton talks with Mientjie Mouton, the founder of Carmién Tea a supplier of quality rooibos, both green and red.Scottish TeaScots have a long history of growing Camelia sinensis in faraway lands ― from the jungles of Assam to the hills of Ceylon. A group of Scottish ladies have decided to follow in their ancestor’s footsteps. I’m Dananjaya Silva from PMD David Silva and Sons, and today I sit down with Kate Elliot, Catherine Drummond Herdman, Veronica Murray Poore, and Pinkie Methven to talk about green tea in Scotland.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – European Union Enforces Single-Use Plastics Rules | Easing Iranian Sanctions Benefits Tea Trade | Kenya Tea Auction Prices Plummet| GUEST – Rare tea book collector Donald Maxton, Tea Book Shop, Springfield, New Jersey| NEWSMAKER – FaithAnn Bailes, content and conference manager for World Tea Expo at Questex| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Las Vegas for a report on the first in-person edition of World Tea Expo in two years. and then to New Jersey where rare tea book collector Donald Maxton shares with Kyle Whittington his fascination with tea texts and ephemera dating to the 1880s.Together AgainWorld Tea Expo + Conference was forced to take a two-year COVID hiatus, returning to Las Vegas last week as a face-to-face event co-located for the first time with the rebranded Bar & Restaurant Expo. Attendees comingled well says Faith Ann Bailes, content and conference manager for World Tea Expo + Conference at Questex, and one of the original co-founders of World Tea Expo in 2003.A Rare FindWhat makes a tea book special? asks Tea Book Club founder Kyle Whittington. Rare book collector Donald A. Maxton says that he first considers the age of a published work, which often reflects the culture of the time, and then interesting and unusual designs, and, finally, the use of color.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Logistics Companies Invest to Right the Ship | Kenya’s Newly Elected Board Moves into KTDA Headquarters | and Hain Celestial Streamlines its Tea Selections| GUEST – Alicia Gentili, of St. Clement, is project manager and tea maker at Jersey Fine Tea, a new tea estate on the Island of Jersey.| NEWSMAKER – Sparsh Agarwal, co-founder with Ishaan Kanoria of Dorje Teas in Darjeeling, India| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Darjeeling, India where an innovative new tea venture is taking root at the Agarwal family’s ancestral farm at Selim Hill … and then to the Jersey Isles off the coast of France where Alicia Gentili, project manager at Jersey Fine Tea, discusses the challenges and rewards of establishing a new tea garden in the English Channel.Reviving DarjeelingSparsh Agarwal is the fourth generation in his family to cultivate tea in the Himalayas but, as you will hear in this discussion with Aravinda Anantharaman, he is not bound by tradition. Agarwal and Dorje Tea co-founder Ishaan Kanoria are targeting India’s domestic market, offering a subscription model featuring Darjeeling tea from all four plucking seasons to give Selim Hill Tea Estate a second chance.Splendid Tea from the Isle of JerseyCamellia sinensis is a versatile plant that is grown in many parts of the world, observes Tea Biz correspondent Dananjaya Silva. At 49 degrees latitude, Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands situated between England and France, is much further north than traditional tea lands, yet the island is proving to be fertile ground to produce fine loose-leaf tea. Silva talks with Alicia Gentili from Jersey Fine Tea about the challenges of growing tea on the Island of Jersey.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Sri Lanka’s Clean Tea Ambitions | COVID’s Toll on Tea Garden Workers| Tea Day Auction Yields Record Prices | and Nayuki’s Lucrative IPO| GUEST – Maria Uspenski, a cancer survivor, and author of Cancer Hates Tea. In 2004 Maria founded The Tea Spot, a tea wholesaler and teaware design company in Boulder, Colo. | NEWSMAKER – Jeff Champeau, vice president of business development at Rishi Tea & Botanicals, Milwaukee, Wis.| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Boulder, Colo. where Maria Uspenski explains the relationship of beneficial adaptogens and tea... and then to Milwaukee, Wis., where Jeff Champeau, [ SHAM PAU ] vice president of business development at Rishi Tea & Botanicals, discusses how to infuse craft-brewed tea into our lives.Adaptogens and TeaOur guest this week is Maria Uspenski, a cancer survivor, and author of Cancer Hates Tea. In 2004 Maria founded The Tea Spot, a tea wholesaler and teaware design company in Boulder, Colo. Join Herbal Collective Magazine publisher Marilyn Zink, as she discusses with Maria the importance to overall health of herbal adaptogens and their role in blends with tea.Healthful Effervescence Tea is on a trajectory akin to small-batch, craft-brewed beer where carefully selected ingredients are individually prepared to showcase their best characteristics. Recipes emphasize balance, with efficacy and taste foremost. Excellence in blending and brewing preserves high concentrations of polyphenols and other beneficial plant compounds with minimum calories, nothing artificial, the convenience of cans – and the fun of fizz.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Cold Brew is Trending for Iced Tea Month | DAVIDsTEA in Canada Settles its Debts and Kenya Exports Surge but Auction Prices Remain Low| GUEST – Ravi Kroesen, head teamaker at Steven Smith Teamaker, in Portland, Ore.| NEWSMAKER – Amy Dubin-Nath, founder Janem Tea in Colombus, Ohio| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Columbus, Ohio to visit with Amy Dubin-Nath, founder of Janem Tea and an ad hoc India tea ambassador to the US.… and then to Portland, Ore. where Ravi Kroesen, head teamaker at Smith Teamaker, explains the many uses of tea at the company’s recently opened plant-based café.Spectacular Indian TeasAmy Dubin-Nath sees a bright future for specialty teas originating in India, “but I don’t think it is going to be a quick flip where people are only after high end teas.” Instead, the process will be gradual, following a path similar to wine. “Do I want to see the spectacular teas of India keep selling at a high price?" she asks, “Yes, definitely, as that elevates the perceived value, making it something precious. I believe that message should be spread throughout the world — including in India.”A Plant-Based Café where Tea Reigns SupremeThe intent of the new café concept, says Smith Teamaker Ravi Kroesen, is to “develop foods that really reflect our ethos [E THOS] of plants, as well as utilizing tea as an ingredient.” The new Smith Teamaker café sources locally with a menu that includes snacks, lattes and iced concoctions with full meals that demonstrate how tea and food can live in harmony from leaf to cup to plate.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Food Inflation Dampens Enthusiasm Over Rising Tea Prices | India’s Tea Industry Under Duress | and the European Union Grants Rooibos GI Protection| NEWSMAKER – Jan Holzapfel, owner of 198-year-old Ronnefeldt Tea in Frankfurt, Germany | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Frankfurt Germany to discuss best practices in Sustainable Wholesale with Jan Holzapfel, owner of Ronnefeldt Tea, a 198-year-old company that is replacing its tea packaging this year with eco-friendly materials, embracing traceability, and reducing emissions by longer airfreighting tea… and then to London to listen the Tea Book Club’s crowd-sourced review of author Henrietta Lovell’s latest book, INFUSED: Adventures in tea.| Sustainable WholesaleFirst flush teas flown to Ronnefeldt’s blending and packaging facility in Germany account for only 0.02% of the company’s offerings by weight, yet in a single season “flight tea” generates more greenhouse gas emissions than the millions of kilos transported by ship, says owner Jan Holzapfel. He acknowledges that for a premium tea supplier, abandoning expedient air cargo after 75 years is a significant step: “however, we have a responsibility towards nature that we take very seriously.”| A Book to Re-ignite your Tea FlameReviewer Kyle Whittington has a single word for INFUSED, a book by Rare Tea Founder Henrietta Lovell that describes her adventures in tea: “Wow,” he writes, "You really feel like you are sitting over a cup of tea with Henrietta as she regales you with her stories, the highs, the lows, and the off on a tangent."Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Pandemic Powers Organic Sales | Tea Cafes Cautiously Re-opening| Tata Expands Direct-to-Customer Range | Buyers Spend Big at Chinese International Tea Expo| GUEST – Simona Suzuki, née Zavadckyte, co-founder and president Global Japanese Tea Association| NEWSMAKER – Olivia Chan, owner of Treasure Green Tea Co., a Chinatown tea shop in Vancouver, British Columbia. | FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Japan where the Japan Tea Central Council and the Global Japanese Tea Association are organizing a Tea Marathon during the Tokyo Olympics so that enthusiasts worldwide can better appreciate the great variety of tea grown there… and then onto Vancouver, British Columbia, where Jessica Woollard leads a virtual tour of Chinatown, a Canadian National Historic Site and the location of the Treasure Green Tea Company and the Chinese Tea Shop ― two of the best places to find authentic Chinese tea.Japan Tea MarathonThe Japan Tea Marathon is a series of live online events featuring teas from 15 of Japan’s tea producing regions. Zoom sessions begin July 23 and are held twice daily, concluding Aug. 8. Two hundred competing brewers and 1000 regular admissions give the entire world of tea an opportunity to cheer their favorite to victory.The Charm of Vancouver’s ChinatownThe announcement in 1984 that the British colony of Hong Kong would be formally transferred to China in 1997, led to an exodus of 335,646 emigrants many of whom made Vancouver their new home. Today a second surge is building as new visa applications rose by more than 20% in 2020 to 10,800 applicants for Canadian residency. In the Vancouver suburb of Richmond, 42% of residents list either Cantonese or Mandarin as their first language. Retailers benefitted as demand swelled for authentic Chinese tea, leading widespread popularity and the expansion of Vancouver’s Chinatown, now the third largest Chinatown in North America.  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | Tea History Collection Unveiled | Indian Commodities Logjam | THIRST Undertakes a Human Rights Analysis in Tea | A Series of Major Quakes Rattle Yunnan| GUEST – William Liu is a 20-year-old sophomore at Wake Forest University and founder of the World Tea Association on campus and online.| NEWSMAKER – Asha Bhandari is the International Trade and Promotion Executive at HIMCOOP, the Himalayan Tea Producers Cooperative, a consortium of all orthodox tea producers established in 2003| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to Nepal to meet Aasha Bhandari the newly named International Trade and Promotion Executive at the Himalayan Tea Producers Cooperative… … and then to the North Carolina campus of Wake Forest University to learn from student William Liu on why ancient teas and rituals retain their appeal with young people.Himalayan Tea OpportunityNepal’s tea industry reported record sales in 2020. The fabled tea land is growing greater quantities and greater varieties of loose and broken leaf teas thanks to a government-initiated expansion of the industry to high altitude gardens in non-traditional growing areas. Rural agrarian entrepreneurs are redefining offerings for an international market thirsty for the distinct taste of Himalayan grown oolongs, white teas, and premium black whole leaf. In this segment Aravinda Anantharaman introduces Aasha Bhandari, newly named to promote trade at the Himalayan Tea Producers Cooperative, a consortium of all orthodox tea producers established in 2003.Why Ancient Tea Appeals to Young PeopleWilliam Liu is a 20-year-old sophomore at Wake Forest University so inspired by tea that he and his classmates established the World Tea Association on campus and online. The group offers tea discovery and tasting sessions weekly and hosts occasional tea panels with presentations by tea professionals, tea scholars, and tea explorers. The events bring together many who are new to tea, says William QUOTE: “we aim to redefine the tea experience through an interdisciplinary approach and expose the true leaf to a greater audience.” In this discussion he describes why tea appeals to young people and explains his view that tea learning is ongoing. “The tea journey has no destination, he says, it involves only intention and lifelong learning.” Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – International Tea Day | Assam Forbids Tea Workers to Isolate at Home| Nepal’s First Flush is Delayed | Kagoshima May Soon Outproduce Shizuoka| GUEST – Author Chitrita Banerji, a chronicler of food history and culture| NEWSMAKER – Eva Lee, founder of Tea Hawaii, a tea farm and wholesale venture in Volcano, Hawaii| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to the slopes of the Kilauea Volcano where Tea Hawaii Founder Eva Lee describes the ongoing tea harvest as unusually wet and seven weeks later than normal …and then to Massachusetts to learn how a simple beverage transformed Indian culture.Uniquely Hawaiian TeaEva Lee pioneered modern tea cultivation in Hawaii, establishing with her husband, a tea garden and nursery in the town of Volcano. The farm supplied growers with hearty cultivars first introduced in 2000 by researchers at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Hawaiian tea is grown on farms producing less than 100 kilos a year. Small amounts of premium tea are exported, but most is purchased by local restaurants and tourists. In this conversation, Lee describes how the “modest but very strong tea industry” adapted during a difficult year. - By Dan BoltonTea is Both Cultural and PersonalHumans readily adapt to new foods and drink, most with little affect “we make them our own by accepting them and enjoying them” says distinguished food and culture author Chitrita Banerji. But some are transformative: “It’s interesting that a foreign drink brought in by a foreign colonial power became such an important thing. We don’t think of tea as a foreign drink anymore,” she tells Aravinda Anantharaman during this International Tea Day interview. - By Aravinda Anantharaman Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Kenya is Becoming Unbearably Hot for Tea | Brexit Disrupts UK Tea Trade | Colombo Tea Auction Transformed| GUEST – Adventurer and author Jeff Fuchs, founder of Jalam Tea| NEWSMAKER – Steve Schwartz, founder of the Art of Tea in Los Angeles and graduate of Ayurvedic Institute of New Mexico| FEATURES – Tea Biz travels to Los Angeles this week where Art of Tea founder Steve Schwartz, a graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, describes tea as a powerful conduit for health and wellness....and then to Hawaii to interview tea adventurer and Jalam Tea Founder Jeff Fuchs who is sheltering there during the pandemic. Jeff shares with Jessica Natale Woollard his thoughts on the tranquility of tea.A Conduit for Health and WellnessTea is a powerful conduit for health and wellness, says Steve Schwartz, founder of Art of Tea in Los Angeles and a graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico. In this segment, he discusses the challenging role for tea retailers amid the pandemic. Retailers are wise to offer counsel on the comfort and health benefits of tea, educating themselves in both the traditional and science-based properties and then sharing that knowledge with customers.The Tranquility of TeaAuthor, adventurer, and tea lover, Jeff Fuchs has walked the Ancient Tea Horse Road, been featured in television documentaries, and traveled extensively in the tea lands sourcing tea for his company while sharing the story of tea. His affinity for high-altitude treks equals his affinity for tea. He tells Jessica Natale Woollard, “I've had some of my best tea times in the mountains without necessarily having had the best teas.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Dry Weather Worsens in Assam | COVID Infections are Rising in Nepal and Bangladesh | Are Tea Auctions Still Relevant? | Two Major Grocery Chains Agree to Carry Flash-Frozen Tea Leaves| GUEST – SofaSummit for International Tea Day organizer Shabnam Weber, president of the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada| NEWSMAKER – Are Tea Auctions Still Relevant? Pranav Bhansali, managing partner at Bhansali and Company, tea traders since 1929, answers in the affirmative. Auctions continue to be very relevant and play an important role, he says. Currently 45% of tea sold in India is auctioned, vs 55% sold in private transactions. Read more of Bhansali’s views on the Tea Biz blog.| FEATURES – May is Tea Month. The United Nations-designated International Tea Day will be celebrated on May 21 this year and you can once again participate from the comfort of your home. The second virtual Sofa Summit is hosted by Shabnam Weber, president of the Tea & Herbals Association of Canada. … and then we visit London where Kyle Whittington, founder of the Tea Book Club reviews The Story of Japanese Tea, a fascinating book by Tyas Sosen covering cultivation, manufacturing, history and culture. Tea Day SofaSummitThe all-day SofaSummit begins at 8 am Eastern Standard Time on Friday, May 21. It is a lively virtual chat that introduces tea enthusiasts to dozens of tea experts, scholars, growers and tea professionals from around the globe. Initiated of necessity during the pandemic, the popular event is again hosted by the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada. Jessica Natale Woollard outlines the day. Tea Book Club Review: The Story of Japanese Tea by Tyas SosenTea Book Club founder Kyle Whitting considers The Story of Japanese Tea by Tyas Sosen one of the best and most comprehensive books on Japanese tea available. Listen to his comments and visit Tea Biz Blog for how to buy this book.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Mombasa to Expand Tea Auctions to Five Days a Week | Spiking Prices Dismay Russian Tea Drinkers | A 6.4 Quake Shakes Assam – Tea Factory Damage is Minor | Vahdam Tea Mobilizes Emergency COVID Aid for India| GUEST – Rishi Saria is a third-generation planter, managing the Gopaldhara, and Rohini estates in Darjeeling, India. | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits the fabled Darjeeling tea growing region in the Himalayan foothills of northwestern India…. and we travel to Seattle for the launch of the Organic Marketing Association a group that conveys the complexities of organic cultivation with memorable memes, clever ditties, and illustrations that radiate the joy of farming in harmony with nature.Steadfast Darjeeling Continues to EvolveDarjeeling is the most famous of India’s tea growing regions. Revenue from its spring flush makes it the most lucrative, but the plants there are aging, wage inflation is high, and workers are restless. Innovation is overdue. Aravinda Anantharaman spoke with Rishi Saria a third generation planter, managing the Gopaldhara, and Rohini estates in Darjeeling. He discusses Darjeeling from the point of view of a planter, where things stand, what it needs, and the successful processing of . She filed this this report:Marketing Organics with HumorDennis Weaver is the co-founder and president of the Organic Marketing Association, a non-profit that growers CANNOT pay to join. The consumer-facing OMA celebrates the fun side of organics by building awareness with slogans, puns and Instagram-inspired illustrations of vegetables like celery with the headline “Stalking You” or lemons calling you to “Pucker Up Baby.”Weaver explains that organic food is delicious and nutritious, “So why is organic stuck at 5% market share with plantings on only 1% of US acreage?” he asks. One reason is that organic suppliers spend too much time talking about what’s not organic. They are in a defensive bubble, he says. Consumers are far more interested in how tasty, fun and easy it is to choose organics. “We won’t try to educate anyone. Instead, we’ll focus on making positive associations with the word organic and the things that make people happy. It’s a simple formula that works,” says Weaver.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – Earth Day Takes on New Urgency | Restaurants are Rebounding || World Tea Expo Co-locates with The Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas | Bubble Tea Boba is Languishing at Sea| GUEST – Philippe Juglar, President AVPA (Agency for the Promotion of Agricultural Products)| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz travels to the famed Royal Botanic Garden at Kew to explore a prized collection of 174-year-old tea recently examined and catalogued for its organoleptic properties…and we visit Paris to learn how the Agency for the Promotion of Agricultural Product (AVPA) elevates the world’s tea origins.Rediscovering 174 Year Old TeaIn 2020, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew began analyzing the provenance of more than 300 tea specimens, mainly Chinese and Indian grown teas dating to the 1850s. Ethnobotanist Aurora Prehn began by examining labels. She then proceeded to record non-textual evidence experienced through sight, touch, and smell. She joins us to share her findings and offer some interesting insights into the work of Horticulturalist Robert Fortune whose specimens are included in the collection. Listen as we learn aboutexamine tea from 1853,ow AVPA Elevates OriginsThe Paris-based AVPA (Agency for the Promotion of Agricultural Products) is allied with tea producers globally. Recognition, professional education programs, and competitions build self-esteem and economic recognition that directs a larger share of the value chain to the country of origin.“This is why we cling to local transformation of agricultural products so that producers benefit from the pursuit of excellence,” says AVPA President Philippe Juglar. Juglar kindly shared a portion of his day to explain how competitions that exclude international judges in favor of local experts reveal that what the gastronomic world thinks and what the professional tea world thinks are quality tea leads to some “very interesting differences.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | India Surpasses Brazil as the World’s COVID Hotspot | Tea Imports Spike in Pakistan | The Global Tea Initiative at the University of California, Davis Hosts a Second Virtual Event | Tea Masters Cup Names Champions in Moscow| GUEST – Jack Mackenzie, general manager, Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant in Dorchester, England.| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz offers a glimpse of the many teas of India. Aravinda Anantharaman takes us on a tour revealing there is lot more to savor than chai…and we travel to the idyllic Summer Lodge Country House Hotel in Dorchester for a new take on the old English tradition of afternoon tea.The Many Teas of IndiaThe almost 1.4 billion people who live in India consume about 20% the tea produced globally, including most of the tea grown there. Consumption averages 840 grams per person annually. Growth slowed 2.5% in 2020—much weaker than in previous years—due to retail closures but India has not lost its taste for tea, it is just prepared more at home. Aravinda Anantharaman takes us on a tea tour that reveals there is lot more to savor than chai.Afternoon Tea Re-imaginedSituated in the rolling hills of Dorset, the Summer Lodge Country House Hotel & Restaurant is the perfect setting to savour Afternoon Tea in the idyllic English countryside. But when the pandemic closed the hotel the restaurant staff, at the direction of general manager Jack Mackenzie, were forced to cleverly design an afternoon tea takeaway so memorable that this old English tradition became an Instagram hit for patrons unboxing their dainties at home.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – A Sparkling Future for Fizzy Tea | Bubble Tea Drinkers Froth Over Drinking Straw Ban | Vahdam Tea Partners with Goodricke Group | Starbucks Introduces Rent-a-Cup| GUEST – Supriya Sahu, managing director of INDCOSERVE, a cooperative of 30,000 tea farmers producing 14 million kilos of tea annual in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu.| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits the Nilgiri tea growing region in South India where the INDCOSERVE tea farmer’s co-operative has harnessed the creative and collective energy of 30,000 small farmers....and we discuss the challenges of timely tea delivery in the new harvest year with Jason Walker, spokesperson for Firsd Tea, the US division of the largest green tea supplier in the world.Waking a Sleeping GiantA money-losing federation of small grower co-operatives in Tamil Nadu, the largest of its kind in India with a history dating to 1965, languished for decades before a leader emerged with a singular message: produce tea that builds the lives of farmers and a better future, she said. “That’s our ambition to transform an organization that was a sleeping giant into one that can show the world that a small growers’ organization can be the best among the best.”Tea DeliveryEarly harvests in China, India, and Kenya sent new teas to market early this year – a fortunate head-start. Unlike last year, labor availability is good despite COVID-19 restraints, tea regions report fine weather, and orderly processing is raising expectations of a bountiful crop. Two obstacles remain. Transport is stretched to the breaking point as reinvigorated economies stir from pandemic weariness. The second hurdle is cost. Wholesalers, retailers, and importers that last year bore the weight of spiking prices must now make up for lost earnings. Expect significant price increases for both specialty and commodity teas for the foreseeable future. In this segment Jason Walker, spokesperson for Firsd Tea, the US division of the largest green tea supplier in the world, discusses challenges impeding timely tea delivery.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | Suez Ship-jam Delays Tea Deliveries | Tea Aisle Sales Stand Out in Grocery | Tea Retail Realignment is Underway  | GUEST – David O'Neill director of Falls of Clyde International, a maritime heritage non-profit with plans to state clipper tea races in 2025.  | FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits Scotland for a lesson on the history of tea clipper ships and a plan to revive the famous tea races from China to the UK with next-generation zero-emission sail craft that someday may enable shippers who switched from sail to steam 150 years ago to switch back to sail again…. and we explore a realm that knows no bounds -- the imagination of tea book authors. Listen as Kyle Whittington, founder of the Tea Book Club, presents the first in a series of crowd-sourced book reviews.  Clipper Tea Races Reborn Racing 2000-ton, 200-foot long, four-masted tall ships with a 30-man crew at speeds of up to 32 kilometers per hour from Foochow, China to London was a 99-day spectacle that rivaled today’s FIFA World Cup. With a ten-pence per ton premium on top of the 5 pounds per ton price of tea and a cash prize of 100 sterling for the first captain to reach port, the race (and wagers in plenty) meant fortunes won and lost. From the first race in 1865 to the last in 1872 the public eagerly anticipated September when a glut of fresh tea first arrived. British and American clipper ships were the marvel of their day but Scotland’s shipbuilders in Aberdeen on the River Clyde were the most renowned. The race of 1866 pitted 57 ships on a journey of 14,000 miles with three contenders arriving within two hours on the same tide. The world’s two fastest clippers, the Taeping and the Ariel docked 28 minutes apart, the winning captain gallantly splitting the prize. David O’Neill is director of Falls of Clyde International, a non-profit vested in preserving Scotland’s maritime heritage. The 200-foot-long Falls of Clyde is the last of the full-rigged iron-hulled clippers. It is designated a US National Historic Landmark and moored as a maritime museum in Honolulu. However, it is no longer open to the public and needs $1.5 million in immediate repairs or it will be scuttled.  The Tea Book Club The Tea Book Club is a virtual adaptation of the Saturday afternoon tea and armchair get-togethers we all miss. Members meet monthly as either “Teapot” regulars or just a “Spoon-full” drop-ins. A new book is introduced every two months. The first session is social with a book-related theme or special guest. The second meet-up is to discuss the book in detail. There are two time slots to accommodate the global community with recordings available and a group chat on Instagram. Email prompts during the month help you keep on pace. In this segment, Kyle introduces the club’s favorite book of 2020, Tales of the Tea Trade by Michelle and Bob Comins, two adventurous tea retailers from Bath, England who recount their travels to origin. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | India High Court Reverses Assam Tea Worker Wage Increase | Kenyan Tea Factory Elections Suspended | Study Finds Growers Adapting to Climate Change| GUEST – Shunan Teng, founder of the Tea Drunk tea house in York City and the pandemic-inspired online Tea Education Club and monthly tea subscription service offering China’s heritage teas.| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz discusses a retail-inspired tea education club that delves deeply in the “geeky” aspects of terroir, horticultural practices, and processing during rare-tea cupping sessions at home…. and we travel to London to weigh the marketing value of third-party certifications against authentic “boots-on-the ground” community involvement tailored to local needs.Online Tea Education Club in a Class All its OwnNew York’s Tea Drunk tea house is normally bustling with tea lovers gathered to sip and learn. Since opening in 2013, founder and first-generation immigrant Shunan Teng, an accomplished speaker and educator, taught by example, telling stories of her annual buying trips while pouring tea for customers. Last March, Teng, who normally spends three months a year with heritage growers in China, was grounded – worse yet, her thriving business was locked down.Certifications Soothe the Conscience, But Do They Deliver for the Communities Where Workers Reside?In principle tea certification programs have positive impacts but in practice results are highly location-specific and mixed. Farmgate prices generally rise along with gross income, but so do that are borne by farmers in about 60 percent of certification programs. An imperative for marketers seeking to export tea – tea certifications soothe the conscience of retailers and consumers, but do they address the needs and interests of tea workers in the communities in which they reside?Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES – | US Restaurant Rescue Funds Total $28.6 Billion | EU Reviews Pesticide Rules | Tea Theaflavin Inhibits Coronavirus Replication | PLANT-AG is a $9 Billion Startup that Promises Field-to-Plate Traceability | GUEST – Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director of the Luxmi Group, which owns estates in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura in India and Rwanda in Africa producing collectively 20 million kilos of tea annually.| FEATURES – This week Tea Biz continues its coverage of how Japan’s tea industry successfully met the challenges of marketing tea a decade after the disastrous earthquake, tsunami and meltdown of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima.…. and we travel to India to discuss a pandemic pivot with Rudra Chatterjee, managing director of the Luxmi Group.Meltdown Led to Tea Industry Realignment in JapanRadioactive fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown descended in plumes far north and east of Japan’s tea growing region. Losses were significant in Shizuoka due to factory closings where lightly contaminated tea was concentrated. Japan’s tea growing regions were not impacted and continued to evolve, initially foregoing exports in favor of the domestic market. That changed beginning in 2016 as exports increased from 4,000 to 5,100 metric tons. Valuation peaked in 2018 at 1.5 billion yen, largely because of the out-sized success of matcha, which accounted for 43% of exports, according to the Japanese Tea Export Production Council.Will the Pandemic and Pivot Online be the Catalyst the Farm-to-cup Movement Needed?2020 accelerated a shift to digital media, one that many tea producers embraced. Did this bring more customers? Did this increase sales? Is this the catalyst the farm-to-cup movement needed? We posed these questions to Rudra Chatterjee, Managing Director of century old Luxmi Group that auctions millions of kilos of tea annually to a small cadre of buyers purchasing 20,000 kilo container lots. Luxmi quickly adapted to selling 250 gram packets of tea directly to thousands of consumers a pivot that Chatterjee says brought significant benefit.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES First Flush Harvest Underway | Tea Price Report | Tea Relaxes Blood Vessels | Celebrating the Green| GUESTYasuharu Matsumoto, vice president of the Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms.| NEWS First Flush Harvest UnderwayDroves of COVID-19 wary pluckers are working gardens in China, Sri Lanka, and India amid favorable weather after a dry winter. The Darjeeling first flush is underway.Consumer demand for premium tea increased during the pandemic and pricing is firm, but there is uncertainty throughout the entire supply chain as to when newly processed tea will reach market. Waiting time for obtaining container space on a ship is now 3-10 weeks at rates 50-200% higher than mid-year. Wholesalers are raising shipping minimums and pricing significant increases due to shipping. Retailers that absorbed some of the financial shock of 2020 project steep increases this year to recover losses.Introducing Weekly Tea Price ReportPrice volatility is a weekly concern which is why Tea Biz is launching the Tea Price Report. The podcast will report auction averages and prices for specific types of tea, drawing on many sources including, tea boards, traders, and the China Tea Marketing Association which provides a benchmark for the 10 teas most commonly exported. We welcome comments and suggestions. The full report can be viewed at www.tea-biz.com| FEATURESThis week Tea Biz travels to Japan on the 10th anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake, a seismic event so powerful that it shifted the earth’s axis and tested both the resolve and resilience of Japan’s tea industry.…. and in recognition of International Women’s Day, we visit with the directors of THIRST, The Roundtable for Sustainable Tea, an organization committed to respect the rights of workers and farmers.Tohoku Tea Relief CaravanFive hundred miles south of the destruction, Yasuharu Matsumoto, vice president of the Kyoto Obubu Tea Plantations, called for volunteers to travel north on a mission motivated by kindness.Ten months after the tsunami the flotsam and rubble remained, with buses and boats precariously balanced on roof tops of multi-story buildings. Listen to the story of the Tohoku Tea Caravan.Women’s rights in tea with Sabita Banerji and Krishanti DharmarajIn recognition of International Women’s Day, Tea Biz spoke with Sabita Banerji and Krishanti Dharmaraj from THIRST, The International Roundtable for Sustainable Tea. Sabita was born and raised in tea gardens in Assam and Munnar. She is an economic justice advisor and the founder and CEO of THIRST. Krishanti Dharmaraj is a THIRST trustee and Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in New York and co-founder of WILD for Human Rights (Women’s Institute for Leadership Development).Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HEAR THE HEADLINES| Brand Relevance in Chaotic Times | Nepal Announces Tea Traceability Project | The Danish Tea Association Merges with The European Speciality Tea Association | YELP! Names a Tea House to its list of Top 100 Places to Eat in America| GUESTAngela McDonald, president US League of Tea Growers| FEATURESThis week Tea Biz shares the secret to creating tea blends that sell, a conversation with master blender Sameer Pruthee, CEO at Tea Affair in Calgary...and we travel to Oregon for a visit with Angela McDonald, president of the US League of Tea Growers.The Business Benefit of Custom BlendsTimeless blends like iconic Earl Grey, bold Yorkshire Gold and Constant Comment, a blend that Ruth Bigelow created in her kitchen in 1945, provide the sturdy foundation on which some of the world’s most treasured tea companies stand.A Tea Terroir All Their Own Growers of high quality tea in the United States set out to create something that isn’t available from anybody, anywhere else, an expression of regional flavor grounded in local terroir. The president of the US League of Tea Growers explains that while quantities are small “No one is going to buy a Mississippi Yellow Tea from Sri Lanka because it will never be the same.”Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWS HEADLINES – Retail Sales Thawed in January | Restaurant Reticence Persists | Kenya's Tea Export Earnings Surged in 2020 | Assam Increases Daily Wages by 30 Percent for Tea Workers.FEATURES – This week Tea Biz visits London for a chat with David Veal about the European Speciality Tea Association’s newly launched training program for tea professionals… and we travel to India for a discussion on the future of handcrafted speciality and indigenous tea.Collaborative Training Program - The tea industry lacks a good, consistent, authoritative, recognized educational program that offers a universally acknowledged certification, writes ESTA's David Veal. Tea Biz asked what makes the association’s new training program unique? "The aspiration of our program is that not only knowledge and skills, but professionalism and passion will be stimulated by those participating in the program, and that the overall results will be an ability and desire to buy, brew, serve and promote better quality tea, and in so doing, educate consumers and encourage them to experiment with new and different teas," says Veal.Speciality and Indigenous Teas - India’s tea industry has for long, been about two types of tea, CTC and Orthodox. But in recent years, we are seeing the emergence of the specialty tea segment, which includes new tea types, and handmade and artisanal teas, and also wild and indigenous teas. Bengaluru-based Aravinda Anantharaman speaks with Parag Hatibarua, a tea consultant who works closely with these teas and their makers.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWS HEADLINES – Sri Lanka Launches Expansive Ceylon Tea Promotion | Green Tea Compound Acts Like a Superhero Sidekick to Cancer Cell Suppressor | Lipton IPO Likely in 2021 | Tea Tourism Stirs from a Deep Pandemic-Induced SlumberFEATURES – This week Tea Biz reports on T.Kettle, a Canadian retail chain launched at the height of the pandemic that features ethically sourced, vegan, organic, loose leaf teas…and travels to Sri Lanka for a look at an impressive digital marketing initiative created by seven small enterprise entrepreneurs promoting Ceylon tea.T. Kettle - “In any tough times – and this is certainly one of them – opportunities present themselves,” writes 36-year-old T. Kettle founder Doug Putman, a turnaround investor who has opened 45 tea retail locations in nine Canadian provinces and six U.S. states. He plans to expand to 100 stores in 2021. Tea Biz takes you to Coquitlam, British Columbia for a walk through one of the newest mall locations.Small Enterprise Marketing - The Ceylon Artisanal Tea Association, a collaboration of seven tea producers in Sri Lanka, hosted their third “garden tour” webinar this week. Webinar participants travel virtually to see the garden, processing facilities and meet principals and ask questions face-to-digital-face. Simon Bell, managing director at Amba Tea Estate, writes that “digital marketing is often one of the biggest challenges for small growers and rural entrepreneurs in emerging markets.” Tea Biz asked Bell to discuss the effectiveness of this new approach.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWS HEADLINES - Hard tea packs a punch…. India earmarks worker subsidies for women and children… and beware of false claims, FDA has so far issued 145 warnings to companies, including tea companies, to stop misleading consumers with products that claim to cure COVID-19.FEATURES - This week Tea Biz reports on the growing sophistication of tea farming in the United States…and learn about Canada’s acclaimed tea sommelier certification program that trains tea professionals on campus or online.Since 2013 the US League of Tea Growers has nurtured close collaboration among the more than 60 growers in 15 American states producing tea for commercial sale. Led by Angela McDonald, owner of Oregon Tea Traders, the group hosts online webinars and discussions. This week Kevin Gascoyne, a well-known tea buyer and co-owner of the Camellia Sinensis tea company in Montreal, counseled the group on what American tea growers need to do to make themselves competitive on the world stage. He also had this to say about what makes America’s experiment in tea growing relevant to the industry at large.Enrollment in the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada’s tea sommelier certification program surged during lockdowns and continues to grow in the new year. The designed for tea professionals, costs between $2,500 and $3,500 to complete online, or, on campus. Jessica Natale Woollard in this report talks with founder Shabnam Weber and MacKenzie Bailey, a tea sommelier enrolled in the online program.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWS HEADLINES - Shipping container shortage threatens timely tea deliveries. …. Kenya’s High Court has ruled against unions seeking to prevent mechanical harvesting of tea …and Bombs Away… Tea bombs encased in confectionary get rave reviews online.FEATURES - In its national budget proposal this week the Indian government included 1,000 crorepati or 10 billion rupees in subsidies (the equivalent of $137 million US) to assist plantation workers in Assam and West Bengal. A growing consensus, however, is that expansive plantations should be divided into cooperatives composed of entrepreneurial smallholders supplying small independent tea processing factories… Aravinda Anantharaman reports...Traveling to the tea lands to learn about tea is no long practical, yet tea retailers must still learn tasting skills essential to selecting fine tea. International Tea Cuppers Club founder Dan Robertson has constructed an international tea training center in Mexico where tea masters travel from origin to share their knowledge. The soon-to-open facility is on the Riviera Maya near the Mayan Ruins, south of Cancun and Cozumel.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWS - Here are the headlines: Montreal-based DAVIDsTEA is undergoing a remarkable transformation…. Tea companies report strong sales and many new functional, and condition-specific teas… the British increased their tea intake 27 percent – dunking 61 billion tea bags last year … and Tea sales slow in Canada following a spring sprint.FEATURES - This week we travel to Malawi, Africa where industry veteran Ranjit Dasgupta profiles a growing region gaining a reputation for producing innovative and sustainable specialty tea…. And to the Nilgiri Mountains in South India where hundreds of small growers in 100-member “farm producer groups” are collectively learning how to transition from fertilizer- and pesticide-dependent land practices to the organic cultivation of tea. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

NEWSHere are the headlines: The Global Tea Initiative at University of California Davis debuted its first digital colloquium January 21…. Sales at US tea and coffee shops declined by $11.5 billion and more than 200 venues vanished in 2020… Respondents to a US TEA COUNCIL survey say they feel “centered” after drinking tea… and Kenya’s parliament re-established the country’s tea board in the New Year.FEATURESThis week we travel to India to discover a charming and earth-friendly alternative to the millions of plastic teacups discarded at train stations… and to California to meet Lisa See, author of the acclaimed best-selling novel The Tea Girl of Hummingbird LaneSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Author Lisa See has led a remarkable life in tea. Her great-great grandfather worked his way from a laborer on the transcontinental railroad to become a leader in the prosperous Chinatown in Los Angeles a century ago. Listen as she discusses how tea has influenced her life.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Interview with Kulhad AnantharamanSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Interview with Lisa SeeSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/tea-biz/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy